- High fibre is the keyword here: Eat whole grain stuff rather than the processed stuff. If you like bread, go for a real wholemeal bread. A lot of the stuff sold on our shop-shelves is just ordinary flour, decorated with whole meal! So, we need to be wary. Or make your own bread. I do, sometimes, it's very satisfying to do, but a lot of hard work. Also in this category would be beans and other vegetables, fruit and oatmeal.
- Eat fish for their omega-3 fatty acids. These are usually cold-water fish, I'm told. So what about our local fish? Must ask the fisherman when he comes home! I guess if we can't get our hands on the right fish, or you're allergic to fish and seafood like I am, you could take a supplement :)
- Read labels, and look out for stuff that say 'hydrogenated oil' - these things are the worst, for they actually increase LDL levels (that's the bad cholesterol, folks). Margarine is a culprit here. If you serve it at your table, give yourself a slap for not being up-to-date on the latest about good fats and bad fats!
- Nuts are good at lowering cholesterol: so grab a handful and chew away. The contain oil, but the good kind. There's no mention of peanuts, so I'll have to look that up - but peanuts are high in oxalates, so you won't find them in my house lah.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Cholesterol lowering foods
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Touch N Go: 20% rebate
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Bye-bye English
The reason? Apparently, teachers are not able to cope with the speaking of, and teaching in, English.
My question: Is this a recent development?
Is the implication – by the reason given – that when the decision was made in the first place, the competence of the teachers in question was good, or better?
Or did they go ahead with the implementation of teaching in English hoping that competence would improve by some miracle?
Really lah, this whole thing sickens me. For the simple reason that the only ones being messed with are our children. Their brains are being fried.
Once upon a time….
We have had such a crazy romance with English, haven’t we?
When I was a child (circa:1950s), it was the only language: at school, at work, at play - for many of us.
And then, when I was in Standard 3 – now called Year 3 – I was introduced to Malay, our National Language. And I sucked at it. I hated Malay class because most of the time, it was boring and involved reading a ‘comprehension’ piece that I didn’t comprehend. Sigh. (I copied the answers to everything from my friend who went for ‘tuition’ – and her book was littered with answers! Yay!
So I struggled with Malay – also known as Bahasa Malaysia; later known as Bahasa Melayu, now known as what?! – and prayed that I’d get a Credit in my MCE (now SPM, or O-Levels) so that I’d be able to continue to Sixth Form, and university.
And then, in University … SLAP! DAMN! everything was in Malay!!!! I was an English Literature undergrad, but all my electives were to be in Malay; even my English Lit electives!!
So how? Struggle lah. Do simultaneous translations, that’s how. My lecture notes were often in demand: because I didn’t think during lecturers. All I did was write: whatever came out of the fool-lecturer’s face, I instantly translated into English, and put it down on paper.
I was not the only one struggling. Everyone in my year – 1976ish – was in the same soup.
But soon it was not a problem – for others lah. Not me. The conversion to Malay was complete. Everyone studied everything in Malay. Our National language, mah.
And then, people noticed that the standard of English was kinda dead here. I wonder why….
And the ding-donging began. This was already the 1980s. Extra classes for the English subject in school. A reading programme to help students use and learn more English. Streaming of students from ‘poor’ to ‘good’ – so that they could study English with others of the same standard, or lack thereof, or whatever.
English teachers, in the meantime, were making a bundle in ‘tuition’ – laughing all the way to the bank!
Me? No lah. I very the bodoh. I joined the army, and was teaching English to the Royal Military College putras, and officers who were off for courses in Staff College or overseas.
And then, a brainwave: let’s teach Science and Maths in English! Why didn’t we think of that earlier??! Why did the fact of teaching two of the most difficult subjects in English slip past our brains???!!!! So very the duh, huh?
OMG!! Why not ‘Moral’? A non-subject full of crap? Why not Physical Education (PE) or games or whatever? Why not Art, or arts and crafts, and woodwork and Home Science? Oh no. Science and Maths! Because it’s just numbers lah. Yah, right.
And who was going to teach this?
Ahhh…, I know who: the very same people who’d come through the system learning everything in Malay, that’s who. A recipe for success, no?
Just like it happened when the system was turned on its head to teach everything in Malay, it happened again: teachers were the poor souls at the centre of it all. Where before they struggled with putting all their notes and thoughts from English into Malay, now a new batch was struggling doing the reverse.
And the students?
And then, on the second day, after reading that puke for a bit, he’d actually look down upon us lost souls, and talk to us – in English. I tell you, it was almost orgasmic! To hear something you understood, in a language you knew, even if it was about a subject you didn’t give a shit about!
