Countries in the World...

 

A little bit about geography here as I was curious about visitors from various countries to my blog. Actual fact my Blog is not open or make popular by my postings. I write just about anything I fancied or I want to express my feelings or opinion. However by checking I realized 145 countries have actually dropped by here, some repeatedly. Thank you all for your support!

Do you know how many countries are there in the World? Well my poster said it = 196 countries. Put aside those recognized by United Nation or by United States of America which is 193 countries and 195 countries respectively...geographically I take it as 196 countries.

However you may want to find out actually there are countries that are micro size. Some are just the size of a shopping mall. So interesting right?  

You may want to know that the largest country on Earth is Russia and the tiny one is Vatican City whose size is about that of a golf course. Of course other smaller countries are Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu and San Marino, just to name a few.

91 Birthdays of our Founding Father - Mr Lee Kuan Yew

On 16th September 2014, Singapore celebrated the 91st Birthday of Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

We are grateful for this great Bodhisattva, Mr LKY (most address him such).  I never forget the words of my late Mum that we owe it to Mr LKY to be where we are today. There is another thing she said..."always hang the National Flag on National Day" which we have been doing yearly, as long as we have a place to hang it, until we expire. I knew what Mum meant where most people don't...there is no Home with a broken Country and corrupted people who govern it.

This little island, you can hardly find it on the Map of the World. Today, people who want to find Singapore will zoom in on this place called Singapore which they heard about, and find us. Countries know us and all these are possible because of Mr LKY. Making the Country known is bringing us our bread and butter too.

Many people did not see Mr LKY as a man that have done so much for us. Many people saw him as PAP. This great man just happened to be the member of PAP. Call a Rose by any other name and it is still smelling sweet.

There are people who said it, many more thought about it and many many more who expressed it in writings, in arts in songs...Happy Birthday, Sir. Happy Birthday and thank you for giving us a safe Home. Please stay healthy for all who love you.

All said but could not find words to truly express our gratitude. See you around, Sir !!!!

Sweet Potatoes…

Sweet potatoes is definitely not a rich man’s food. It is consider desserts and there are many yummy desserts make of this. Many find it too sweet and it fills up your hunger very fast so for those wanting to slim effectively try this tuber. 

There are yellow sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes which are both fantastic. In Singapore we can find those from Vietnam and Indonesia, the more expensive ones from Japan. Initially I do not really enjoy this tuber. I supposed it is acquired and I prefer yam to sweet potatoes.

One day I instinctively bought sweet potatoes and throw it into a toaster. The sweet aroma filled my nostril and the yellow meat was so inviting, I started to consume it. At the same time I was suffering from this nagging pain on my knees and knee joints from over exercises and age of course. I never expected anything from this tuber except its fiber but over night, the pain on my knees are gone. Viola! So it is good for attacking inflammatory as well.

I have been sharing some of these vegetables and fruits and what they did to me, not from internet but by experiencing it myself. I am not a nutrient expert nor a food critics but I like to share the goodness from my own eating. So try this tuber if you have not started loving it. It is something that even Diabetic can eat and recommended by Doctors. (Trust Diabetics know that although fruits are good and healthy but there is sugar in some fruits that they must avoid but not this super sweet tuber.)

There are many ways to eat it. The most straight forward way is

1) To steam it or 
 2) You skin it and cut it into small pieces and boil it with coconut milk (you need not add sugar) 
3) Mashed it and roll it over grind coconut bits. 
4) Mashed it and bake a pie with it. 
5) Mashed and roll it into bit size balls and deep-fry but since we are looking at healthy eating, I am not for this although it is yummy. 
6) If you are camping, or doing a BBQ, you can wrapped them in aluminum foils and throw them into the fire and let it cook. This tuber does not need fussy cooking and is easy and handy to eat. Just unwrapped the foil and peel off the skin. 

It is ignorant just eating a sweet potato as a sweet potato and not knowing the goodness it brings. So here is to list some…. (quotes from the experts)

1) Carotenoids: plant compounds that squelch cell damage caused by everyday living
2) Vitamin E: an antioxidant that may protect against heart disease. 
3) Potassium: a mineral necessary for muscle contraction, nerve transmission, bone health, water balance, and normal blood pressure. (It got more than bananas, believe it or not.)
4) Copper: it assists in the production of collagen, which is responsible for keeping muscles healthy and skin taut. 
5) Quercetin: research shows this potent phyto nutrient may help you breathe easier by warding off allergies, hay fever, and asthma.
6) High fiber content – well it definitely has more than any other types of potatoes 
7) Vitamin B6 – which is crucial to  keep our blood vessels/ arteries from hardening 
8) Super rich in Vitamin A, an antioxidant which keeps away many types of Cancers. It keeps skin healthy and it is nutrients to the Eyes (this is important because it helps vision loss as well as protect muscle degeneration). 
9) It contains Manganese which helps to balance blood sugar 
10) It also contain Vitamin C and Vitamin E. We know that these two are also powerful antioxidants which helps to prevent diseases and aging. 

So much for Sweet Potatoes…wonderful tuber…staple food to some…good for Diabetic…and powerful antioxidant…keeping us healthy and long life. 

Start eating…
 

Meatless Cause...

I joined Jangchub Shing (TV Show in UK) in their Cause of promoting Meatless Monday. I hope all who stumbled on my blog support this Cause. It is only once a week on Monday and you can increase the days if you wish to do so. There is also a group called "Meatless Monday" which you may choose. You can choose either and support them on Facebook.

Recently my instinct is to go off meat for a month. The reasons for doing so (putting compassion aside) is the smell of these poultry and seafood. I was wondering why all these years I never smell these stench and they stink, why now? It is the smell of death. The stench of dead poultry and seafood frozen for our consumption puts me off. Many like eating fresh fishes, lobsters, crabs, octopus and because they are not human so its is OK to kill them? Others goes for exotic food like life monkey brain, life snake bile, life crocs' heads, life deers antlers and the blood and leave the deer bleeding to death. They think it is aphrodisiac, how can it be when it is so cruelly taken.

A report said that there was this Chef who is getting ready snake soup for clients. He chopped off the head of a cobra but unfortuantely the snake head, I don't know how, bit him. The Chef died of poison. He killed the snake and immediately the snake killed him. I called this Karma.

All animals, plants, trees, rocks, minerals, river, sea, stream, marine lives, the air and all in this World system is a blessing from Mother Earth. It is a gift but we have been taking selfishly, shamelessly and harming the environment. We contaminate everything we touch, even the air.

All these are because we craved for comfort, we craved for our mouth, we craved for our feel, we craved for our eyes and we craved for our body etc. Even if we do not need it, we still want to take. We forget that there is one thing we cannot own...AGE!

So Mother Earth is reacting to this. There are sickness and now ELBOLA, let alone Cancer, Aids and many funny sicknesses. The animals are reacting, from mad cow to mad chicken, to pigeon and more to come. We all have a part in these.

There are groups of people trying their best to protect the Environment however their effort is not enough. You can play your part to be a little more aware of your surroundings. Learn to appreciate what Mother Earth is giving us and after all we live here. Don't take everything, only the needed. I am not asking you to be totally off meat, or off the things that you like but take only what you need. Chinese has a proverb that say "All sicknesses starts from the Mouth".

We worked so hard to accumulate our Wealth but we lost it all by paying for all the medical fees, or to war or to Nature. The Law of Karma of what goes around comes around is never wrong. I invite you to join Us/ Me on this worthy Cause.

May you be blessed with all your Undertakings by spreading a little kindness and compassion along the Way. _(())_