Small Hiker's Book Series - The Last Lecture

I always put in reading as one of my hobbies when asked to do so.  However, I don't do that much of it these days with the exception of reading through the online pages of TIME, The Star and Google News.  That's why it was an event for me after I finished reading this book.

Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and he had only months to live.   The book was based on the last lecture that he gave at the University he was teaching,  Last Lecture was  a series of talk where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical "final talk", with a topic such as "what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?"  His lecture was very popular on Youtube and he gave the abridged version in Oprah.

When I was reading the book, I updated the lessons learned.  Here they are:

Lesson #1 - 'when you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you'

February 3 at 10:08am

Lesson #2 on Time Management

a. Time must be explicitly managed, like money

b. You can always change your plan, but if only you have one

c. Are you spending your time on the right thing?

February 3 at 2:43pm

 

Lesson #3 - too many people complaining about their problems. If you took one-tenth energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving problem, you'd be surprised by how well things can work out.

February 3 at 6:02pm

Lesson #4 - experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. Failure is not just acceptable , it's often essential.

February 3 at 6:27pm

Lesson #5 - when you can't pay someone back, pay it forward. Go out and do good for others what somebody did good to you

February 3 at 6:45pm

 

Lesson #6 - when giving an apology, any performance lower than an A really doesn't cut it. A good apology is like an antibiotic; a bad apology is like rubbing salt in the wound

February 3 at 7:23pm

And I finished reading it the next day with this update: 

Watammat! Now, I have the urge to read another book! Perhaps one of those that I stopped half way!

February 4 at 8:54am

Avoiding the Diet Pitfalls

The weigh-in time is coming soon and I'll get to know the diet result of yet another long break and celebrations.  It's the time to 'balik kampung' and enjoy the home cooking of our beloved parents.  I see updates every now and then FB on how my friends were enjoying their time having holiday with their family members.   And I was there to spoil the mood of a few of them by reminding them not be such a glutton.  Or else, they'd have to have self-imposed penance of crash diet for one week. 

Crash diet is one of the common pitfalls of dieting as it will not have lasting result.  In fact it's detrimental to the whole idea of dieting.  I came across a list of habits that will wreck any dieting plan.  Here they are:  

Relying on Crash Diets
Decided to lose 10kgs fast, you turn to crash diets for no meal except fruits and vegetable or the famous 'liquid diet'.  You take less than 1,000 calories a day.  True enough, the extra weight goes away.  However, when you eat less calories, you train your metabolism to slowdown.  When the diet is over, your body is used to slow metabolism and you gain weight more than ever before

 

Skipping Breakfast
Skipping breakfast sounds like an easy way to cut calorie but you end up having the hunger pang for the rest of the day.  Breakfasts that are high in protein and fiber can reduce hunger throughout the day.

Losing Track of Your Snacks
There is a difference between having more frequency of meals yet in small portion than having snacks in between meals.  The culprit has always been the free snacks being offered by colleagues at the office, cake from birthday party, goreng pisang by a colleague who just comes in from visiting clients, etc. All these snacks could sabotage a well planned diet

Not Snacking at All
Unplanned snacks can increase your waistline but thoughtful and planned snacks may do the opposite.  People who eat several small meals and snacks a day are more likely to control hunger and lose weight. Snacking helps keep your metabolism in high gear, especially if the snacks are protein-rich. Nuts are a good, high-protein choice, and research suggests people who snack on nuts tend to be slimmer than those who don't.

Loading Up on Low-Fat
Low-fat products can play an important role in your diet. Just remember that low-fat isn't the same as low-calorie and it's not a license to take second and third helpings. If you pile your plate with low-fat cake, you may end up eating more calories than if you had a smaller slice of regular cake.

Sipping Too Many Calories
Personally, this is the biggest diet wrecker.  Some fancy coffees and alcoholic beverages have more than 500 calories. What's worse is that liquid calories don't curb hunger. You're not going to eat any less after a high-calorie drink.

Drinking Too Little Water
I am guilty of drinking less water in the office.  The cold air-cond in the office doesn't make me thirsty that fast. However, this is one of the simplest diet blunders to fix. Water is essential for burning calories. If you let yourself get dehydrated, your metabolism drags -- and that means slower weight loss



Weighing Yourself Every Day
Weighing yourself daily is not advisable and doesn't yield useful information. It's more important to look for a long-term trend with weekly weigh-ins. If your goal is to lose 1kg a week, you'll be satisfied to see those full-pound drops when you step on the scale. The result is more motivating that the confusing swings that may accompany daily weigh-ins.



Avoiding Exercise
When you don't exercise, you place the entire burden of weight loss on your diet. If you become more active, you can eat more of the things you like -- and still lose weight. The key is finding an exercise you enjoy. If the treadmill seems tedious, try hiking or cross training!   Spend time at different activities until you find one you want to do regularly 

Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve - Tinnitus

F

The latest trip to Ayer Hitan Forest Reserve in Puchong is my first hiking trip this year.  Since the slip disc incidence in Sg Chilling, I switched back my weekend exercise to brisk walking and swimming.  I enjoy swimming as it helps  to strengthen my back.  In fact when I go to the gym these days, I don't miss doing the physio routines that I learned from the physio team in Subang Jaya Medical Centre.   Thank God, I am in much better condition now.  However, I don't think I am ready for major hiking trip! 

