Now, I’m sure we are all dying to know the secret to achieve guilt-free eating because seriously, who is not struggling with it? At least, everyone I know does…
I have personally struggled with it my whole life, in fact, more than the average person would, due to my extreme tendencies. It has led me to much emotional distress in the past. But before this becomes a sob story, there’s a silver lining to it!
It took me a long time (all through my schooling years and adulthood) to get to where I am today with food and at a place where I’m comfortable around food; not overthinking my choices or guilt-stricken after I thought I made a “bad” choice.
But before I go rambling on about all the craziness that goes on in my head, let’s drill into the topic of the day:
“How can we all eat whatever we like and not feel guilty about our choices, especially when they are deemed “sinful” or “unhealthy”?
Everyone’s unique and different in their own ways, so there’s no one size that fits all. This is something that has worked well for me so I thought I would share it with you.
Tip #1: The 80:20 Lifestyle
80:20 is something I live by that I believe is not restrictive and definitely sustainable. It basically means eating wholesome food 80% of the time and the other 20% you let loose and have whatever you fancy. Don’t get me wrong, you do not need to be weighing out this ratio to the tee because that’ll just be stressful (and that’s not the point, eating healthy should not be stressful!). Here’s how I typically do it;
I would cook more at home and eat out less. For my schedule, it would normally be lunches and dinners at home on weekdays and dine out on the weekends. I love making nourishing meals (my recipes) with wholesome ingredients. So when I dine out, I’ll just order whatever I fancy; if it’s burger and fries on that day, then burger and fries it is!
Since I’ve started adopting this, I enjoy my food guilt-free. I do not have thoughts of wanting to work out more or eating less the next day just because I’ve overindulged that night. When I noticed myself feeling that way, I knew I had broken free from my unhealthy relationship with food.
Tip #2: Set your mind to 👉 “It’s about what you eat, not what you can’t eat”
With all these elimination diets going around (you know those that preaches no carbs, no fats, no sugar….), I personally think it’s more important to focus on what you are nourishing your body instead of what you want to eliminate from your plate.
I mean, eating well is just all about eating your greens, proteins, fats, and carbs from whole food. Since when has it become so complicated? #eatrealfood guys, that’s all you need to remember about eating well.
My take on balanced eating and having a healthy relationship with food is if I’m nourishing my body well enough on a daily basis, what’s an indulgent chocolate cake going to do with it… Our body is so wonderfully created to do amazing things (such as cleansing and detoxing); it is smarter than we think! So, go ahead and enjoy your cake; at the same time make sure to also nourish your body with lots of good stuff and real food.
Enjoy your food, nourish your body, have a good week ahead guys! And remember to always love, share, encourage, listen and give 😘
The Malaysia Website Awards Presentation Ceremony 2017
MALAYSIA, DECEMBER 4, 2017 – The Exabytes Group, the organizer of the prestigious Malaysia Website Awards 2017 (MWA 2017) today officially announces the date and venue of the upcoming Award Presentation Ceremony of Malaysia Website Awards 2017, which is slated to reward over 720 immensely talented local website designers with over 39 awards in 3 award categories.
The Malaysia Website Awards 2017 is the third in the series, seeking to recognize and reward the outstanding performance, talent and effort of the best web developers, web designers and web agencies, and at the same time encourage creativity, sharing and improvement of overall web design quality in the country.
Organized by Exabytes Group and sponsored by eGHL, MYNIC, Frambie, CO3 Social Office and among others, the Malaysia Website Awards 2017 features 3 award categories, namely personal, commercial and E-Commerce, and several awards, such as the Site of the Month Award, the Public’s Favourite Website Award, and the grand prize, Site of the Year.
The much anticipated award ceremony of Malaysia Website Awards 2017 will be witnessed by several highly regarded industry experts, veterans and honorable judges, such as Mr. Leong Wai Khong, Head of Multimedia Design Department of The One Academy Penang, Ms Rachel Tan, Marketing Lead of Shopee Malaysia, Muid Latif, Lead Project of Creative Commons Malaysia and Susilan Kesavan, Senior Manager Social Media of Webe Digital.
