Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Comments from the Mayo Clinic on Butter vs margarine

Butter vs. margarine: Which is better for my heart?

Which spread is better for my heart — butter or margarine?

Answer

from Martha Grogan, M.D.

Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains no cholesterol. Margarine is also higher in "good" fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated — than butter is. These types of fat help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol, when substituted for saturated fat. Butter, on the other hand, is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat.

But not all margarines are created equal — and some may even be worse than butter. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fat it contains — so stick margarines usually have more trans fat than do tub margarines. Like saturated fat, trans fat increases blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fat can lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol levels. Spreads such as Benecol and Promise Activ are fortified with plant stanols and sterols, which can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels.

When selecting a spread, be sure to check the Nutrition Facts panel and pay particular attention to the grams of saturated fat and trans fat. Look for products that have the lowest combined amount. Also, look for products with a low percent Daily Value for cholesterol.

If you don't like the taste of margarine or don't want to give up butter completely, consider using whipped or light butter. Or look for products that are a blend of butter and olive or canola oil. Per serving, these products have less fat and calories than regular butter does. The important thing is to use them sparingly.

Comments from a MD on Butter vs Margarine

BUTTER VERSUS MARGARINE
by Lawrence Wilson, MD

© Revised, March 2011, The Center For Development

In the rush to lower cholesterol, many health authorities recommend eating margarine instead of butter. However, there is more to consider about margarine than just cholesterol.


WHAT IS MARGARINE?

Margarine begins as chemically-extracted, refined vegetable oil. This is a poor quality product to begin with. The oil is extracted at high temperature, which damages the oil. It also destroys the vitamin E in the oil, an important nutrient.

To make margarine, the oil must be hardened. This is done by bubbling hydrogen through the vegetable oil at high temperature. The hydrogen saturates some of the carbon-carbon bonds of the oil. The product then becomes hard or solid at room temperature.

When the carbon bonds are saturated, the product is called a saturated fat. Margarine contains some saturated fat. Otherwise it would not be hard at room temperature. The ads and the packaging for margarine are often deceptive lies. Advertising often states it contains 'polyunsaturated oil'. However, the processing saturates or partially saturates the oil.

The final product also usually contains some trans-fatty acids, no matter what the label says. These are man-made fatty acids. Research shows that trans-fatty acids increase inflammation in the body. This can worsen illnesses such as colitis and arthritis. Very recent research indicates that trans-fatty acids in margarine raise LDL levels. LDL is the "bad" cholesterol.

The final product also contains nickel, cadmium and often other very toxic contaminants. These are introduced as hardening agents used in the production process. Nickel, for example, is an extremely toxic chemical that in excess causes lung cancer, kidney disease, depression and more.

Cadmium is also among the most toxic of the heavy metals. It may contribute to serious diseases such as arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and malignancy.

Margarine also contains artificial or natural coloring agents, or it would look like bicycle grease. In summary, margarine is a disaster, even so-called health-food margarine.


WHAT IS BUTTER?

Butter is made from the cream that rises to the top if milk is allowed to sit for a time. Butter is made by churning cream. This causes a chemical reaction that causes the cream to harden slightly, giving it the buttery consistency.

Certified raw butter is a fabulous fat that contains a number of natural fatty acids that are excellent for the body. Butter is an excellent source of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K. These are not found to any degree in margarine. The vitamin content of butter varies seasonally, depending on the diet of the animals from which it is derived.

Also, butter does not contain trans-fatty acids or toxic metals, hopefully, such as nickel and cadmium. Butter contains some milk solids, giving it a whitish color. Ghee or clarified butter does not contain the milk solids.

Dr. Weston Price identified a factor in butter that is essential for proper growth and development of the bone structure. He called it 'activator X' or ‘factor X’ and wrote about it in his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Dr. Price was able to reverse severe tooth decay in children by feeding them one meal a day of highly nutritious food - including butter.

Although many people are sensitive to cow’s milk dairy products, often butter is well-tolerated. This is because butter is almost a pure fat, and does not contain many of the allergens found in other milk products. For example, it does not contain milk protein (casein) or milk sugar (lactose). These are two highly allergenic components of some dairy products.

