Day 1: Downtown Shanghai + Suzhou

First I must apologize for delaying Genting Malaysia Berhad posting to make way for this as I find it more interesting & satisfying to talk about my trip, too bad. Let me introduce you the crew that will be flying you to Pudong International Airport, Shanghai in China.

KLIA was almost deserted when we reached there at 11.00pm and while waiting for connecting flight to Shanghai at 1.40am we played some chor de with scorecard in Burger King. Loser by Day 9 punishable by Xiaolongbao!

Our first destination upon arrival was Chenghuang Miao (Temple of the Town God). The temple and surrounding bazaar area is one large complex devoted to the god of commerce, hence the courtyard jammed pack with people. The smell of incense is overpowered only by the smell of money & smelly tofu yierr at nearby shops. We did eat them though perfectly nice just the smell tak tahan.

Xiaolongbao a.k.a soup dumpling (crab roe in the picture), in M'sia usually called mantou but no soup. Traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets hence the name xiaolong (small steaming basket). Their skin is smooth & translucent much like a ladies...ops I better stop. We had that for bfast & some yumcha in Nanxiang Mantou Dian. Stinky tofu is a trademark street food and is commonly deep fried and served with a spicy or sweet sauce.

We then headed to Nanjing Road, the main shopping street of Shanghai & also one of the world's busiest shopping streets. Our KL Petaling Street lose la. The street is mainly pedestrianized & decorated with neo-classical buildings with a length of around 6 km long so ladies better without high heels yay.

It was a bus ride later to Suzhou which took about 2 hours. A city on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River on the shores of Lake Taihu & occasionally nicknamed the "Venice of the East". The city is renowned for its architectural beauty of stone bridges, pagodas & gardens. It is also a well known important centre for China's silk industry even until today. The tour guide (fei chai) took us on a marathon to Suzhou Lion Grove Garden built in 1342 CE during Yuan dynasty. The name of the garden was derived from the shape of the rocks which are said to resemble lions & is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

See the future lion king behind? I said future cuz still boi ma, roar not strong yet.

Our last pit-stop for the long day is the modern side of Suzhou. Suzhou is the second largest industrial city only next to Shanghai and is an approved national-level hi-tech zone with FDI (foreign direct investment) totally USD 13bil hosting more than 1,500 foreign companies. The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) is a joint cooperation between China and Singapore, with city planning leveraging from the best of Singapore. This is why when Chinaman ask me, I say I'm Singaporean :D

There's a giant LED screen on the roof top spanning 500 metres from one end to another.

Not forgetting Penang kaki loves food so we did have our rating system for the day's lunch and dinner. Lunch Beh Chiak, Dinner Hao Chi.  The Chinese there has a habit of greasing their food with oil. Just imagine an oil spill like you see in the news. What to do? So hungry, just eat nia.

Do You Really Understand Your Health Report?

Just recently completed the second annual health check, sponsored by my cheapskate company who provided basic tests but not the optional ones which are considered important in such times like cancer tests. Cancer is one of the leading cause of death worldwide just after cardiovascular diseases. Why not sponsored? Expensive ma, talk about social corporate responsibility hmmph.

Anyway intriguing it might have been that many who took the check doesn't even know what the figures in the report mean. They just see like window shopping, no critical highlights is like no sales and that's it, they are healthy. How can that happen? Because FOC le, people take it for granted. Some don't know but never bothered; too technical la doc only knows & some even say I still young ma. People give all sort of excuses, perhaps that makes us Human. 

Health has to be monitored continuously, comparing year after year & observe your health trend. Using trend is a simple and easy way to determine whether your health has been improving or vice versa. When you see no highlights but if your health is degrading slowly but not to an alarming figure yet is your definition "I am still healthy" rather than "I am starting to rot". Get my point now?

So, it's time to take charge of yourself (with some basic knowledge). Don't fully depend on doc, later like MJ's doc, cause you to die instead. I am taking my BP Healthcare Group report as an example not to hao lian (boast), maybe a bit la. Well BP has the largest medical chain of diagnostic centres in Southeast Asia, thus serving most of the people here so most of the reports should be theirs.

