Much Ado About Chickens Roaming Free

X came down with a sore throat on Thursday morning; she has since not fully recovered. 

I have been cooking congee almost every dinner since Thursday.

Twice I have cooked chicken congee, using different brands of free-range whole chicken.

Before I go any further, I would like to stress that I do not endorse any brand, I only state my opinion.  

On the first occasion, I used Red Lea free-range whole chicken to cook the congee. I did not add anything else to the congee other than a few cloves of garlic and salt.

Verdict: KT, X, and I found the chicken to be "sweet"-tasting.

On the second occasion,  I used Macro (Woolworth's brand) free-range whole chicken. I added Astragalus membranaceous (bei qi / huang qi) slices.

Verdict: the chicken tastes "sweet", but not as sweet as compared to that of Red Lea's.

Conclusion:

I found Red-Lea to be sweeter-tasting, but due to the fact I added different aromatics to each batch of congee, it may have altered the taste slightly. The take-home message is, free-range chickens taste better than non-free-range chickens. :) 

Much Ado About Chickens Roaming Free

Dear Prime Minister

Dear Mr. Rudd,

I've been meaning to write you for a while now. I was glad that you were elected Prime Minister. I know that you would bring about great improvements for Australia.

I know that you've been busy with the economic crisis - I saw on the news that you're flying off to meet the President of the USA. On my part, I have been dealt with a crisis of a different sort. I can assure you that this crisis also affects the lives of others in the same predicament as I.

Ever since I moved out of college and into an apartment, I have been told off on numerous occasions for hanging laundry on the balcony. I have been enlightened on the strata by-law banning laundry from being put out in sight, not in keeping with the overall appearance of the apartment block. I trust that you know such strata by-law.

I find it strange that a progressive country such as Australia, a country vocal on environmental issues, would not have reviewed such a by-law. You can imagine that enforcement of this by-law would result in increased use of the dryer, and increased electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. I understand that this by-law has been implemented to avoid apartment blocks from looking slum-like.

Slum-like, as in, Sydney CBD streets littered with rubbish, the stench of urine in each alleyway, homeless and / or drunk people wandering aimlessly? Surely there ought to be some law banning littering and passing of urine in public areas?

The simple act of drying laundry out in the sun is likened to littering. The analogy eludes me.

I grew up in Malaysia where our laundry are hung out in the sun. There was nothing slum-like in utilising the sun's energy to dry one's laundry. Far better for the environment, not to mention, the pocket. My parents were middle income earners. I am, too.

I believing in the judicious spending of one's income. More importantly, I believe in utilising renewable resources where possible in one's daily living. I am sure that Prime Minister, you share my sentiments.

Yours truly,
Suen Yee Chew

Dear Prime Minister

Red Herring News

Frankly, I am sick of following the sham they call news in Malaysia. Not too long ago, we were astounded by the news of soaring fuel prices, price increases in groceries and what-have-yous, and now this red herring - bad history repeating itself.

Politics is not a profession one would want to get involved in if one aspires to go down the straight and narrow. With the way things are going, it's utterly disgusting.

There are more vital issues to address in Malaysia, such as national security, rise in cost of living against income, issues that would make Malaysians proud to be Malaysians, and yet these are downplayed by the PG rating. Power-Greedy.

If the so-called leaders do not put our best interests at heart, what hope do we have for our nation?

Red Herring News

GARDASIL dilemma

I've booked an appointment with the University of Sydney Health Services to get the GARDASIL injection tomorrow at 1500 hours.

I decided to do some research on GARDASIL, it being a newly marketed vaccine. While on one hand I want to get vaccinated free-of-charge, I prefer to be an informed white mice rather than a blind mice. :P

Being the IT-literate person that I am, I did a Google search of Australian websites on GARDASIL, and searched through articles on MEDLINE.

One of the search hits on Google was an article titled "Beware Gardasil". It didn't sound as if the author was an advocate of the vaccine.

Sure enough, the author aimed to inform readers of the myths surrounding GARDASIL, and the myth of a direct causal relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer (GARDASIL vaccinates against HPV).

One of the interesting facts was that the author claimed that the U.S. National Cancer Institute stated "that direct causation" (HPV and cervical cancer) "has not been proven", with no reference cited for that statement. I found it strange that the Australian Health Department states otherwise, and has been prepared to spend millions of dollars to fund the vaccination programme.

I searched the U.S. National Cancer Institute for such a statement; I found this instead:

"What is the association between HPV infection and cancer?
HPVs are now recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer. In 2006, an estimated 10,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with this type of cancer and nearly 4,000 will die from it. Cervical cancer strikes nearly half a million women each year worldwide, claiming a quarter of a million lives. Studies also suggest that HPVs may play a role in cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, and some cancers of the oropharynx (the middle part of the throat that includes the soft palate, the base of the tongue, and the tonsils) (1). Data from several studies also suggest that infection with HPV is a risk factor for penile cancer (cancer of the penis)."

Interesting indeed. Not only is HPV recognised by the National Cancer Institute of the United States of America as the major cause of cervical cancer, it is also suggested to play a role in other cancers as well.

I wonder how much research the author has done before writing up that article.

Inform yourself indeed. It only emphasises the fact that you can't trust everything that you hear, read, see, a fact that the author harped on.

As for me? I'm taking Jen's stand on GARDASIL: she went ahead and had the vaccination.

Tune in for more adverse effects on the vaccine after I've had the injection. ;)

GARDASIL dilemma

Hung on Corruption

Death penalty for corruption?

Anything can happen in China.

I wonder if the official would have been sentenced to death if China's international trade and reputation weren't at stake.

I guess someone has to sacrifice to uphold the honour of the country if the USFDA is breathing down one's neck.

Imagine if the entire population of the USA no longer buys toothpastes manufactured in China.

No wonder I have had customers who insist on knowing where certain medications were manufactured in, and refuse to buy products made in China.

Even after I tell them that pharmaceutical companies impose strict quality control measures on the manufacture of medications, regardless of the country they were manufactured in.

After reading this article, I now doubt the validity of my words.

Hung on Corruption

On Tomatoes

Tomatoes are just about the most versatile food that I can think of.

They can be eaten raw or cooked, whole or mashed, diced or sliced.

They can be eaten without any flavourings or seasonings, or sprinkled over with salt, sugar, pepper, or herbs.

They add colour to dishes. They even serve as garnishing.

They can be made into juice, sauce, soup, stew.

They can be served cold or hot.

They can be eaten any time of the day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, as snack.

Other than rinsing with water, the skin doesn't need to be peeled, and even the pulp and seeds can be eaten.

Best of all, they're healthy to eat.

I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like to eat tomatoes...

Are you a tomato-eater?

On Tomatoes

Musings on 8th June 2007

8th of June 2007 is a day to remember.

I just had a read of Audrey's blog, the 8th of June 2007 entry. Her entry sure packs a punch - have a read of it (Malaysians should especially read it) and you'll know what I mean.

I agree with her about education. It's through good education that drives progress.

I had a late-night discussion with a few college mates, essentially about the differences between Malaysia and Australia. We touched on the subject of education - how Malaysian education plays an important role in shaping Malaysians and how we think.

I feel that Malaysian education doesn't empower students to think outside the square. Give a Malaysian student a circle, and the student might pengsan trying to find corners.

I guess that's one of the advantages of Australian education - students are taught to think beyond facts - to question facts and to take the initiative to seek out answers.

The grass is always greener on the other side - but there's nothing wrong with admiring the greener pastures and wanting to make the grass on this side just as green.

Musings on 8th June 2007