Last night I read a book called the Negative Calorie Diet.

The reason why I read this book was because I had no other books to read, and I think I’m gaining weight again.

This diet’s main argument is our body uses energy to eat and digest food, so by eating certain foods we will actually eat our way to losing weight. The book further suggests to practice deep breathing exercises and to have 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Do you think it sounds appealing?

Personally I think it could be more trouble than it’s worth. I say trouble because I would have to alter my eating habits quite drastically. The suggested meals of the diet are of soups and salads.

What I like about this diet is the concept that there are certain foods that will increase your metabolism.

What I will learn from the book, are the right foods to take and the ways to make sure you’re not eating just to satisfy a craving (the tip is to drink a glass of water).

I’m also going to take the book’s advice and start exercising again, after a 3 month break.

I’ve not touched my sport shoes since Rachel was born (I think I still have a pair of socks stuffed inside the shoes).

What do you think? What are some of the diets you’ve tried? What works for you?

P/S: You can read this article to find out more about the Negative Calorie Diet.

Photo: woodsy

I’m not trying to hint at anything, or anyone particular, and I’m not asking anyone to be obligated here. I’m just trying to be efficient and honest.

You know, in case some of my family and friends reading this blog wonder what I would like.

My wish list is:

1. Dinner at my favourite restaurant KFC (I’ll indulge in three pieces of chicken please)
2. A pair of thick black stretchable socks (both of my current pairs have holes in them)
3. A white work shirt, XL size and not too transparent please.
4. AA batteries for my Wii-mote.
5. Sausages. I love sausages!
6. Someone to join/add me in Facebook Mob Wars and Safari Scraps.

There you have it, my simple wish list for this year.

P/S: I don’t mind a bit more of these

Photo: Ove Tøpfer

Introduction

I have been using my Apple iMac 20″ 2.66 GHz for a month now, and I am writing this review for the benefit of those of you who are thinking of getting an Apple iMac. Some of the opinions here may even help those of you who are thinking of getting other Apple products like the Mac Book or the Mac Mini.

So far I do not have any regrets buying this computer. Read my review below.

Technical

The Apple iMac is built on the Intel platform, which means that the insides are similar to a Windows PC.

If you want to compare the performance of the iMac with a PC, I think you are going to get similar results because the computer architecture is the same.

The Apple iMac 2.66 GHz processor is quick enough to run any software you can throw at it. I have not had the luxury of running processor intensive applications (like Quake 3), but so far it handles everything I want to do without any delay.

My iMac came with 2GB RAM, but there was a free upgrade to 4GB RAM promotion. This is really sweet because I’ve maxed out my RAM, which will help to increase the usability of my computer for a couple of years.

For storage, the hard disk is a 320GB Serial ATA which gives me more than enough storage, since I’ve been used to living with a 20GB hard disk on my old laptop.

There is a Super DVD drive which supports reading and writing DVDs. The DVD drive is located at the right side of the monitor, which is really cool.

The usual networking options such as Bluetooth, Wi Fi and Ethernet are built in. There are five USB ports, three behind the screen and two under the keyboard.

You can read the complete technical specs at the Apple iMac website.

Design

The design is the big selling point for the Apple iMac. You don’t have a mess of cables that you find with many desktop computers.

The first thing you notice about the iMac is the screen. It is a 20 inch display that displays vibrant colours. Photographs really look amazing on the screen, and I can understand why graphic designers choose to use macs to do their work.

The picture above does not reflect how the colours look… probably I need to improve my photography skills!

The monitor sits on a metal base that allows you to swivel the monitor up and down. Some have reported viewing angle problems, but so far I don’t face the same issue. The brightness is also consistent in all areas of the screen.

The slim keyboard is really amazing. I like how slim it is, and I love how the keys are wide and spaced just right. I find that it is easier to type faster because I’m not hitting the wrong keys all the time.

Another thing I love about the iMac is how quiet it is. You won’t hear any noisy fans whirring, it just sits there, quiet as a mouse.

I am really impressed with the design of the computer. You can tell that Apple has put a lot of thought into every little detail.

I have not used the computer very long to tell you about the quality, but I suspect that the iMac does not fail in that area as well.

It even comes with a built in web cam!

Software

When it comes to software, the first thing I want to mention is the OS X operating system. I’ve been using Windows all this while, and I find OS X to be a fast and extremely stable operating system.

There are so many cool features like the dashboard and the dock. I understand that Windows Vista now has these cool features as well.

The interface looks and feels amazing.

The iMac comes with iLife pre-installed, which is a suite of applications like iPhoto, Garage Band, and iMovie which you can use to manage all your media.