So is it the right decision?
Given the reason for the backtracking switcheroo, I’d say ‘Yes’. If the teachers are not competent to teach it, then how can they?
BUT, why wait till 2012, then? If they can’t cope now, what’s the point of keeping them in this torturous situation? I cannot see the sanity in that.
I have always maintained that Science and Maths should be taught in Malay. For the simple reason that that is the language that is well understood. To be good in either subject, you need to understand the concepts and the way things work. To understand that, you need to be spoken to in a language you understand. To make someone understand these concepts, that is, to teach it, you need to use a language you yourself, as teacher, understand and are good at: Malay.
BUT, I’ve also always said that the best thing for us to do at this stage in this mess of a game we call our education policy is to maintain the status quo: we’re only messing with everyone and everything if we switch back.
Now, some people are happy: they can go back to a language they know. They breathe sighs of relief.
Others are mad as hell: they want to do this in English; they want their children to be able to go to foreign universities, or into the workforce, able to speak English, the language of the internet, and the lingua franca outside of Malaysia.
And I’ve always asked this second group: who’s gonna teach your kids lah? As far as I know, not many people can speak good English in Malaysia lah. And of this ‘not many’, a very teeeeeeeeny-weeeeeeny bit of them are able to teach in English lah. So how?
The debate goes on . . . .
So this is not the end. Every one, including me, will have his thoughts on this. Here are some things that came to mind as I heard it on the news yesterday:
Did you see how the guy from GAPENA started out speaking in English, and then spoke in Malay? Well, he, and many others in the GAPENA-gang can speak and understand English. And they do it well. But they are not affording those that come after them that same chance: to learn a second language, and be good at it.
Years and years ago, I heard Anwar Ibrahim do the same thing. He was pontificating on the glories of Malay as the language of nationhood, and the spirit of Malaysia, and other nationalistic yada yada yada. And he was doing it in English. All I could think was: yah, you can speak English. What about the others? It is easy to agree with you, because it means they don’t have to struggle with another language. But you’re confining them to this ‘well’, and denying them a means to ‘leap’ out of it, no? (What is it with Anwar the idea of frogs, ah?)
The same is happening again.
And, who is the biggest loser?
It is so politically incorrect to speak of Malay/Chinese/Indian/whatever these days, no? We’re all happy Anak Bangsa Malaysia, no?
But in very un-politically-correct terms, the Malays are going to be the ones who lose the most: the ‘Chinese’ will have their dialect, Malay, and possibly Mandarin. The ‘Indians’ will have their language – Tamil, Telegu, Gujarai, etc. – plus Malay. And both will either be speaking English at home, or sending their offspring off for ‘tuition’ in English.
The ‘Malay’ child will have just Malay. His English will be rudimentary, or non-existent. He will know no Mandarin or Tamil or whatever, because his chances of having friends from other races are probably slim (he does make up close to 70% of the population I am told).
There will be others in his shoes. It won’t be just a ‘Malay’ thing.
And they’re confined to our shores. And they’re going to be denied the opportunity to communicate with the rest of the world, because they don’t understand English. And they'll be denied the oppotunity that was afforded us, all of us reading and thinking in English.
And, no, it is not the end of the world. It is the same in many other countries.
But, we had a chance to be different. To be better. I think we’ve blown it.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
He's still in my mind
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Michael Jackson dies
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What do we do about English?
WHY SPEAKING INGGERIS LIKE THAT ONE?
But now only they know that kah? Now only we know it is important? Last time when ask us to do all in Melayu language why never say? But never mind. Now government want to make correct. Now maybe SPM also must pass English.
By MOHSIN ABDULLAH/MySinchew
I STARTED schooling in 1962 when as a Malay kid, you either go to a Malay school or an English one. My parents decided the latter. I thank them for that. I thank also the authorites for allowing such a situation. I am not claiming my English is impeccable as the result of my English education. In fact it's far from perfect. But at least I do not write like this one lah below. Thank God.
Now everyday I read the Inggeris papers to improve my Inggeris. Sorry. English. I also say sorry to you all because my English not so good. Broken. But when my school time, they all say we must speak and learn with the Malay language. Easy lah for me. My mother tongue what. Now everybody say Inggeris very important. Alamak always like that. English not the Inggeris. Sorry again. I read the paper now, the very the many people say why English is very the important one, English also can help breach or bridge (so confuse. Susah lah this English language) international barrier. Got the people who say even China banking on English.