Butter made from raw (unpasteurized) cream is available in some areas. It the best quality butter available next to making it from your own cow.

WHAT IS GHEE?

Ghee, also called clarified butter, is a product used extensively in India and some other nations. It is just butter with the milk solids removed. As a result, it is clear in color and has less of a buttery taste.

Ghee is made by gently heating butter just a little, until the white-colored milk solids separate. These are skimmed off, leaving ghee.

Ghee has certain advantages over butter, specifically for cooking. Without the milk solids, ghee will not burn as easily, and can be heated to a higher temperature as a result. Ghee is also a little more yang than butter. These are its main advantages, as far as I know. If you are not going to cook with butter, or if you don’t care if it burns a little, then making or buying ghee is probably not important.

Butter, in fact, has a few advantages over ghee. The milk solids contain some added nutrients, which are lost when one makes it into ghee.


IS AVOIDING BUTTER THE WAY TO CONTROL CHOLESTEROL?

The observations of many natural health practitioners indicate that a balanced body chemistry is the key to normalizing cholesterol. Dr. William Koch, MD, an eminent physician, wrote:

"Cholesterol ... is no problem when the oxidations are efficient and diet is sensible. In all our observations, high levels drop ... it steadies to a good normal when the oxidations are re-established to normal." (Normal oxidations refers to the efficient burning of food and the generation of adequate energy from food.)

Most cholesterol is manufactured within the body. A maximum of about 4% of all cholesterol comes from the diet. Cholesterol is the raw material for the adrenal stress hormones and the sex hormones. The body often reacts to stress by producing more cholesterol. This allows the body to make more stress-fighting hormones. As biochemical stress is reduced through a scientific nutrition program, cholesterol levels often decrease without the need for restrictive diets.

In fact, eating some animal products often helps balance body chemistry. In these instances, cholesterol levels or the cholesterol/HDL ratio improves, although the diet contains cholesterol-containing foods.

FAST OXIDATION, FATS AND OILS

In general, fast oxidizers can and should eat more butter and other quality fatty foods. Their faster metabolism handles the fats and oils very well. These foods have a calming, relaxing effect on their metabolism. We say these people are like cars with 8 or 10-cylinder engines. They burn more calories and thrive on higher-calorie foods, particularly fats and oils. It they do not eat them, they will crave carbohydrates, the other ‘fuel’ food.

“True” fast oxidizers, those whose body chemistry is actually in fast oxidation, usually have low cholesterol levels. Today, however, many people whose hair mineral analysis indicates fast oxidation are only “temporary” fast oxidizers. This means they will quickly change to slower oxidizers when their bodies are properly supported nutritionally. These people usually do not do as well on more butter and other fats, although some is fine.

Even those with slow oxidation rates, however, can eat some butter unless they are sensitive to it. Butter is an excellent overall food for everyone at all ages.

SUMMARY

The argument for eating margarine and other products containing hydrogenated oils are their lack of cholesterol. Margarine is also less expensive than butter.

However, margarine often contains poor-quality, refined, artificially saturated vegetable oil. It also contains harmful trans-fatty acids, and often residues of toxic metals such as nickel and cadmium. It does not contain many nutrients at all.

Butter, by contrast, is a natural food and one of the best sources of important fat-soluble vitamins. You will pay more for butter, but nutritionally and for its purity, it is well worth it.

Butter or Margarine?

So what is it?

No more margarine?

Butter truth?

I'm gonna dig for more info on margarine vs butter...

The Butter Truth


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Home --> Food --> Food Warnings --> The Butter Truth

The Butter Truth

Claim: Ingestion of some types of margarine increases the risk of coronary disease.

Status: Multiple — see below.

Example: [Collected via e-mail, 1999]

The difference between butter and margarine?

Both have the same amount of calories, butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods, butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added! Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

Now for Margarine, very high in trans fatty acids triple risk of Coronary Heart Disease, Increases total and LDL ( This is the bad Cholesterol), Lowers HDL cholesterol and this is the good one, Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold, lowers quality of breast milk, decreases immune response, and decreases insulin response.

