Nothing Like a Steamy Cup of Coffee..

Ohh, yes! Coffee is one of the world's favourite cup of drink to have for breakfast, lunch, tea and in some other countries, supper as well.

It's always coffee that we longed for in the morning and usually for those who stay up late for study or work.

The saying goes "What you don't know won't kill you" but it is likely advisable that we should know some of the health benefits and risks involved consuming coffee on a daily basis.

Here are all the information gathered from Wikipedia, which we thought to be quite useful for all of us to know, especially for those who are extremely dependant on coffee to stay awake.

The Health effects of coffee have been studied to determine how coffee drinking affects humans. Coffee contains several compounds which are known to affect human body chemistry. The coffee bean itself contains chemicals which are psychotropics for humans as a defense mechanism of the Coffea plant. These chemicals are toxic in large doses, or even in their normal amount when consumed by many creatures which may otherwise have threatened the beans in the wild.

Coffee as a stimulant
Coffee contains caffeine, which acts as a stimulant. For this reason, it is often consumed in the morning and when feeling tired. Students preparing for examinations with late-night cram sessions frequently use coffee to stay awake. Many office workers take a coffee break when they have low energy.

Recent research has uncovered additional stimulating effects of coffee which are not related to its caffeine content. Coffee contains an as yet unknown chemical agent which stimulates the production of cortisone and adrenaline, two stimulating hormones.

For occasions when one wants to enjoy the flavor of coffee with almost no stimulation, decaffeinated coffee (also called decaf) is available. This is coffee from which most of the caffeine has been removed, by the Swiss water process (which involves the soaking of raw beans to remove the caffeine) or the use of a chemical solvent such as trichloroethylene ("tri"), or the more popular methylene chloride, in a similar process. Another solvent used is ethyl acetate; the resultant decaffeinated coffee is marketed as "natural decaf" because ethyl acetate is naturally present in fruit. Extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide has also been employed.

Decaffeinated coffee usually loses some flavor over normal coffee. There are also coffee alternatives that resemble coffee in taste but contain no caffeine (see below). These are available both in ground form for brewing and in instant form.

Caffeine dependency and withdrawal symptoms are well-documented.

Benefits

Reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and Dementia
Several studies comparing moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 3-5 cups per day) with light coffee drinkers (defined as 0-2 cups per day) found that those who drank more coffee were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. A longitudinal study in 2009 found that moderate coffee drinkers had reduced risk of developing Dementia in addition to Alzheimer's Disease.

Reduced risk of gallstone disease
Drinking caffeinated coffee has been correlated with a lower incidence of gallstones and gallbladder disease in both men and women in two studies performed by the Harvard School of Public Health. A lessened risk was not seen in those who drank decaffeinated coffee.

Reduced risk of Parkinson's disease
A study comparing heavy coffee drinkers (3.5 cups a day) with non-drinkers found that the coffee drinkers were significantly less likely to contract Parkinson's Disease later in life. Likewise, a second study found an inverse relationship between the amount of coffee regularly drunk and the likelihood of developing Parkinson's Disease.

Cognitive performance
Many people drink coffee for its ability to increase short term recall and increase IQ.

Likewise, in tests of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visuospatial reasoning, participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests, with a positive relationship between test scores and the amount of coffee regularly drunk. Elderly participants were found to have the largest effect associated with regular coffee drinking. Another study found that women over the age of 80 performed significantly better on cognitive tests if they had regularly drunk coffee over their lifetimes.

Analgesic enhancement
Coffee contains caffeine, which increases the effectiveness of pain killers, especially migraine and headache medications. For this reason, many over-the-counter headache drugs include caffeine in their formula.

Antidiabetic
Coffee intake may reduce one's risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 by up to half. While this was originally noticed in patients who consumed high amounts (7 cups a day), the relationship was later shown to be linear.

Liver protection
Coffee can also reduce the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver and has been linked to a reduced risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, a primary liver cancer that usually arises in patients with preexisting cirrhosis. The exact mechanism and the amount of coffee needed to achieve a beneficial effect are as yet unclear.