Private and Confidential wor, this term is commonly used everywhere. I remembered asking Pacific Fund for major unit holders and got the same answer and was pissed. If everything is PnC then how to share with people?

Lipid Profile - test on fats & oils in our body

• HDL a.k.a the good cholesterol that prevents blockage of blood vessels.
• LDL & Triglycerides a.k.a the bad lipids that clog our blood vessels by forming plagues which can lead to atherosclerosis causing heart attacks or stroke.
• Total Cholesterol is the sum of all the bad cholesterol.
• Total Chol/HDL-Chol defines the risk of developing ahterosclerosis diseases.   
• To control cholesterol have a healthy low fat diet, avoid too much meat and taking dietary supplements like omega 3 fish oils. Easiest way, cardiovascular exercise!

Blood Glucose - test on diabetic levels

• At >=7.0 level, you are in diabetic state. 
• At >=5.6 level, you are on the way to become a sweet candy. At this stage you should be really taking care of what you are eating.
• Being sweet to girls is OK but if your body is, you are at risk of developing the below problems:

Haematology Examination - test on blood cells

• The first three; total RMC, Hb and PCV tells us the quantity of red blood cells in our body.
• MCV tells us the size of our red blood cells.
• MCH & MCHC tells us the colour in measurement of our red blood cells.
• RDW is the speed in which we produce new red blood cells.
• Total WBC is our white blood cells a.k.a defence cells that can be subdivided into 5 different warriors & each of them has to be at a certain expected percentage range.
• Platelets help in blood clot when you have a wound. Not enough then you will never stop bleeding.
• ESR or erythrocyte sedimentation rate, a test that indirectly measures how much inflammation is in the body. Monitor inflammatory diseases like arthritis or even cancerous diseases.
• Rh is one causes of hemolytic disease of newborn a.k.a HDN. Disease range from mild to severe, very long topic I'll skip it. If anti-D is positive then it's Good.

Renal Function - test on the efficiency of kidneys

• The first three are electrolytes or salts circulating in our blood (sodium, potassium, chloride). Don't be too salty, want to end up as a chip?
• The next three are toxins eliminated by the kidneys. A high urea/creatinine level suggests the kidneys are not functioning to it's capacity. Mine on the other side are having to overwork Ops!
• A high uric acid shows too much protein intake from food such as seafood, eggs and beans. High uric acid is a condition known as hyperuricaemia which can cause gout or uric acid urinary stones.

Liver Function - test on protein production & toxin deactivation

• Albumin a serum protein that carry hormones in our blood. A good measure to assess someone's nutritional status as well.
• Globulin the serum protein that makes our antibodies. Both are deep topics so I'll skip details. Just have a good protein level in the liver.
• A high amount of Bilirubin can cause jaundice a.k.a yellow discoloration of the skin. A good amount is needed for cellular antioxidant.
• The below four are liver enzymes, high levels suggest liver cellular damage has occurred. These tests are sensitive indicators of liver damage or injury caused by chronic liver diseases, inflammation and etc. These tests are not testing function but rather as a screening.

Cancer Tests - examine markers as an early detection mechanism

• CA12-5: widely used tumor marker for women to detect cancers of the reproductive system which are uterus, fallopian tubes & ovaries.
• CA15-3: breast cancer (female only). Man-boobs how ah? I dunno LOL ask doc.
• Protastic Specific Antigen to check for prostate cancer or enlargement.
• Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) to examine liver and testicular cancers.
• Carcino Embryonic Antigen (CEA) a marker to check for colorectal cancer or digestive tract cancers. If you have regular constipation or diarrahea better to check this.
• CA19-9: for grastric, pancreatic or stomach cancer. Check if you always have gastric, abdominal pains or gas.