Now, I added another health condition to my present state.   The medical condition is called tinnitus, the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound or in short a ringing or similar sensation of sound in the ears!  I always hear hissing, buzzing and whistling sounds in my left ear.  It made feel imbalanced and caused me to have headache.   Since that incidence I have been on MC for 4 days.  

What I learned from this trip, the noises from the jungle help to neutralize whatever sounds that I had in my left ear.    I felt so relaxed and the buzzing and hissing sound were gone temporarily.  As of today, the sounds were still there and I really hope it's not permanent.  In the meantime, I always put on my earphone to listen to nature sounds to help me neutralize the cricket's sounds in my left ear! 

KL'S BIGGEST LOSER - Update #1

First Update on KL's Biggest Loser:  Two weeks since its launch, this is our first update.  Loser #1 - lost 700g, Loser #2 - gained 1kg and Loser #3 - gained 2kg!  Apa dah jadi?  The blame is on year end celebrations that didn't end up until the first two weeks of the new year.  Beginning of the year is the continuation of year end celebrations with free flow of delicious foods and drinks.  It's no exception for Loser #1.  However, a few days prior to weighing day, he attended a free seminar and he skipped all the meals (coffee break and lunch)!  He came back to the office joining other colleagues having salad instead for lunch! 

Other than skipping those foods that are rich in fats and carbs, he also did his exercise regularly.  He worked out on Cross Training machine that burned around 150calories at any one time for 3 days a week.  And he did his brisk walking/jogging and swimming over the weekends! 

The challenge is how to reduce more weight and when we reach the target, it's the biggest challenge of all; how to maintain it?  It's really about moderation and taking the right amount and types of foods.  It's always about less carb and fats; and more fiber and protein!

Loser #1 has also started his breakfast diet on muesli!  It's a very healthy breakfast and the oat content and other fibers helped in bringing down cholesterol level.  Stay on for more updates!

Online News

These days, it's so convenient to look for news and information; there almost isn't anything that you can't find on the internet.  I used to take pride the fact that I don't read newspaper.  It was true as I hate turning the pages of newspaper to go through the news that I hate on murder, rape, robbery, etc.  If I were to read news, I'd want to go straight away to the sections that I am interested in, namely business, technology, health & fitness and sports.  With the latest technology, I can be alerted on the latest news via twitter on my blackberry.  I'd just need to scroll down the news items and choose the one that I am interested to read. 



I also have the options of subscribing to the international news via the free applications.  My two favourite news channels/magazines are Time and MSNBC. It's all on my palm these days and I really don't have to read newspaper anymore.  Instead, I'd just read the online version! 



How about social networking?  It goes without saying, with the proliferation of smart phones of various brands, it's now social networking on the go (mobile social network). No wonder more than 39% of Malaysians are connected to Facebook these days, that accounts for more than 9 millions population of this country.
The above is my latest status update.  Happy Thaipusam!

Mount Marapi Bukittinggi: Update #1

1. I am very excited about the trip to Mount Marapi, Bukittinggi.  So far, I have got 6 people confirmed their participation.  It's just a nice number as I don't want to have that many people in the first place.  
2. So far, one person has already booked his ticket.   As for me, I'll do that either thsi week or next week, the latest.  
3. As for the itinerary there, I just 'copy and paste' the email from the tour agent in Padang as below:

DAY 01. PADANG – BUKITTINGGI  - MT.MARAPI CLIMBING ( L, D )

You will be met and greet service at Bandara International Minangkabau, then we take you to local restaurant to have breakfast ( Optional ), after that we drive up to Bukittinggi on the way stop at Anai Valley Water Fall and Nature Reserve, arrive in Bukittinggi  check in to your hotel choice. Late at night 11 PM transfer to Koto Baru Village for climbing Mt. Marapi.

DAY 02.MT.MARAPI -  BUKITTINGGI   FREE & EASY ( B, D )

Pickup from Koto Baru Village and transfer to your Hotel.

Day time free on your own leasure.

DAY 03. BUKITTINGGI – BATU SANGKAR – PADANG    ( B, L, D )

After breakfast, we then check out hotel, after that we drive you to Batu Sangkar on the way stop at  Hj. Rosma Embroidery, Kiniko Coffee Milling after lunch at local restaurant we proceed to Padang, arrive in Padang city tour visit Muara Padang Beach, Old Harbor, Siti Nurbaya Bridge, Old Padang Town and Padang market, after dinner at local restaurant check in to your hotel choice

DAY 04. HOTEL – AIR PORT ( B )

After early breakfast, we then check out from the hotel and transfer to Airport and tour is end.

Mount Merapi, Bukittinggi, Padang, Indonesia

We are planning a hiking trip to Indonesia to climb Mount Merapi, Bukittinggi, Padang from Jul 9 - 12.  I am short of 1 person and I'd like to invite those who are interested to join us there to leave a message here.  It's 4D 3N and it costs about RM900 for full package that includes flight (have to book yourself), accommodation, meals, transfers and hiking fees.