Cancer
Coffee consumption is also correlated to a reduced risk of oral, esophageal, and pharyngeal cancer. In ovarian cancer, no benefit was found. In the Nurses Health Study, a modest reduction in breast cancer was observed in postmenopausal women only, which was not confirmed in decaffeinated coffee. According to one research, coffee protects from liver cancer. Another preliminary study found a correlation between coffee consumption and a lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Cardioprotective
According to the longitudial study led by Esther Lopez-Garcia of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, coffee reduces the incidence of dying from heart disease.

Laxative/diuretic
Coffee is also a powerful stimulant for peristalsis and is sometimes considered to prevent constipation. However, coffee can also cause excessively loose bowel movements. The stimulative effect of coffee consumption on the colon is found in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee.

Practitioners in alternative medicine often recommend coffee enemas for "cleansing of the colon" due to its stimulus of peristalsis, although medicine has not proved any benefits of the practice.

Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation, and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently than pure water does.

Antioxidant
Coffee contains the anticancer compound methylpyridinium. This compound is not present in significant amounts in other food materials. Methylpyridinium is not present in raw coffee beans but is formed during the roasting process from trigonelline, which is common in raw coffee beans. It is present in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, and even in instant coffee.

Prevention of dental caries
The tannins in coffee may reduce the cariogenic potential of foods. In vitro experiments have shown that these polyphenolic compounds may interfere with glucosyltransferase activity of mutans streptococci, which may reduce plaque formation.

Gout
Coffee consumption decreased risk of gout in men over age 40. In a large study of over 45,000 men over a 12-year period, the risk for developing gout in men over 40 was inversely proportional with the amount of coffee consumed.

Risks

Cancer
Over 1,000 chemicals have been reported in roasted coffee, and 19 are known rodent carcinogens; however, most substances cited as rodent carcinogens occur naturally and should not be assumed to be carcinogenic in humans at exposure levels typically experienced in day-to-day life.

Gastrointestinal problems
Coffee can damage the lining of the gastrointestinal organs, causing gastritis and ulcers. The consumption of coffee is therefore not recommended for people with gastritis, colitis, and ulcers.

Anxiety and sleep changes
Many coffee drinkers are familiar with "coffee jitters", a nervous condition that occurs when one has had too much caffeine. It can also cause anxiety and irritability, in some with excessive coffee consumption, and some as a withdrawal symptom. Coffee can also cause insomnia in some.[citation needed]

Cosmetic
Like tea, coffee causes staining of the teeth.

Cholesterol
A 2007 study by the Baylor College of Medicine indicates that the diterpene molecules cafestol and kahweol, found only in coffee beans, putatively raise levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL in humans. This increase in LDL levels is an indicator that coffee raises cholesterol. The Baylor study serves to link cafestol and kahweol with higher levels of cholesterol in the body.

Paper coffee filters have a property that binds to lipid-like compounds which allows it to remove most of the cafestol and kahweol found in coffee. Brew methods which do not use a paper filter such as the use of a press pot, fail to remove any cafestol and kahweol from the final brewed product. In contrast, drip brewing with a paper filter removes most of the cafestol and kahweol from the coffee.

Blood pressure
Caffeine has previously been implicated in increasing the risk of high blood pressure; however, recent studies have not confirmed any association. In a 12-year study of 155,000 female nurses, large amounts of coffee did not induce a "risky rise in blood pressure". Previous studies had already shown statistically insignificant associations between coffee drinking and clinical hypertension. Effect of coffee on morbidity and mortality due to its effect on blood pressure is too weak, and has not been studied. Other positive and negative effects of coffee on health would be difficult confounding factors.

Effects on pregnancy
A February 2003 Danish study of 18,478 women linked heavy coffee consumption during pregnancy to significantly increased risk of stillbirths (but no significantly increased risk of infant death in the first year). "The results seem to indicate a threshold effect around four to seven cups per day," the study reported. Those who drank eight or more cups a day (64 U.S. fl oz or 1.89 L) were at 220% increased risk compared with nondrinkers. This study has not yet been repeated, but has caused some doctors to caution against excessive coffee consumption during pregnancy.