I love the application called Front Row, which turns your iMac into a media centre. It will generate photo slide shows, or play music and movies with a remote control.

It’s a really cool feature that you must see for yourself.

Price

I bought the iMac 20″ 2.66 GHz for RM5,299.

This is quite expensive compared to other notebooks and dekstops. My estimation is it will cost about RM800 more than a Windows PC with equal hardware specifications.

The Mac Experience

Now comes the question which every Windows user (including myself) will ask. Should I move from Windows to a Mac?

I used to worry if I could still do everything I used to do in my Windows PC. The answer is, yes!

Honestly, most of my computing is done online. So installing Firefox actually met 80% of my needs.

I installed Open Office to read my Word and Excel documents, and Adium for instant messaging with my MSN contacts. There are open source programs for anything you might want to do.

Worse come to worse, you can use a feature called Boot Camp to install Windows XP on your iMac, and launch your Windows applications from there.

I have to warn you that it does take some getting used to. Some of the interface design seems to be the opposite between OS X and Windows XP! By default, the mouse does not have a right-click function. You have to change the settings yourself.

The control key is actually the command key, and so on. You have to figure out how to copy files, install applications, connect to the Internet and manage your documents.

But these are minor things. You can find out a lot of information on Google.

I love how easy it is to install applications. In most cases, you just drag a downloaded program to the Applications folder and you’re done. Removing applications is as simple as dragging the application to trash.

There is no registry and shared files for you to worry about.

Another plus point is the relatively low threat of virus infections and spyware. If you’re web-savvy, you don’t need to install any anti-virus application at all.

The iMac can read hard disks and USB drives that were formatted in Windows, but I think it cannot write to a hard disk formatted with NTFS.

The Bad Stuff

There are some downsides I found with the Mac. Perhaps I’m not familiar enough with the Mac system.

1) There is a learning curve, but thankfully there’s a lot of help freely available.

2) It’s difficult to organize my files. I am used to opening many folders and moving files between folders using cut and paste.

3) The mouse has side buttons where you can squeeze the mouse to trigger an action. I find that I accidentally squeeze the mouse too often.

4) You can setup different profiles, but for Firefox I have to install extensions and updates separately for each profile. Same goes for application settings. I wish there was a way to set some settings to apply for all profiles.

Summary

If you can afford it, then it is worth paying a bit more to get such a high quality computer.

It’s like buying a car. Pay a bit more and you will get a car where you will find driving more enjoyable and comfortable.

Go get one today!

Resources

Apple iMac Website

When to Buy a Mac (see if upgrades are planned to be released)

I need your advice!

Many many people have reported to me that they have trouble accessing my blog.

Some of the embarassing comments I received are:

1) Are you hosting your website at your home computer? Why always down?

2) Did your blog get banned by the government?

3) I tried accessing your blog for several weeks, but can’t.

4) You banned me from visiting your blog?

5) Very difficult to access your blog. Always down.

Sometimes it happens to me too, and I have to refresh my browser a few times to get in. I figure it has something to do with DNS, because my web host claims no problems on their side.

I’ve tried using wp-cache plugin which improved things somewhat, but the problem is still there.

Any advice on what else I could try? Any software I can install to troubleshoot this problem?

I hate this problem because I think I’m losing traffic, irritating my readers and getting less ads revenue.

What if one day Google’s spiders can’t access my blog?

In the mean time, I have no choice but to advise my readers to either try again a few minutes later, or sign up to automatically get my posts in their RSS reader or by email.

Should I change web hostess? I have received a few suggestions for new hostess(es?) but I’ve read some bad customer reviews on those sites so I’m not confident to switch.

Photo: Mike Thorn

Some things have happened that made me realize how fortunate I am. I don’t deserve to complain about anything. I feel ashamed about some of the things I’ve taken for granted.

I’m thankful for my parents who loved me even though I was a rascal growing up. I’m thankful for my sister who has supported and loved me. I’m thankful for my extended family who I realize loves me and yet I have taken for granted.

I’m thankful that I have a loving wife who is so perfect for me. She has become a wonderful mother and loves me more than I deserve.

I’m thankful for a healthy baby daughter, who is normal and free from complications. It is a miracle to see her change every few days. Taller, more alert, more ability to interact with her environment.

I’m thankful for my health. I’m not taking the best care of my body, I know I should take more effort. But I’m thankful I’m alive and I have a hope for a long life ahead of me.

I’m thankful for my job. There may be things that make me unhappy there, but I will try to change my mindset to make the best of it, and to excel at my work. I realize now that many people are struggling to make a living, and I am blessed to have a relatively comfortable life.

