Prison Break is bringing Sara back!

I knew it all along!! Hah!!! *smug*

Ok...that's all I wanted to say. Gloating over. =D

I haven't finish watching the 3rd season of Prison Break though... Time to start again!

I eat meat quite often, but usually in small portions and always with more vegetable dishes. As long as I keep the portions small, I don't have a problem. It's only once in a while, when it just so happens that I eat out almost everyday that particular week, or when it isn't easy to get vegetable dishes, or whatever, that I 'overdose' on my quota of meat.

When I do 'overdose' I can always expect to get sick not long after that. Coughing, sore throat, excess phelgm... It's my body's way of getting rid of the excess acidity that eating meat causes.

It's really not fun getting sick at all, especially since I can't sing with sore throat and coughs, so I try my best never to exceed my limits when it comes to eating meat, or when I do, I make sure I go through a detox program before I get too sick.

However, it never occurred to me that it might not be just about eating too much meat, but that it might also be about *what kind* of meat I eat.

Most of the time when we eat meat, and I'm pretty sure I can speak for almost everyone, it's usually chicken, because chicken is the cheapest and the most accessible (and it's halal to everyone). Pretty much 70% of the time I eat meat, it's usually chicken. The other 20% is fish, and 10% is a various assortment of pork, beef, lamb, etc (I don't like seafood though, seriously).

So everytime I 'overdose' on my quota of meat, it's mostly chicken that I ate. And then I get sick. *Everytime.*

But very recently, on one particular week, I had a few 'celebration' dinners with bf and various friends. So on that week, I had lamb one night, beef another, fish and pork another.... It was a *lot* of meat, and it just so happened I didn't eat any chicken. There weren't much vegetables on the menu either, by the way.

I completely expected to get sick, and was preparing to go through the detox programs, but I never did. I waited, and waited, and waited, and I didn't get sick. No sore throat, no coughing, no excess phelgm.

I wondered why.

Hmm....maybe my immune system has become stronger, I thought to myself. Or did I drink more water than usual this week? What did I do right?

I got my answer a few days later. My dad told me about one of his friends who stopped eating chicken, just chicken, and then started feeling healthier and not getting sick all the time. She was still eating other kinds of meat, but just eliminating chicken from her diet made her feel so much better already. My father wanted to try not eating chicken at all for a while, and see if we find any similar results.

Then it hit me that I didn't eat chicken at all that week when I ate a lot of meat. I told him there might be something to this theory, and we should definitely try it out.

So we tried it out, and our friends and clients did too, everyone of us boycotting chicken.

It isn't easy to do because sometimes the only thing on the menu has chicken in it, but when we have a choice, we never choose the chicken. So it seems so far that everyone has noticed some improvement on their general health, but it's still too soon to tell the long-term effects of cutting off chicken from our diets.

I believe that it isn't the chicken meat itself that causes problems, since white meat is supposed to be much healthier than red meat like lamb or beef. The problem with chicken is that they are *cultivated* by the millions to feed all of us.

It is the most widely eaten meat, and let's face it, most people eat more meat than vegetables, so there is a very *high* demand for chicken meat. Hence, the millions of chickens needed to feed us everyday, and the need for them to grow fast, or whatever. I honestly don't know what they do to the chickens, or how they do it, but I do know that whatever they are doing isn't good for us.

It's known that whatever chemicals are in our food gets into our system too when we eat them, and it goes for everything that goes into our mouths. Vegetables sprayed with pesticides are harmful if we don't wash them well before cooking and eating them, animals killed in slaughterhouses give us doses of agression because we're eating their chemical adrenaline when we eat their meat too, cows infected with mad cow disease and pigs infected with JE infect us too if we eat them...

So it should be common sense that chickens injected with steriods/hormones/whatever, would affect our general health as well, and we all know that the chickens that we eat are no where near completely natural. Not even some of the so-called 'kampung chicken' are really completely natural.

Anyway, the bottom line is, if you suffer from coughs, flus, sore throats, weak lungs or whatever, stay away from chicken for a few weeks, and see if that doesn't make you feel better. It's definitely easier and cheaper to try, than going to the doctor every few weeks, and you'd feel much better too at the end of it.