Decaffeinated coffee is also regarded as a potential health risk to pregnant women due to the high incidence of chemical solvents used to extract the caffeine. The impact of these chemicals is debated, however, as the solvents in question evaporate at 80–90 °C, and coffee beans are decaffeinated before roasting, which occurs at approximately 200 °C. As such, these chemicals, namely trichloroethane and methylene chloride, are present in trace amounts at most, and may not pose a significant threat to embryos and fetuses.

Iron deficiency anemia
Coffee consumption can lead to iron deficiency anemia in mothers and infants. Coffee also interferes with the absorption of supplemental iron.

Coronary artery disease
A 2004 study tried to discover why the beneficial and detrimental effects of coffee conflict. The study concluded that consumption of coffee is associated with significant elevations in biochemical markers of inflammation. This is a detrimental effect of coffee on the cardiovascular system, which may explain why coffee has so far only been shown to help the heart at levels of four cups (24 fl oz or 600 mL) or fewer per day.

The health risks of decaffeinated coffee have been studied, with varying results. One variable is the type of decaffeination process used; while some involve the use of organic solvents which may leave residual traces, others rely on steam.[citation needed]

A study has shown that cafestol, a substance which is present in boiled coffee drinks, dramatically increases cholesterol levels, especially in women. Filtered coffee contains only trace amounts of cafestol.

Polymorphisms in the CYP1A2 gene may lead to a slower metabolism of caffeine. In patients with a slow version of the enzyme the risk for myocardial infarction (heart attack) is increased by a third (2-3 cups) to two thirds (>4 cups). The risk was more marked in people under the age of 59.

A Harvard study conducted over the course of 20 years of 128,000 people published in 2006 concluded that there was no evidence to support the claim that coffee consumption itself increases the risk of coronary heart disease. The study did, however, show a correlation between heavy consumption of coffee and higher degrees of exposure to other coronary heart disease risk factors such as smoking, greater alcohol consumption, and lack of physical exercise. The results apply only to coffee filtered through paper filters, which excludes boiled coffee and espresso, for example. Additionally, the lead researcher on this study acknowledged that subsets of the larger group may be at risk for heart attack when drinking multiple cups of coffee a day due to genetic differences in metabolizing caffeine.[citation needed]

The Iowa Women's Health Study showed that women who consumed coffee actually had fewer cardiovascular disease incidents and lower cancer rates than the general population. For women who drank 6 or more cups, the benefit was even greater. However, this study excluded 35% of its original participants who already had cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases when the study began. Since participants were all over the age of 55, no good conclusion can be drawn about the long term effect of coffee drinking on heart disease from this study.

A Little Inspired by Alice in Wonderland!

I got inspired with all the magic in Alice in Wonderland that we had to do a mix and match of this from Polyvore.

We love this!!

Get To Know The Characters Behind Alice in Wonderland ALICE IN WONDERLAND

UNDERLAND, says screenwriter Linda Woolverton, is a part of the earth. “But it lies somewhere far beneath our world. The only way to get there is to fall down a rabbit hole.” It is the same fantastical land that Alice visited as a child, but she misheard the word “Underland” and thought they said “Wonderland.” Alice, now age 19, heads back down the rabbit hole and though she has no memory of her previous adventures in Underland, she is reunited with its inhabitants, including a swashbuckling Dormouse, an off-his-rocker Mad Hatter, a grinning Cheshire Cat, a caterpillar called Absolem, a beautiful White Queen and her spiteful older sister the Red Queen. “Time has passed,” says Woolverton. “The Red Queen rules the whole land. It’s under her thumb. And the people of Underland need Alice.” Underland has come upon hard times since the malevolent Red Queen took over the throne. It is, however, a truly wonderful land, which might explain why the girl who mistook it for Wonderland has been called upon to help return it to its glory. But, says Woolverton, “Underland has always been Underland since the Beginning, no matter who sits on the throne. It will remain Underland until the End.”

