My upcoming trip to Vietnam

I will go for vacation in Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon later this year.

The reason I choose HCMC over other destinations is that Vietnam Airlines offers ‘Super Saver’ fare. My round trip airfare, inclusive of airport taxes, is RM335. Had I gone with Air Asia, the airfare, including airport taxes, but excluding travel insurance, would set me back at least RM588.

So much of a budget airline!

Of course, if I booked my flights 6 months in advance, AA’s fare could still cost less. In addition to this, it has other advantages over VA: AA’s online booking system is more user-friendly. It has four daily flights from KUL to SGN; VA has only two. Do note, however, that AA’s flights at ‘more convenient times’ tend to be more expensive.

I will tell you more about Vietnam Airlines after returning from my trip.

1967 Malaysian Movie

Mat Bond, released in 1967...

As the name implies, this is a story about James Bond - Malaysian version.

Note that the two actresses wear bikini. You won't see bikini-clad women in today's Malay movies. This country has become more conservative in the last few decades.

And, after Malaysia's 13th General Election on May 5, 2013, we probably won't be seeing women's hair in locally-produced movies anymore...

Fitness & Health

How to be healthy? Any sports enthusiast will tell you to exercise. Not just any exercise, but those rigorous, heart-pumping cardio. Recently, in a Malaysian Internet forum, a guy dismissed walking as “useless”.

In the West, some fitness experts pointed out that yoga is ineffective for weight loss, since it doesn’t burn as much calorie as running or spinning. But they are unable to explain why long term yoga practitioners tend to have lean figures.

Which makes me wonder: Does fitness equal health?

Okinawa in Japan has some of the longest living people in the world. Scholars attribute the long life expectancy of the Okinawans to their diet and active style. However, I doubt many of them still do karate fighting at the age of 80.

Hong Kong is another place with very high life expectancy, and scholars attribute it to the fact that Hongkongest walk a lot. Unlike Malaysians and Americans who are terribly car-dependent, Hong Kong people often ride train (MTR). However, walking to and fro the MTR station is not cardio exercise. Taichi is popular in this Southern Chinese city, but again it is not a cardio exercise. (Taichi does have some “fast forms”, which are rigorous, but they are not commonly practiced.)

(source: discoverhongkong.com)

Fitness is essentially a Western concept. There is no Chinese translation for the English word ‘fit’.

Fitness is external; health is internal. Fitness is generally associated with physical exercise, such as running, swimming and weight lifting; health is related to many more factors, such as diet, nutrition, therapy and mental wellness.

American researchers recently compared data from two studies of 33,060 runners and 15,045 walkers. Their findings could surprise many of us. Results showed:

The risk for first-time hypertension was reduced 4.2% by running and 7.2% by walking.

The risk for first-time high cholesterol was reduced 4.3% by running and 7% by walking.

The risk for first-time diabetes was lowered 12.1% by running and 12.3% by walking.

The risk for coronary heart disease was lowered 4.5% by running and 9.3% by walking.

(source)

So, would you say “walking is useless”?

Squatting for Sexy Butt

In her column, Malaysian fitness expert Fiona Ho writes that the best way for a woman to tone her butt is by squatting. (Sunday Star, March 10, 2013)

Mention squatting, the first thing which comes to mind is the traditional Asian squat toilet. I found it hard to relate squatting to beauty…

When Hong Kongese and Mainland Chinese engaged in the locust-dog squabble last year, a magazine （亞洲周刊） pointed out that there exist cultural differences between the two people. One of them was that the Mainlanders liked to squat. So, do you see many Chinese women with big, firm, round butts?

Squatting exercise

Myanmar, anyone?

I plan to visit Myanmar this year. As traveling in this country, which emerged from decades of isolation just recently, is a bit troublesome, I would like to look for a few partners to share the burden. If you are interested please contact me.

A bit of background information

Myanmar has the so-called ‘Big 4’ destinations, namely Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake. Yangon is in Southern Myanmar, while the rest are in the Central Region. Visiting all four of them would take more than a week. Air Asia flies to Yangon only.

Myanmar is largely a 'cash only' economy, with very limited use for credit cards. Advanced booking of domestic travel must be done through local agents. All foreign visitors need visa to enter the country.


My initial plan is to go there in June, and will spend most of the time in Yangon. Duration is 4 or 5 days. However, if I can find travel companions, I may decide to visit more places...

P/S This will be a budget trip.

My Struggle with Yoga

Wanting to improve my flexibility and posture, I decided to take up yoga a couple of months ago.

Before joining the class, I was concerned that the pretzel-like poses in yoga would be too tough for me. Fortunately, I managed to set aside my fear. Now, having practiced for a couple of months, I am happy with my progress. I have also realized that (almost) everyone can do yoga.

As you probably already know, there are dozens of, perhaps more than a hundred, poses in yoga. (Poses are known as asana in Sanskrit.) On top of these, there are ‘variations’ to the classic poses. If one finds the classic poses too tough, he/she can always try the variations.

More importantly, we should practice at our own pace. Do not try to match the other students in your class. And guys, don’t try to impress the girls by performing Headstand or Crow before you’re ready!

Tree

This popular pose is often seen in photos…

Triangle

This pose is quite challenging. My lower hand still cannot reach the floor yet.

Child

This pose is often practiced for relaxation. Unlike other forms of exercise, relaxation is integral to yoga.

Corpse

Surely everybody can do this. No?

Source of images

Air Purifier

Happy End of the World!

I bought an air purifier lately. You know, the air in Kuala Lumpur is polluted. An air purifier – sometimes called air cleaner – removes contaminants from the air, and helps boost our health.

There are many types of air purifiers in the market. If you are shopping for one, but are confused of the various technologies used, I give you some clues here…

HEPA Filter

HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. An air cleaner using HEPA filter removes up to 99.97% of 0.3 micron particles. This is the most commonly used technology.

One drawback of this technology is that HEPA filters need to be replaced after a year or two, and they are costly.

Ionizer

Ionizers disperse negative ions into the air. These ions attach to airborne particulates. The electrically charged particulates in turn bond with each other and settle to the floor or wall.

Moisture discharges the ions. Therefore, this technology is less effective in humid places. In Malaysia, this essentially means ionizers only work inside air-conditioned rooms.

Another concern is that ionizers generate ozone, a lung irritant.

Water-based Air Refresher

A water-based air refresher, like the one shown above, sucks air into the water. Presumably the pollutants will dissolve in the water.

I have got one such device. I found its air flow to be quite weak, compared to a typical air purifier with HEPA filter. While I observed that the water was dirty after a day in use, it was not as effective as I wish to be.

Note that I added aromatherapy solution to the water, and the air which came out of it was very revitalizing. This device failed as an air cleaner, but it did serve other purposes.

Now Everyone Can Drive an SUV

(source: Wikipedia)

Tony Fernandes, the founder of budget airline AirAsia and budget hotel Tune Hotel, has teamed up with Renault to produce sport utility vehicles (SUV).

I expect Tony to give us the cheapest SUV in the market. But the base model will be without air-conditioner, music player, power steering, power windows, air bag, cup holders and spare tyre. You may add some or all of these items – at additional charges.

Also, Tony will not appoint resellers for the SUV. You place order online and pick up your vehicle from the warehouse. Alternatively, pay a fee for it to be delivered to your doorstep.

Are you excited?