Event details of the exciting night are as follows:
Date : 27 January 2018 (Sat)
Venue : CO3 Social Office @ Puchong
Time : 1800 to 2200
Admission : Free
Attire : Smart Casual
According to the group CEO of the Exabytes Group, Mr. Chan Kee Siak, the Malaysia Website Awards 2017 is highly competitive, with the organizer receiving over 500 website submissions each month. In order to choose the best among numerous immensely talented website designers, MWA 2017 required all website submissions to be approved prior becoming qualified to participate. The judging criteria of Malaysia Website Awards 2017 range from Design, SEO, Accessibility, Performance and Content
For further information on Malaysia Website Awards 2017,visit:
The Exabytes group, made up of Exabytes Capital Group and Exabytes Ecommerce group is a leading website and ECommerce hosting provider in Southeast Asia. Besides providing topnotch and highly reliable website hosting, server hosting and server management services etc. to more than 75,000 customers in over 121 countries, the group’s ECommerce arm that consists of Easyparcel and Easystore have in the past years worked seamlessly together to create value for ECommerce sellers in terms of knowledge and skills, ECommerce solutions, and business competitiveness.
For partner benefits and details of other promotions and products of the Exabytes Group, which include shared web hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated server hosting, reseller hosting, SSL web certificate, Virtual Private Servers (VPS), Content Delivery Network (CDN), server management, EBuzz Email Marketing, server co-location, student hosting, charity hosting, domain registrations, hosted ECommerce platform, integrated courier service platform (Easyparcel) and more, visit www.exabytes.my, www.exabytes.sg, http://usonyx.net/, http://www.signetique.com, https://www.easystore.co/ and http://easyparcel.my/
Autocrats vs The People: Authoritarian Populism in Malaysia
About The Book
Anne’s 1993 PhD thesis, ‘Authoritarian Populism in Malaysia’, published in 1996 by Macmillan was ahead of its time in its theoretical and political conceptualization of this current world-wide phenomenon. She has updated her thesis as a reminder of this Malaysian variant of authoritarian populism and its consequences. Apart from the toxic effects of populism on ethnic relations, authoritarianism has cost the country billions through financial scandals including the current 1MDB losses. Clearly, good governance and populism cannot coexist.
This book demonstrates how populism in Malaysia is long established and has been sustained ever since the New Economic Policy that came into force in the post-May 13, 1969 period. The Malaysian variant is a populism that is based on a call for ethnic entitlement (‘Bumiputeraism’) and one that has become increasingly Islamic in recent years. Anne’s thesis also contains one of the most thorough expositions of the politics surrounding detention without trial and other repressive laws in Malaysia.
Contents
Introduction
The Colonial Roots of Authoritarian Populism
The Post-Colonial State
Suppression of Political Opposition
Restructuring the State and Society
State Repression in the Seventies
Authoritarian Populism Under Mahathir
Class Contradictions and Popular Protest
Authoritarian Populism Entrenched
Conclusion
About The Author
Anne Munro-Kua received her BA in political science from the University of Sussex (1978) and her PhD from the Faculty of Economics & Social Studies, University of Manchester, UK (1993). She has taught in schools, colleges and universities in the UK and Malaysia and has also edited several publications including ‘Women’s rights as Human Rights’ and ‘Women and New Technology in Asia’. Since 2007 she has been leading her training and coaching consultancy, AMK Transformations.
What The Readers Say
Professor Edmund Terence Gomez, University of Malaya
‘Anne Munro-Kua’s analysis of authoritarian populism and its evolution in Malaysia is different, yet equally compelling, carefully traced against the grain of official history… a timely reminder that we need to be aware that this continuous process of constructing and reconstructing populist rhetoric is a tool employed by the ruling elite to perpetuate authoritarian rule.’
Gareth Richards, writer, editor, bookseller
‘Anne’s conceptualisation of ‘authoritarian populism’ has helped crystallise the defining features of the postcolonial Malaysian political economy.’
Gayathry Venkiteswaran, Lecturer at Nottingham University
‘This book is highly recommended for anyone wishing to understand how and why the Malaysian authoritarian state has been able to survive this long.’