ALICE (Mia Wasikowska) is a 19-year-old woman contemplating her future. An independent soul, she feels trapped in the narrow-minded views of women in aristocratic Victorian London. Alice Kingsleigh is uncertain how to balance her dreams with other people’s expectations. Following the death of her beloved father, she attends a garden party with her mother and sister, although, unbeknownst to her, it’s been planned as her engagement party. Just as the arrogant and dull Hamish Ascot proposes to her, Alice spots a White Rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch scurrying across the grounds. She rushes off after the furry fellow, tumbling down a rabbit hole and into Underland, a place she first visited as a child (and called Wonderland)—though she has no memory of it or its inhabitants. Alice nevertheless reunites with her childhood friends, including Absolem the caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and of course, the Mad Hatter—and seeks her true destiny. “In the beginning, Alice is very awkward and uncomfortable in her skin,” Wasikowska says. “So her experience in Underland is about reconnecting with herself and finding she has the strength to be more self-assured in figuring out what she wants.”

THE MAD HATTER (Johnny Depp) doesn’t just wear his heart on his sleeve—his ever-changing moods are quite literally reflected in his face and his attire. He’s been anxiously awaiting Alice’s return and is, arguably, her one true friend, believing in her when nobody else does. He is fearless, going to great lengths to protect her at his own risk. Once the proud hat maker for the White Queen, the Hatter has been affected by mercury poisoning, an unfortunate side effect of the hat-making process, and isn’t altogether well. “I always saw the Hatter as kind of tragic,” says Depp. “He’s a victim in a lot of ways. The mercury has certainly taken its toll, but there’s a tragic element to his past in this particular version that weighs pretty heavily on the character.”

IRACEBETH, THE RED QUEEN (Helena Bonham Carter) is the tyrannical monarch of Underland. With her oversized head, fiery temper and propensity to scream for people’s heads to be chopped off, she rules her subjects through fear. “She’s got emotional problems,” says Bonham Carter. “It takes nothing, practically, for her to lose her temper. Her tantrums are that of a two-year-old.” Her younger sibling, the White Queen, has designs on the throne and crown that Iracebeth once stole from her.

MIRANA, THE WHITE QUEEN (Anne Hathaway) is the younger sister of the Red Queen, and while she appears to be all sweetness and light, beneath the surface there’s a hint of darkness to her character. “She comes from the same gene pool as the Red Queen,” says Hathaway. “She really likes the dark side, but she’s so scared of going too far into it that she’s made everything appear very light and happy. But she’s living in that place out of fear that she won’t be able to control herself.” When Alice returns to Underland, the White Queen takes her under her wing, offering her protection, although her motives aren’t completely altruistic.

TWEEDLEDEE and TWEEDLEDUM (Matt Lucas) are rotund twin brothers who constantly disagree with each other and whose confusing chatter makes little sense to anyone but them. When Alice arrives in Underland, she looks to the Tweedles for guidance. Innocent and infantile, adorable and sweet, they mean well but are of little real help since they speak in weird rhythms and riddles. “I imagine them as naughty Victorian children, with their hand in the honey jar,” says Lucas, the British comedian and actor who plays them both. “And so I have made them quite child-like, which does come naturally to me, because I’m a big kid anyway.”

ILOSOVIC STAYNE, THE KNAVE OF HEARTS (Crispin Glover) is the head of the Red Queen’s Army. Seven feet, six-inches tall, with a scarred face and a heart-shaped patch covering his left eye, Stayne is an arrogant, tricky character who follows the Red Queen’s every order. He’s the only one capable of pacifying her and calming her dramatic mood swings. “I am the marshal element for the Red Queen,” says Glover. “The Red Queen has a fair amount of short-tempered reactions to things that people do, and so my character has to be quite diplomatic.” His darker side emerges in the shadows of the castle hallways.

CHESSUR, THE CHESHIRE CAT (voice of Stephen Fry) is a dapper tabby with the ability to appear and disappear. He is all calm, casual sensuality with a seductive grin that masks his cowardice. It’s the cat’s disembodied head that first appears to Alice in Tulgey Wood after she’s been attacked by the vicious Bandersnatch. He offers to purify the gashes on her arm by licking them. Alice declines, although she allows him to lead her to the Hatter’s Tea Party where the Hatter blames him for deserting them on the day the Red Queen seized control of Underland. Using his skills and the Hatter’s coveted top hat, Chessur later finds a way to redeem himself.