All work and no play makes Betty a dull girl indeed.

It seems like everything I ever do is work, work, and more work.

It doesn't feel that way initially, because everything I do is different: I write, I study, I work at my dad's office, I work with bf's biz, I sing (for performances)...

So yeah, there's a real variety and they're all really fun to do. I should feel lucky, because essentially it means I have FIVE 'jobs' which I really enjoy! While others have one which they may not even like.

But it also means I have not much time left for just kicking back and relaxing sometimes. I always feel like I must be doing something. I must always have a book in my hand, or practicing my songs, or talking with bf about the biz, or whatever, and I instantly feel guilty when I'm not doing anything 'productive'.

And when sometimes I just decide to shush the guilt complex and let the work wait, someone will eventually come along and say something like, "So, how's your study going on?" or "Did you practise the songs we're performing next week?" or "Did you get back to the client about (fill in the blank)?" And back I go to work again.

It's not just guilt about work either. I love my friends and I love hanging out, but sometimes I really do just want to spend some time alone and work on some of my *hobbies*. I want to read a book for fun! Not just for reviews or studies or learning something new about business. I want to relearn palmistry, so I can have fun reading people's palms (and also so I can teach Raul *wink*). I want to have time to crochet so I can give people better, personalized gifts. I want more free time for myself.

But instead, I spend my precious free time with my friends going out having dinner or watching a movie or whatever. Hey guys, don't get me wrong, I love spending time with you guys, and having fun with you guys is what keeps me sane sometimes from all the work that I have.

I like nothing more than to have a nice casual dinner together, chatting about everything we chat about and just letting it all hang out, but I keep thinking about the things I'm not getting done, the things I need to do, the things I *want* to do, and it keeps me from fully enjoying being out with my friends.

Perhaps what I'm suffering from is a severe case of bad time management. On the other hand, perhaps I'm just simply taking on too many things and need to cut down.

But that's the whole problem. I'm not willing to cut down on anything! And the ones that I do want to cut... I can't because I'm needed there. My dad needs me at the office, and my bf needs me for the business. So you see, I help my parents and my bf with their businesses, and there's no one left to help me with what *I* want to do. There's not even much time for *myself* to work on what I want to do.

It's such a dilemma, because even if my parents or bf tell me, "go ahead and do your stuff, we can find someone else to help us", I still wouldn't let go. I want to help my parents because I feel I can bring something new to their business, and besides, it's the only thing that gives me a regular salary (all my other 'jobs' pay on a project by project basis), and I want to help my bf because the business is new, and he's going to need my help before the biz takes off and stabilizes, and runs on automatic.

So if I do cut something out, it will be something that belongs to me.

It is much easier to cut what I want to do out, because I can do them anytime and they'll always be there for me when I decide to take them up again (except for my studies, which I have to do now on an ongoing basis), but I don't want to keep putting them off and ending up 80 years old and still deluding myself that I will achieve my dreams.... one day.

Right now, I don't know what I should do. I've always felt that life isn't worth living if you don't live for your dreams... But it seems that I may have to sacrifice some dreams if I want to achieve the others. And I don't know how to choose.

I don't know if I have the strength to choose.

I guess I'm not making much sense if you don't know exactly what's going on through my mind and the choices that I'm facing...

Bottom line is, I'm at a crossroads, and until I choose which path I need to take, I'm stuck standing here, looking down both paths... not knowing what each have in store for me, and being afraid that I'll miss out on something. I don't want to live to regret my choices.

Today was a tiring day. But oh so satisfying. =)

I got a lot of things done. Of course, there's always more to do, but today's progress was really good. I felt like I made the most of my time today, instead of always slacking off or procrastinating and ending up working late into the night.

Tonight I feel like I can relax after working hard the whole day today. There are still certain things that I haven't gotten done, but sometimes I think that's just my neurotic side talking. You know, that little annoying voice in my head that always think I don't do enough, or that I didn't do as well as I could have.

Sometimes she's right, though, and she's really, really, hard to ignore, but I try. =P

But seriously, although I'd like to be able to relax when I've deserved it, it's this little voice that keeps me going everyday. She makes me want to be the best I can be, because I *know* I can always do better. She makes me want to be a smarter, more knowledgable, more effective, more efficient, healthier, brighter, more beautiful, and a generally better person.