And here is the most disturbing fact......

Margarine is but one molecule from being PLASTIC..... (This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated, this means hydrogen is added changing the molecular structure of the food.)

You can try this for yourself, purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area, within a couple of days you will note a couple of things, no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it, (that should tell you something) it does not rot, smell differently... Because it has no nutritional value, nothing will grow on it, even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not find a home to grow... Why?

Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Origins: The Butter above-quoted compilation began circulating on the Internet in June 2003, often under the title "Butter vs. Margarine," and surprisingly enough there was a fair bit of truth to it, at least at the time. According to the latest findings in the medical world in 2003, margarine could increase the risk of heart disease, depending upon the type of fat contained in the spread. Previously, the dietary villain in the development of coronary disease was presumed to be saturated fat, but new evidence points the finger at trans fat (also known as trans fatty acids). Although butter has its own set of dietary shortcomings, it does not contain trans fat.

In 1994, Harvard University researchers reported that people who ate partially hydrogenated oils, which are high in trans fats, had nearly twice the risk of heart attacks as those who consumed much less of the substance. Several large studies in the United States and elsewhere, including the Nurses' Health Study conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, have also suggested a strong link between earlier death and consumption of foods high in trans

fat.

Trans fats occur naturally in small amounts in some foods, including meat and dairy products, but most trans fats in the American diet are formed when vegetable oils are chemically changed to give them a longer shelf life. Cookies, potato chips, baked products, and the like are particularly loaded with trans fats.

The Food and Drug Administration, the National Academy, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the American Heart Association all recommend consumers limit their intake of trans fat wherever possible. Moreover, the federal government passed regulations requiring that by 2006 all food labels disclose how much trans fat a product contains.

Back in 2003 we compiled the following comparison chart for various brands of margarine as they were then formulated. Numbers given in grams refer to how many grams of each particular type of fat there are per tablespoon of that brand. (A tablespoon of butter or margarine contains 14 grams.) Numbers given as percentages represent the impact of one tablespoon of that spread on the recommended daily allowance of that substance. Margarines sampled were of the "tub" variety. (The same margarines in "stick" form had consistently higher numbers.)

Total FatSaturatedPolyunsaturatedMonounsaturated
Butter11g (17%)7g (36%)00
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter10g (15%)2g (10%)4.5g4.5g
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light5g (8%)1g (5%)2.5g1.5g
Parkay8g (13%)1.5g (8%)4g2g
Fleischmann's9g (14%)1.5g (10%)4g3g
Blue Bonnet7g (14%)1.5g (10%)3g2g
Imperial7g (10%)1.5g (7%)3g1.5g
Country Crock (Shedd's Spread)7g (10%)1.5g (7%)3g1.5g

Because butter is an animal product, it contains cholesterol, amounting to 30 mg per tablespoon or 10% of the USDA recommended daily allowance. Margarines, because they are non-animal products, do not. The preceding chart says nothing about which margarines contained trans fats (or, if they did, how much) because this information was not always included on product labels back then.

Since the issuance of warnings and regulations about trans fats in the last few years, many margarine producers have reformulated their products. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, for example, now (in 2006) bears a notice on its label proclaiming "NO TRANS FAT," and the amount of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat per serving has dropped from 4.5g each to 4g (polyunsaturated) and 2g (monounsaturated) per serving.

Although a great deal of the information given in the e-mail is valid, one bit of intelligence is nothing more than hyperbole tossed in by the author in an effort to make his point more strongly. The claim that some comestible is but a "single molecule away" from being a decidedly inedible (or even toxic) substance has been applied to a variety of processed foods:
[Collected via e-mail, November 2005]

I was told that the difference between Cool Whip and Styrofoam is one molecule... is this true???


[Collected via e-mail, December 2006]

Is velveeta processed cheese food really one molecule different from plastic?


[Collected via e-mail, March 2007]

heard that Pam spray is 1 molecule away from plastic and is therefore dangerous??