McTWISP, THE WHITE RABBIT (voice of Michael Sheen) is always worried about being late, always in a hurry, always rushing about. Charged with finding Alice and bringing her back to Underland so that she can fulfill her destiny, he shows up at her garden party in an effort to lure her back down the rabbit hole. “He’s a warm character,” says Sheen, “but, at the same time, he can be quite fussy and quite strict with Alice as well. He has an edge to him, a nervous energy, always feeling like he’s behind time. Time is very important to him, but he’s quite brave when called upon.”

THE BANDERSNATCH is a disgusting, drooling, foul-smelling creature with a big filthy body and the squashed, teeth-baring face of a rabid bulldog. A swipe of his long claws leaves Alice with a rather painful reminder of the Red Queen’s horrible reign.

MALLYMKUN, THE DORMOUSE (voice of Barbara Windsor) is a swashbuckling mouse in Underland who wears riding breeches. She refuses to believe that the White Rabbit has found the right Alice, the one who can help return Underland to its true splendor, and is only too happy to poke poor Alice in the ankle with a hat pin when Alice insists she’s only dreaming. But the tough little mouse comes through in a pinch when Alice is threatened by a clawing creature called a Bandersnatch. Her loyalty to the Hatter is unmatched, and she willingly faces the prospect of death to stand by him.

THE MARCH HARE (voice of Paul Whitehouse) hosts the Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties at his Hare House. Paranoid, anxious and slightly insane, he constantly wrings his paws and ears and has a thing for tossing teapots and other items. He has a penchant for cooking and is one of the few Underland inhabitants to escape the Red Queen’s clutches all together.

BAYARD THE BLOODHOUND (voice of Timothy Spall) is an unwilling accomplice to the Red Queen’s forces, fearful that his imprisoned wife and pups will be injured if he doesn’t do Stayne’s bidding. He proves to be secretively loyal to the Underland Underground resistance, becoming both Alice’s ally and a rather convenient transportation system.

THE DODO (voice of Michael Gough) is one of the first residents of Underland Alice sees upon entering the fantastical world. One of the oldest Underland inhabitants, the Dodo wears eye-glasses and carries a walking stick. Both quiet and wise, he stops his friends bickering over Alice’s true identity by suggesting they bring her to the even wiser Absolem.

ABSOLEM, THE CATERPILLAR (voice of Alan Rickman) is the all-knowing and absolute guardian of the Oraculum, an ancient document that depicts every major event, past, present and future, in Underland’s history. Alice is taken by the White Rabbit and the Tweedles to meet Absolem, so that he can ascertain whether she is, in fact, the real Alice who first visited Underland as a child, the Alice who is destined to help them. They find the bulbous blue caterpillar atop a mushroom in a mushroom forest surrounded by misty smoke. Several times Absolem challenges Alice to come to a better understanding of herself, forcing her to face the difficult question: “Who are you?"

Nature!! Its all around me!!

What you must know about Lang Tengah is that, the place is filled with nature! When I say nature, think jungle creepy crawlees and everything you see double or triple the size you see here in town. and prolly a bit weirder.

So starting from day 1 when we got to the jetty and look what we spotted at a public toilet booth. This little brown toad actually kepit itself in between the corners of a toilet booth wall. Don't be fooled by this photo because it may look like it was at eye level but no, this little devil toad was actually stuck quite high up like way above our heads and we wondered, how the hell it got up there!

So next, we ate lunch at the jetty's only malay pondok restaurant. Erm, I'm not sure what to call it because all the lady served was maggie mee and Nasi Lemak. Seeing that there were flies around the nasi lemak, we opted for maggie and we waited about 30-45 mins for the food to be ready. So, nothing good was expected out of it because, well, the lady didn't seem like she's got potential to make good food but it came out tasting like the best maggie we've tasted, ever!

Anyway, its not about her maggie but this huge red fire ant we saw! Freaky!

We reached the resort and while baby was doing all the room checking in thingie, I walked around and looked out towards the magnificent ocean and guess what I saw when I looked up. A squirrel! Not only that, it was staring so intently at me! Don't know whether to continue its journey because I seemed to be a threat to it, it stayed there and from the looks of its face, stared cock at me! How dare the fella~!!