Patrick Goi is a man of many talents. As the founder and managing PANGOI, Goi is also an accomplished chef and a ballroom dancer. He too is a recognised sommelier.
After nine years of working in a fashion and beauty retail industry, Goi decided that the time has come for him to set out on his own.
Known for his infectious energy, the affable Goi set up PANGOI Group Sdn Bhd in 2014 with the aim to redefine the world of fashion via its flagship brand name ‘PANGOI’.
As the founder of PANGOI, Goi’s primary responsibility is to expand the group’s market in Malaysia and beyond particularly the Asia Pacific and Middle-East.
‘Specifically, I make sure that we maintain a good rapport with our existing and potential clients and principle. I also head the research team, where we look into the demands and needs of our customers. Besides that, I guide and train my marketing team.”
Managing a new company in a highly competitive environment may sound daunting to some but Goi embraces all these head-on.
He noted that the toughest part of managing PANGOI is the fact that the industry itself is highly competitive.
“New products are being launched almost on a day-to-day basis, which means I have to be on my toes all the time in order to be updated on the latest trends, which will help me reach out to the customers more effectively,” he explained.
Goi has been working very hard in the past to learn more about the inner dealings of the industry so much so he has picked communication and networking skills.
“It helps with my confidence and I am now very motivated to make it big for my brand. Working in the marketing line has also taught me to be creative and innovative to reach out to the customers. Most importantly, it has taught me that the key to success is always to have a good attitude,” he acknowledged.
Born in Bukit Mertajam, Goi made the bold decision to leave the comforts of home for Kuala Lumpur at the tender age of 17 despite objections from his family.
“It wasn’t easy and I knew that. So even though I started from the very bottom of the ladder, I was still optimistic and motivated,” he recalled.
He reminisced the long hours he spent as a part-time promoter for different beauty products.
“It was tiring working and studying for my Diploma at the same time but it was worth it. As soon as I completed my studies, I began working at a department store,’ said Goi.
It was not long before he was promoted to a department manager position and Goi was only 21 years old.
“And I did not stop there. I knew that I had to do more so when I chose to continue my studies, I moved to the beauty and cosmetics industry as an assistant marketing manager for Total Image,” he shared.
This decision, he explained, did not only offer better career prospects but allowed him to work during the day and attend his classes in the evening.
When he completed his double degree in Economics and Business Management from the University of Greenwich, Goi found himself already in love with the fashion industry.
That was how his relationship with Alfio Raldo began.
“My first week on the job at Alfio Raldo was the longest and most tiring week of my life. I felt nervous to start a new chapter but at the same time, motivated to hold such a great responsibility in the company,’ he said.
Despite being new, his driven personality soon proved him to be a fast learner.
“It has always been about the end results for me and I make sure to put my skills to great use.”
The strategy proved to be fruitful. Within the first three months working for the company, Goi succeeded in getting the products listed on permanent counters in several department stores. How did he achieve the feat in such a short span of time?
“Persistence, persistence and persistence,” he shared with a laugh.
On a personal note, Goi still finds time to pursue his other interests.
“I love to cook and even participated in a cooking show on 8TV entitled Hot Chef. I am also a Latin dancer and have taken part in international ballroom competition overseas representing Malaysia!”
“When I am not cooking or dancing, I like to watch movies and listen to music. When I feel like breaking into a sweat, I find squash a great way to keep healthy.”
That certainly doesn’t mean that he is at the height of his potentials.
With a prospective MBA and a successful local fashion brand slowly making its way into the international market within the next five years, he has quite a journey of self-discovery waiting for him.
Key values that the company promotes include honesty, passion, results-driven, effective communication and sharing of knowledge and expertise.
“It is essential for our staff to uphold these values in order for us to achieve our collective goal.”
PANGOI Group Sdn Bhd was established in 2014 by Patrick Goi, who is also its managing director.
Riding on its founder’s vast experience in the retail industry, the company dabbles primarily in leather lifestyle products and merchandises.
Although a new player, the company strives to maintain the highest standards of materials and workmanship. PANGOI remains committed to carefully upholding the principles of quality and integrity that define the company.