[Collected via e-mail, January 2008]

I am tired of hearing my husband say that Cheez Whiz is only 2 ingredients different from garbage bags. Can you please help me set him straight?
These types of statements (even if they were true) are essentially meaningless. Many disparate substances share similar chemical properties, but even the slightest variation in molecular structure can make a world of difference in the qualities of those substances.

Some of the "Butter vs. margarine" mailings circulated in 2005 had this preface tacked onto them:
Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.
Contrary to the claim, margarine was not invented as a turkey fattener. It was formulated in 1869 by Hippolyte Mège Mouriès of France in response to Napoleon III's offering of a prize to whoever could succeed at producing a viable low-cost substitute for butter. Mège Mouriès' concoction, which he dubbed oleomargarine, was achieved by adding salty water, milk, and margaric acid to softened beef fat. By the turn of the century, the beef fat in the original recipe had been replaced by vegetable oils.

In 1886, New York and New Jersey prohibited the manufacture and sale of yellow-colored margarine, and by 1902, 32 U.S. states had enacted such prohibitions against the coloration of the spread. (Folks got around this by mixing yellow food coloring into the white margarine.) In 1950 President Truman repealed the requirement that margarine be offered for sale only in uncolored state, which led to the widespread production of the yellow margarine that has come to be the norm.

Barbara "gold standard" Mikkelson

Last updated: 27 January 2008

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2011 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.

Sources Sources:
Barboza. "A Warning in Expanding Waistlines."
The New York Times. 10 July 2003 (p. C1).
Lesie, Michele. "Making Sense Out of Fat Science."
[Cleveland] Plain Dealer. 14 September 1998 (p. F1).
Sagon, Candy. "Butter Is Back — and Other Ideas That Will Change Your Diet in 2003."
The Washington Post. 1 January 2003 (p. F1).
Squires, Sally. "Food Labels Must List Trans Fats."
The Washington Post. 10 July 2003 (p. A3).


Monday, May 30, 2011

No more margarine?

http://www.betterbeerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/gabf10-butter.jpg


Pass The Butter ... Please.


This is interesting
. .. .


Margarine
was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.

It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow colouring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavourings....

DO YOU KNOW..
The difference between margarine and butter?

Read on to the end...gets very interesting!


Both have the same amount of calories.


Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to 5 grams for margarine.

Eating
margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.


Eating
butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.


Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!

Butter
tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods.

Butter
has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.





And now, for Margarine..

Very High in Trans
fatty acids.

Triples risk of coronary
heart disease ...

Increases total cholesterol
and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..


Lowers quality of
breast milk

Decreases immune response.


Decreases
insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!


Margarine
is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients withPAINT

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:



* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)



* it does not rot or smell differently because it has
nonutritional value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic . Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?


That was from an email...interesting in YES to butter and NO to margarine.


Thursday, May 26, 2011

PCC Interstate Ride Day3




Day3: Bkt Merah Laketown Resort - Damai Laut Swiss Garden Resort
Distance : 110km

Final day of the ride. This time, I rode and Michelle was kind enough to be support car all the way.
Started with Race Director leading us 5km before unleashing the speed demons on a flat & straight road. Averaging 40kmh, it was fast & furious. Being the last day, they just wanted to whack it riding to their limit.
Halfway pitstop with Lian Meng and Prakash after which we rode together with a group from Miri.

Damai Laut Swiss Garden Resort was great! What a way to end our 3day ride.


Many thanks to PCC organising committee for such a wonderful ride!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

PCC Interstate Ride Day2

Day2: Cameron Highlands to Bukit Merah Laketown Resort
Distance: 200km

Michelle started...again... This time , a cold start from way up there on the highlands. Before anyone could warm up, it's downhill for 60km to Simpang Pulai. But Michelle didn't want to freeze herself so back into the car after 5km...hehehe!
Off we went, with our 2 wheelers inside the four wheeler.
We had breakfast at Simpang Pulai, near Petronas station, while waiting for the riders to pass by...and that happened to be one of the riders' pit stop as well. Here, Michelle joined Debbie riding through Ipoh town towards Tanjung Rambutan. One thing for sure is that there's no more cool weather like the highlands. Flat terrain from then on till the super duper steep hill in the Laketown Resort.
Halfway to go, the bike relay took place. Michelle out, I'm in. As for Debbie, she rode all the way. Respect!