After that, we thought it was finally over with all those weirdo creatures. We had to cross a good 100metres jungle trail through the trees to the west wing to where our cabana was. So this was what we saw hanging above us among the trees. Looks small here but in real life, about the size of our palm. yeaa...tell me bout it. Not only 1 but like, every where we went, bound to see spiders in the middle of their humongous web!

So came the night and we found another shocking creature right outside our room. Not 1 but 2 huge for-the-first-time-in-my-life-seen gecko! Yes, a real Gecko!! and its FAT! In this pic we zoomed but in real life, its FAT. LIKE ARSE FAT FAT! eeeks!

Oh the highlight! We saw Black Tip Baby Sharks like right at the shore! Were swimming around, not sure what they were looking for but there were about 2-3 of them swimming around early in the morning. So cool right!!

Last but not least..another weirdo creature of Lang Tengah. Not sure what its called because no one has ever spotted it except me. I guess I made a discovery!

Southwest Abodo Chicken

This happens to be my favourite meal now whenever I am out and about in a shopping mall and if TGIF is around the corner. Since my diet started, I try not to eat any carb stuff but living in this country where rice is the main thing anyone's gota take is pretty difficult so, I tend to stick to non-carb meals like glue!

Although this is served with deep fried battered sweet potatoes, I only take 1 or 2pcs and never everything. By far this is the best roasted chicken I've tasted, not that I've hop into every restaurant to try each of their roasted chicken but I know a delicious one when I've tried one.

The Review of 500 Days of Summer

A brief intro:
500 Days of Summer is a romantic comedy cum drama directed by Marc Webb (who is actually, more accustomed to directing music videos), that was originally an independent production, but was subsequently distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures in 2009. And what a brilliant piece of business it proved to be as the movie garnered critical acclaim, standing ovations, 2 Golden Globe nominations and an unwavering recognition for its brilliant story telling and script; and we fully support the overwhelmingly positive responses it received.

We know of very few other movies that have as beautiful a title as the one you see above - It’s abstract, indirectly direct and made us smile once Tom Hansen, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, introduced us to the lead female character of the show, Summer Finn, who is exquisitely brought to life by the very infectious and curiously named; Zooey Deschanel.

The story is presented in a nonlinear narrative, with viewers being informed in the beginning of the movie that this is not a love story; a proposition that is also the accompanying tagline on posters, although it more accurately read “This is not a love story, it’s a story about love”. It was wordplay that could’ve turned out to be a corny direction for the movie; thankfully, it was anything but.

The film begins by showing us Tom, a greeting card copywriter, in a depressed state having just gone through his break-up with Summer, the girl who simply walks into his office and then into his life. The rest of the film subsequently tells us of their relationship, his process of self-realization, growing up, and ultimately his “getting over” Summer through a period of 500 days; with animations and title cards introducing each scene. For us, it seemed to hit a similar presentation note as The Notebook, but of course in a much less “romance novel” manner. But if you liked the Notebook, you’ll probably like this as well.

What we liked…
Everything basically!
Joseph Gordon-Levitt whom we only remember from the sitcom “3rd rock from the sun”, literally came out of nowhere and earned himself a Best Actor nomination at the Golden Globes with a sincere, vulnerable, and completely relatable performance that effectively took us on that emotional rollercoaster ride he was on.

Zooey Deschanel’s undeniable charm and girl-next-door appeal was perfect for the role, and well we were fans before this, but even more so now.

Special recognition has to go to the 2 relatively unknown writers, who penned the script of this movie based on personal experiences, and the disclaimer “Any resemblance to people living or dead is purely accidental ... Especially you, Jenny Beckman ... Bitch." Was spawned from genuine emotions, and actually made the movie feel all the more honest and sincere.

So…
500 Days of Summer is a real gem and we’re just sad that we only managed to catch the movie so long after its release. And it’s shows like this that make independent films get the attention and recognition they deserve.

It’s just amazing that a film about 500 days of a young man’s infatuation with a girl, which could’ve been a phase out of any average guy’s life, could be this brilliantly pieced together.

Our rating…
9/10