But now only they know that kah? Now only we know it is important? Last time when ask us to do all in Melayu language why never say? But never mind. Now government want to make correct. Now maybe SPM also must pass English. I support the government. That why I agrees with the Pemuda UMNO who say retired teacher who good in English must take back. Also teacher from Britain, England, New Zealand and Australia, (I always confuse with Austria. Mat Salleh country also make confuse). Brings them here to teaching our school childrens.
I supports but must slow slow also. If do now, fast fast student mati. Cikgu also trouble. Many teacher also cannot speak the English also. So I think maybe can start with standard one students next year. Tahun satu. Then when they go year two can speak English already. So to makes them must pass the English in SPM ok. Fair what. They got time already. Maybe start from the kindergarten is also good.
For the rest student what to do. Like me lah. Just try the best to learns the English. Read the English paper everyday. Read the Star, the Sun, the NST. Got one more. The Malay Mail (again I confuse, mail and male). Anyway we must talk talk in the English with the people when we go walk walk, eat eat in town. Don't shy shy one. People laughing never mind.
But I also wants to laughing when I read one news in the newspaper. I read the Star.I write again what I read in the Star baru baru ini.
It is like this. I copy straight from the Star paper.
"In Muar, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the state government supported the call for English to be made a compulsory pass subject for the SPM.
"He said although the state had protested against the teaching of Science and Mathmatics in English, the subject was important for Malaysians to master."
So if the Inggeris, sorry, English subject is important for Malaysians to master, why protest? That why I laughing.
(MOHSIN ABDULLAH is Editor-in-chief, News and Current Affairs, ntv7 & 8TV)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Homemade vanilla ice cream
So, I paid for it, got William to carry it home – it was heavy – and in a couple of days, was ready to ice-cream :)
I found a recipe online, and with William’s help to set up the machine, was ready to roll, when he said that I couldn’t do it! WHY? Apparently, he’d just read the instructions – in French, of course – and it says that you’ve got to put the base in the freezer for at least eight hours, or overnight, before it is good to go.
Dang! And I was so ready to do it, even!
So, into the freezer it went. The wait was on.
The next day, I made the custard, following the recipe I’d found – that guaranteed success.
I found the recipe at ice-cream-recipes.com (duh! hahahaha!). And these are the ingredients you’d need for the custard base:
4 egg yolks
250 ml milk
250 ml cream
100 g castor sugar
vanilla (they call for a vanilla pod, but I couldn’t be bothered with that lah)
And here’s how you do it:
1. Heat the milk until it almost comes to the boil. This means that you see tiny bubbles along the edge. If you wait a second longer, it’ll froth up and spill over. So, don’t. Take it off the flame, and leave it to cool for about twenty minutes.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar together till thick and creamy.
3. Add the hot milk to the eggs. I didn’t do this all at once: I poured a little at a time into the egg-mix, until both were of the same temperature. I didn’t want scrambled eggs, did I?
4. The whole lot now goes back in the saucepan, and is heated. Stir all the time, and every so often, drag your finger down the back of your spoon to see if you can get the mixture to make a clean and clear path. If this happens, without leaching and blurring, your custard is cooked. (At no time must it boil – or it’ll curdle. So, they say lah.)
5. Leave the mixture to cool completely.
6. When cool, stir in the cream.
7. Then, the whole lot is chucked into the spanking new ice-cream maker. It takes about twenty minutes to turn into a totally yummy, soft ice-cream.
8. Pop the lot into a freezer-proof container, and let it get colder in the freezer for at least a couple of hours - if you have a strong will, and can wait that long, lah.
So easy, yah?
Errrr, actually, no.
Apparently, my dearest Chuan told me (after I’d bought it; and not having asked him first about it lah), that I needed a step-down-transformer to use it in Malaysia.
You see, Canada uses 120 volt current. We use 240 volts. Geez, I hope I’ve got this right.
So, where the heck to buy that? Chuan found someplace online – I think it’s in One Utama somewhere.
But just a couple of days ago, Larnee found one in Calgary. A simple telephone call, and a ‘yes, please’, and now I have a step-down-transformer heading home to me in a week or so :)
Did I mention that the step-down-transformer cost me just slightly less than the ice-cream maker? Hehehe! But it was all kinda cheap in my book lah.
For the pleasure of eating homemade ice cream, without additives or air or other unknown junk; for a lesson on electricity and how-things-work; and for the sheer pleasure of finally succeeding in making my own ice cream – it was all worth it :)
If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, pop over to my place, and I’ll make you some ice cream. Vanilla, or chocolate, or blueberry – whatever you like. If you’ve got the basic custard recipe, you can do anything your heart desires. And it’ll all be good!