A view from our room of the entrance to the resort lobby.
Room is HUGE! More like a studio unit.
Dinner time and briefing for next day.

Aiyoyo...I'm getting lazy to write...still got 1 day left...

Friday, May 20, 2011

PCC Interstate Ride 29Apr-1May 2011




What is PCC Interstate Ride?
It is a group of cyclist riding long distances across 3 states in 3 days. Consider it as a cycling holiday.

My first Interstate ride was in 2008. That was when I heard someone said "you need to do the Interstate to prepare for Ironman". I needed cycling mileage so it fits the bill.

For this year, the ride started from Raub. About 300 riders with 60 support cars, the highest number of support cars ever recorded!

Actually, I'm half riding and half being a car support. Well, you can say I was doing a relay with Michelle. She drive, I ride. I drive, she ride. An interesting way of doing the Interstate...a non suffering way of riding 460km!

Before we hit the road with our 2 wheelers, I have to say something about this hotel. It's GREAT!
We were put up in a corner link house...yes, a house with a big piece of land beside it which can park 5 cars!

Rooms are named after tropical fruits and we got the Durian room. too bad durians not included.Big room but no durians were found in the Durian room.

Before my car receives the honour of being knighted a Official Support Car, I gave it a good wash...clean clean before that big sticker gets on its butt!There...nice sticker on a nice butt. You can see stickers of other rides on top of it...Interstate 2008, Century 2010...

Ok, here's the map of the 3 day ride.

Day1 - Raub - Cameron Highlands, 150km



Day2 - Cameron Highlands - Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, 200km

Day3 - Bukit Merah laketown Resort - Damai Laut Swiss Garden Resort, 110km


Day1
None of us two were riding till km50 where riders pitstop before hitting the hills up Cameron Highlands. That was the only makan place till we reach destination. Michelle started, joining Debbie, Lian Meng, Jyn, Dennis and others.

Support car, a new experience, it's pedal-less! :P

At km90+, Michelle called it a day and handed the imaginary baton to me. From that point onwards, it's uphill ALL THE WAY! She's smart!With fresh legs, it's climbing...and climbing...and climbing...
Riders have done 100km from Raub so it means not many smiles going around. The road we used is absolutely new to me. It's not in the maps. What's great about it is the quality. Smooth...wide...scenic!
Yip has done this before and he said it's tough. That means VERY TOUGH! Mentally prepared, I was up for it...starting from km90+....hahaha!

I was lucky to spot a scorpion crossing the road. A huge green fella. Managed to stop n snap a few pix of it.

Halfway up, the sky opened. Certain parts the shower became cats n dogs, the road became a stream. Already it was cool up that high so you can imagine how it felt with the rain. My hands went numb in the cold...bbbbrrrrr.....sorry no pix from here onwards. Blame the rain.

As we neared our destination, the climb gets tougher with steeper slopes. Michelle did a superb job stopping along the way to wait for us for food & drinks refill. Cold, wet, hungry, tired...that's my Cameron Highlands climb. Distance I covered was only 57km but it was the toughest ride for me.

500m from our designated hotel, the finale is...what else....the final climb. Rain finally stopped and boy was I glad. Happy to have climbed 57km!
Unpacked, cleaned both bike n me-self, freshen up and group photo time.Ok, I'll leave that for now...

Will continue soon...for Day2 & 3

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Living in a prison?

Furry pets...

Cute...

Living in a cage...
Food provided, water provided...

But...

Imagine you inside...

You call it prison...right?

Think about it...
Is this why the hamster runs non stop? Trying to run somewhere?


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

KL Towerthon 2011

1km uphill road run plus 2058 steps in KL towerthon. This time, it's different. The race was at night.

Heard a lot of complaints from competitors. Many were stuck up there for 2hours due to the numbers with only 1 lift in operation. The other 2 lifts...1 reserved for VIPs and the other kaput!