I’m thankful for my colleagues, who are really great people. They make working life really fun and interesting. I’m happy to find people there who are good friends. I know nobody is perfect, and conflicts are bound to happen. I know life is not fair, and I may not get the best of everything.

I’m thankful for my friends, who are always there for me even though we never seem to have time for each other now. I wish we had more opportunity to get together.

I’m thankful for you readers who support, encourage, and advice me in this blog. Sometimes I feel vulnerable revealing some inner part of my mind and emotions to you. I am happy to have made friends through this blog and your blogs.

I’m thankful for Malaysia. Politics aside, this is truly a wonderful country to live in.

I’m thankful for life. I don’t want to spend my life complaining about everything. I don’t want to wait until I have a few weeks left to live, before I start appreciating this world.

Life won’t be perfect, and I can’t be happy all the time. Perhaps looking at the world with a thankful perspective will change things for me.

Photo: Adrian van Leen

Have you heard the latest news?

September 16th will be a public holiday for all Pakatan Rakyat states!

This holiday is meant to commemorate the formation of Malaysia.

This is different from Merdeka (Independence) Day on August 31st, which is to remember the day our nation achieved independence from British rule.

Too bad I’m working in KL

Just a short twitter-like post for today!

God, please help this country.

I feel like I’m trapped on a plane that has lost all control. Most terrifying of all, this plane seems to be plunging toward the ground.

And yet people are fighting among themselves for the controls.

The captain is still trying to fly the plane and only letting the co-pilot take over when the plane is 2 minutes from crashing.

There is a passenger on board who used to be a fighter pilot, but the crew is trying to throw him out of the plane, and throwing all sorts of allegations against him.

Should I blame myself? After all, if I want a better country I should first start to make sure I better myself first right?

We are scheduled to celebrate Merdeka Day (Independence Day) in two days, but I don’t see anyone celebrating.

Last year, we did not have any mood to celebrate at all. This year it’s even worse. Normally by this time you would see cars and bikes flying the national flag.

I won’t be in any mood to celebrate anything this August 31st.

Does this mean I love Malaysia any less? No. This just means that I’m too unhappy and dissatisfied to be in any mood for celebration.

The government has started censoring the Internet and threatened (again) to go after bloggers who publish damaging stories and comments about them.

Please be careful with comments.

Photo: Susan Chaaban

Last week we brought Rachel to Genting Highlands for her first ever holiday. She was a good girl, and slept in her baby car seat throughout the journey.

We stayed at Awana Genting Highlands, which brought back a lot of wonderful memories since we went there during our honeymoon.

The food at Awana was really disappointing for the price we had to pay, but it was an enjoyable trip.

Baby Rachel wearing a beanie.

My padawan.

Her “I scream” cap. 

Daddy and baby

Mama and baby

Here are some more photos of baby Rachel.

In her third month, she has achieved several developmental milestones.

As usual, descriptions and captions are under the photo.

Baby Rachel can now turn over to her tummy on her own, but she can’t turn the other way yet.

She can now put her hands together, and she’s beginning to realize that she has fingers

She likes to put things in her mouth, her favourite chew toys are her fingers and thumbs. Even daddy and mama’s fingers are not spared.

She responds by smiling and making baby talk when she sees us. 

We heard her laugh for the first time. It was a wonderful sound, and made me forget about all those months of crying.

She can now grasp objects in her hand (she’s not grasping anything in this photo)

Her neck is strong enough to hold her head up at a 90 degrees angle

She’s become cuter and more adorable

I hope she grows more hair so we can start to let her wear dresses

The Malaysian Mega Sales carnival is in full swing, with most shopping malls participating in the fun and profit making by offering various discounts and promotions.

Did you know that the KLSE (KL Stock Exchange) is having a mega sales carnival too?

As I write this, the KLCI (Kuala Lumpur Composite Index) is down to 1078 points, which is almost a 20% drop from 3 months ago.

The graph above is not the KLCI, but one of the stock counters. Guess which one?

I don’t know about you, but I noticed that the stock market is very much vulnerable to the political news and the emotions of investors.

A bit of bad news and people are selling like the company is not worth anything. A bit of good news and people buy like it doesn’t cost money.

My personal viewpoint is the economy downturn and the political uncertainties are causing people and corporations to dump their shares because they are expecting worse to come.

Coming back to the topic of mega sales, do you know that you can now find stocks at lower-than-normal prices now?

One of the bargains I picked up earlier this month:

Disclaimer: Adino Online is not responsible for any losses but is responsible for any profits