So it's a good thing because I'd probably be a useless slob without her. It's just that sometimes I wish that she wouldn't drive me so hard. (She's actually not as bad as some other people, I know, but I wish she was even *more* 'not as bad'! I *like* being a lazy ass sometimes!)

For tonight though, I am going to ignore her. I'm going to read a trashy, mindless, romance novel, and I'm going to enjoy it! =P

Until she starts nagging at me again in the morning...

Ok then...

Yes, I know I know! A whole MONTH since I last updated!!

Sorry.... Really... Damn... I can't come up with any good excuse... =P But you'll still have to forgive me anyway... =D Love ya!

Ok, so updates! Nothing much happened during CNY... honestly, it was the most boring one I ever had. They seemed like just any other day to me. I'm starting to become a boring person, ain't I? =(

Gotta spice things up a lil bit, maybe find a really hot chick to cheat on my bf with, or go bungee jumping in Rome, steal Brad Pitt from Angelina Jolie....

What?! You think I can't do it?! LOL!

Anywayyyy....

The last week was kinda interesting though, and very very happy for me, in fact, =D because Redemption came back!!

Ok, it was only Bien, Raul, and Alex, and it was only for one day... but it was so great to see them again! They were just stopping over for a day because they had to meet their manager(?) here, and then they had to go back to Indonesia again to perform there.

As always, we had loads of fun, talking, drinking, eating...especially the eating part, I think, for them. Lone made a collage of the pix, which I don't have on my computer, but which he uploaded on youtube, so yayy! You get to see them. =)

Ok, that was on Sunday, and it was great fun except for the last part when a couple of police pulled us over and thought they could bully us into giving them some bribes, but they didn't get anything from us, so too bad.

I was pretty pissed off at the time though, because I know my rights and they were clearly just trying to bully us. But don't get me started on it because I have a lot of things to say about them, and none of it is good. =P

Let's hope things really change for the better after the election, no matter who wins.

Back to Redemption... I missed them sooooo much! Chris, Paula, and Teody are no longer with the band, personal reasons, and Redemption wouldn't be the same without them, but I'm sure they'd still sound good of course! Just with different sounds and dynamics, and most importantly, chemistry. They had one of the best chemistries ever!

I haven't heard them perform with their new line up, but I am sure they'll sound great and I can't wait to listen to them when they come back here in August!

Got that, guys?! They're gonna be back in Hard Rock in August!!! Check your calendars, make sure you're free during the weekends and I'll probably see you there.

Oh, speaking of great chemistries, another *really* great band that I *really* love is Asia Reforms from Indonesia! We went to Planet Hollywood last Thursday night, and they're playing there now up until the end of April. They are seriously, seriously....talented. Extremely... OMG! Words can't describe. You just *really* have to go and watch them yourselves.

And seriously, the bassist? OH.... MY.... GOD....

GO watch them!! GO!!!! And ask them to play Hump De Bump by RHCP, and maybe you'll be able to see exactly just how good the bassist, Zackey, is.

Everyone else is really talented too, don't get me wrong. I think the lead vocalist and the female vocalist are two of the most talented performers I've ever met.

 

Oh, did I mention that earlier this same night we went to Planet Hollywood and Dina from the first Malaysian Idol was performing there live too? The program was broadcast to 8TV if I'm not mistaken, but I got to hear her live and for the first time since she won second place in Malaysian Idol about three? years ago.

And you know what? She's improved sooooo much! She really blew me away with her rendition of Christina Aguilera's Ain't No Other Man! You should hear her high notes! And yayyy, I got to take a picture with her too!

So that's about it for updates for now... I'll blog more when I have more to say and when I don't feel so lazy.

Happy Voting tomorrow, everyone!

I would have written a whole intelligent and sophisticated post about the election but I don't feel up to being too intelligent or sophisticated right now, so just make the right choice, people!

This is our country, and we do want a better country, we want improvements, so please vote for the right party. Listen to everything, but believe nothing until you've done your research.

Alright then... until next time! =) I have MUCH to catch up on!