Luckily I was in the first wave flagged off. Each wave was about 200 ppl. In the men open, we had 5 waves!
The race started with a 1km uphill run. The first 100m was a frantic sprint and before halfway to tower, 2 guys were already walking as I ran past.

This is 1 race where I have minimal training. Lucky I didn't hit the wall halfway up. Managed to do a PB! Yes! Shaved 1 minute from last year's timing. Could this be due to the kg I lost? Hmm...

Maybe next year can go sub18...hahaha!

My records so far...
2008 - 20:13
2010 - 19:52
2011 - 18:48
Medals - Left 2008, middle 2010, right 2011. Quality wise, sad to say 2011 is the worst although the night race was nicely organised!

Monday, May 16, 2011

When Everything’s Shaking, Find Something Stable



What’s the advice they tell you when there is an earthquake? Find something stable and hide under it. The same wisdom applies to life. When things are shaking—and they will—you have to find the firmest structure and run to it. Nations will war, economies will turn, diseases will strike, and emotions will rage up and down, but the Bible says, “The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

You’ve got to have God’s perspective on the shaking. It’s not like He doesn’t know it’s happening. In fact, He uses it. God said, “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also” (Hebrews 12:26). It goes on to explain, “This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe” (Hebrews 12:27,28). You see, God uses the shaking of tough circumstances to reveal what is true and eternal—His kingdom and His glory. As part of His kingdom, you can know that you have an eternal city that waits for you—that your future is secure.

However, in the meantime, you’ve got to have something to hold onto. That something is Jesus Christ. Paul, in the midst of a lot of trouble, said, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love” (Romans 8:38). You can count on the love of Jesus to never fail you, never crumble, even in the hardest times. He said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Take a moment right now to breathe a sigh of relief and run to God’s great name. He will protect you and preserve you until His glorious kingdom fully comes.

So, this week, let us pray and ask God to

  • Give us peace in the midst of the “shakings” of life

  • Provide finances to help Global Media Outreach to reach even more people for Jesus Christ

  • Help us know that God is our strength and our source in all of life

God can use you to help others in times of trouble. Thank you so much for your prayers! God loves you. If we can pray for you just hit “reply” and let us know your prayer requests. May God bless you!


Your Friends at Global Media Outreach

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A, B, AB, O

Last week, I got a sms from a friend. Blood donor needed.

It was her friend seeking for blood donors to help a lady with liver cancer. She needs a lot of blood in transfusions. As my last blood donation was in January, I'm good to go.

Met a guy at Sime Darby Medical Centre (formerly know as SJMC) blood bank. He's the son in law and contact point for blood donors. I had a small chat with him. He's shocked to know blood banks in Malaysian hospitals do not have sufficient levels. Being a New Zealander, blood donation is normal to him. He has not heard of hospitals in desperate need for blood. He said college students donate twice a year.

Here? Well, maybe once every few years. Maybe the hospitals themselves are not doing enough to maintain a healthy level in the blood bank. Are they doing blood donation campaign from 1 college to another? Klang valley has hundreds of colleges. And Universities?
Some companies do have their blood donation day. More need though.

End of the day, it all comes down to Ministry of Health...the government. More needs to be done to create this blood donation awareness.

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

A kilo or two lighter...

Lent season is over...

Good Friday was when Jesus sacrificed and died for us 2000years ago.

Easter Sunday, the third day of his death after being crucified, our Lord & Saviour Jesus is risen!

Resurrection!

Alleluia! Alleluia!

For the past month, it's my first time fasting a meal per day. I wanted to do fasting in this Lent season so I skipped having lunch. It was very tough in the beginning. Stomach started grumbling around 3pm onwards. Weekdays ok but weekends...oh...I have to miss fasting during weekends as those 2 days are always filled with activities, either cycling or running which require a lot of energy...meaning food! :D No food no action :P

My weight now is 58kg as I lost a kg or two over Lent. Could feel my pants a bit loose now and at the same time needing another extra hole or two on my belt!

Well, with a slightly lighter body weight, I sure hope I can run faster! Hahahha! KL Towerthon coming up this Saturday nite so it'll be exciting. :P
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