The company’s products represent the unique combination of Malaysian culture and attitude, and superior product quality and durability as well as its commitment to world class customer service.
Today, the company is carrying its own brand, PANGOI, which aims to fulfil women’s desires to own a high quality yet affordably priced handbags, wallets and purses.
For that, PANGOI creates fresh new looks to appeal to modern women not only in Malaysia but also across the region from Australia to the Middle East.
Goi is engaging designers from Australia, Indonesia and Dubai to design and produce PANGOI handbags and purses where rich details are paired with high technical innovation.
Today, PANGOI products are available at its six outlets in Malaysia. It also is opening its first international outlet in Istanbul soon. Plans are afoot to have more outlets in Malaysia and abroad.
To ensure that all will be able to enjoy his handbags, Goi has also introduced PG for PANGOI, a much more affordable line that encapsulates PANGOI’s elegant and upscale designs.
The intention of this line was to make inexpensive fashion available for all.
Heart disease: the number one killer of Malaysians since 1970s
The statistics
Heart diseases were the third-biggest cause of death in Malaysia in 1950. By the 1970s, they have become the number one killer and remained so since (except in 1980). In 2014, heart diseases killed 10,432 people or 13.5% of all deaths in Malaysia.
Cardiovascular (relating to the heart and blood vessels) disease is responsible for one-quarter of all hospital deaths in Malaysia. Moreover, Malaysian acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are relatively younger at 58.5 years old when compared to registries from more than 40 other countries. In the Americas and Europe, the figure is at 66, while Thailand reports 65, Middle East at 56, and 60 in India.
IMAGE: 123RF
One out of four heart attack patients in Malaysia are less than 50 years old.
What are heart diseases? What causes them?
There are no shortage of online resources on heart disease. MedicineNet.com explores this topic in great detail, and in digestible nuggets. Below are excerpts, paraphrased.
Heart disease refers to various types of conditions that can affect heart function. They include:
Coronary artery heart disease – affects the arteries to the heart.
Valvular heart disease – affects how the valves function to regulate blood flow in/out of
the heart.
Cardiomyopathy – affects how the heart muscle squeezes.
Heart infections where the heart has structural problems that developed before birth.
Like any other muscle in the body, the heart needs an adequate supply of blood to provide it oxygen to fulfil its role – pumping blood to the rest of the body. When one or more coronary arteries narrow, it may make it difficult for sufficient blood to reach the heart, especially during exertions, such as exercise. This could cause the heart muscle to ache, just like any other muscle in the body. If the arteries continue to narrow, it may take less activity to stress the heart and provoke symptoms.
If a coronary artery becomes completely blocked – usually due to a plaque that ruptures and causes a blood clot to form – blood supply to that area of the heart may be lost, causing the heart muscle there to start dying. This is called a myocardial infarction (myo=muscle + cardia=heart + infarction=tissue death), or heart attack in layman’s term. If not swiftly treated, the affected part of the muscle cannot be revived. It dies and is replaced by scar tissue. Long term, this scar tissue will decrease the heart’s ability to pump efficiently, and may lead to ischemic cardiomyopathy (ischemic=decreased blood supply + cardio=heart + myo=muscle + pathy=disease).
Heart diseases are not caused by one single factor. There are several risk factors that increase your chance of developing heart disease. Knowing your risks is the first step to avoidance.
Factors that put people at increased risk for heart disease are:
High blood pressure (hypertension)
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Family history of heart problems, especially heart attacks and strokes
Sedentary lifestyle
Smoking
Obesity
Heart Disease: Control and Awareness is among the topics featured at the 1st Penang Medical Expo & Malaysian Healthcare Policy Conference (PMEX 2017), to be held at Setia SPICE Convention Centre on 10-12 November 2017. PMEX 2017 is organised by the Penang State Government and Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) in collaboration with Penang Centre of Medical Tourism, Penang Institute, Invest Penang and Malaysia Medical Association, Penang Branch.
PMEX aims to serve as a platform for all interested parties from health-related sectors to communicate, exchange ideas, formulate solutions and create a healthcare network in Malaysia.