 

Other Tests - optional but still important regardless of age

• Hepatitis B an infectious disease caused by a virus that can damage liver > cancer and you become a carrier of the disease as well. Thanks to my hao peng you advice, I got my vaccination in 2009 and now immune. HBsAg Non-Reactive and Anti-HBs over >100 means you are immune.
• Free T4 a measure of thyroid hormone which controls metabolic rate.
• Calcium & Phosphorus, electrolytes needed for bone density health.
• VDRL & HIV a sexually transmitted disease which should be Non-Reactive.
• Rheaumatoid Factor measures the risk of developing arthritis a.k.a joint pain. Having glucosamine supplements help in lowering this factor.
• Urine FEME: pH should be near neutral level of 7, negative for protein, glucose, ketone and blood. Colour either straw or yellow. Transparancy should be clear. RBC and Bacterias should be Nil as well. 
• This is a routine urine screening test which is helpful to uncover any underlying problems developing within your body. Urine FEME stands for urine full examination & microscopy examination. 

Final words...
Looking at your report and understanding your report is totally two separate entities. People are driven by urgency and importance. Urgency is normally externally administrated like your boss, work & deadlines but health is important. Don't you agree? 

Stop putting too much focus on urgent things and allocate some time into important items such as health and retirement or finances. When these important items turn to urgency it is usually too late for you to turn things around unless you start it young or early. By then you only have yourself to blame and of course no more excuses.

8 Simple Ways to Save Money

Time has come to close aboi's financial year for 2009 end 31st May 2010. I spent my Saturday night together with my prized Dragon Well Tea from Hangzhou to get some wisdom and draft what would be my financial strategy for the next one year period. Wah need so serious meh? My question to you is, "Do you only plan to start when you are about to retire?" There's pretty nothing much to do when you are at 65 except waiting to die lor.

Let me explain a lil, above is a personal bugdet planned out considering all sources of income & all expense factors. Some are pretty straight forward except for family & friends (treat here'n'there, kai kai $$) while buffer savings (gifts, car service & impulse spending-i need to enjoy life also ma). So how do I achieve all these for the coming year? Well, below are my lucky 8 ways, might be applicable to you as well.


Use cash instead of credit card
Spending cash makes the spending more real, and with the advantage that you know when you are out of cash. This prevents you from over spending. I am going to use card for autopay billing and pump fuel only.


Pay investments & debts first
Pay them last and you will find that you have shortchange them most of the time. Once done, you have what is left for you to spend or indulge for the rest of the month.


Exercise at home or workplace
Some might disagree which is OK, mei wenti. I am going to spend time exercising in my workplace gym & running tracks around my home as I am devoting my workdays for other activities. This has cutback 2.5% expense into other areas :) How neat.


Lend and borrow
Exchange books with friends and family because we can share receipt for income tax declaration as the govt allows photocopies. I am cutting down book purchases by 75% and share a pool with friends for reading materials.


Stay Home
Going out makes you more likely to spend unnecessarily. It's hard to avoid spending when you are on the road. This means eating home cooked food whenever possible, if you 'pak-thor' cook together and spend time at home, watch series, play games, pick up a hobby or surf the net.


Small daily savings
Get a big piggy bank and deposit RM5 each day. I decided I could live without RM35/week without really feeling it - it's relatively small amount that one would barely notice, the implication is that I could save nearly RM2k a year without feeling anything! And RM2k is the amount I use to top up my balanced fund yearly.


Turn passion into income
Computer hardware has been my passion since college & over the last three years establishing contacts & reputation to build PCs for clients. Effort paying off with four digit income each year. Everyone has a passion, why not turn that into income. It could be photography, cross stitching, writing, online retail and etc. When you love to do it, it comes with no stress plus you earn.


Find happiness in life, not spending
Some might disagree, I know! but still OK, mei wenti. Most of the time, when you buy stuffs, you are happy for a day or two. Why? Because it makes you feel rich BUT not wealthy (cause you spend de le). Instead, learn to love life. Find joy in talking with people around you, in doing something you love, in exercise, in helping people, in re-educating yourself. There is no need to find it in spending alone.

If you have any other suggestions I do welcome your input so I might have a stimulus package in this budget. You can place your comments here or email me directly if you are paiseh at nick_allianz@hotmail.com