#35: Japan Trip: Day 1 - Osaka! Osakajo & Shinsaibashi

Transited at Shanghai while flying to Osaka 

and bumped into this cute adorable triplets while having coffee at the cafe

husky hair, blue eyes, future heartthrobs  x)

I dislike taking plane rides honestly for all that long hours of sitting down x.x

totally past the age when I would be up all night, too excited to sleep 

And finally after all that flying!
JAPAN, the land which gave birth to the greatest creations...NARUTO & BLEACH :>

don't judge. i admit i'm rather geeky. and loving it. 

clean roads, beautiful greens, clear blue sky

and the rumour is true.... COOL TOILETS *sparkle*

Me & mom joined a tour for this Japan trip so our hotels, places to visit

 and most meals were taken care of by the agency 

First stop: Osakajo

main objective for visiting japan - to catch the cherry blossoms! :)

Osaka Castle Tower

2nd objective is of course....FOOD

street stalls at the entrance of Osakajo 

1 SGD is approx 75 JPY

100 JPY approx 1.3 SGD

look at how big the scallop is. IT IS GOOD :D

chunky yumz. the sauces used for grilling here are more salty than sweet which I prefer 

Second stop: Shinsaibashi - largest shopping street in Osaka

just like ichiraku ramen in Naruto ^-^

snow crab legs~ fresh sweet salty buttery chunky

Had dinner at a really traditional looking Jap restaurant 

pretty displays of food can be seen everywhere! looks super delicious though they're fake

Conclusion for the first day:

Japan is really an expensive place lol!

All goals to eat/shop till I drop are to be readvised hahaha

The weather was really chilly, I was wrapped up like a crabstick in a sushi all day

at least 4 layers of clothes and 2 scarfs

and I still see plenty of girls baring their legs on the street

*bows and salutes*

The city is also specking clean, people are very well-mannered

and I must say this again, I LOVE THE TOILETS

warm toilet seats, water dispensers, and mirrors do not fog up even if you have a steamy bath

a first-world country indeed. 

#34: Quick Update for the past 2 weeks!

Sorry that I haven't been posting regularly lately!

Been putting most of my time into jobs and stuff...

I'll be away from 6th Apr (today!) till 17th Apr

Going for a holiday with my mama to Japan and Beijing ~ 

Will try my best to take alot of photos and blog about when I'm back!!

SASHIMI :D

Update on University Application

Received offer from NTU Accountancy,

went for SMU Biz school interview on Tuesday,

still waiting for NUS's letter.

I haven't exactly made up my mind on which school I would prefer yet

and I get alot of mixed reviews...

this is so tough :<

02Apr - After SMU's interview

For SMU's Biz school interview, it went like this:

If you're from poly or if your A lvls GP(i think) is not of a certain grade,

you have to take SMU's english test.

It consists of a comprehension (30mins) and essay (45mins)

oh gosh I think even caucasians will not get 1/2 of the vocabulary used in the compre passage

Immediately after, you'll be given an article to read to prepare you for the subject of the interview

You'll go into the room with 5-7 other students

(6 out of 8 students in my group were foreigners, how intense :S)

there were 2 profs in my room (really friendly)

and you'll be asked to discuss about what you've just read 

hmmm...basically from what I heard, if you've been invited to the interview

you're somewhat halfway there already, they just want to observe how willing you are to participate openly in class and your english standard (for the test)

so just make sure you speak up during the interview! 

and speak smartly that is. 

all fingers crossed! now it's just back to waiting for me again. :)

Update on Works:

2XU Marathon / Erdinger Alkoholfrei Prdt Launch

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Channel NewsAsia Luminary Awards 2013

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Aveda HairShow

Aveda products are at least 90% made from organic products

and thus more friendly to the environment and your hair! 

Purpose of the show is for a good cause,

 raising money to provide clean drinking water to less privileged countries :)

Stylists from New York!

Works by the international stylists:

Works by local salons:

Me getting my hair done on treatment day:

Decided that I still look better in black and dyed it back right after the show

FOC thanks to Aveda :)

Though I was very honored to have my hair dyed by stylists who have 

styled the hair for some of the biggest celebrities out there in the US and stuff

For now, it's back to basic black :)

Updates on Cooking!

I have always had a passion for cooking 

however I swear it's been freaking long since I last tried to cook anything fancy

Normally, my maid(Jackie) cooks dinner

But I'd some evening jobs this week so I've to eat dinner earlier than usual

hence....I decided to cook for myself :S

Day 1

Day 2

 I really love noodles but I'm still trying to control my carb intake 

hence as a substitute I used cucumber/cabbage shreds

Both dishes I added in tomatoes to get the sweet sour tangy-ness

and some of my fav vegetables alongside

pumpkin, mushrooms, long beans and eggs for protein ^^

Okay the presentation is hardly acceptable but hey it tasted pretty awesome

*pats back*

Back to packing for me now! Will update after I'm back from Japan! 

Take care, Kylie 

#33: 5 Things You Don't Know About Body Fat

Fat is the ultimate three-letter word

especially the kind that you spend so much time watching your diet 

and hitting the gym to keep at bay (or at least to keep off your butt)

But beyond making you look less-than-svelte

fat can have significant physical and emotional implications

1. Fat Comes In Different Colors

More specifically, there are different types of fat that have different hues and functions

white normal fat cells (left) vs brown long-term fat cells (right)

White

what most people think of as fat -- pale and useless

Useless in that it has a low metabolic rate 

so it doesn't help you burn any calories the way muscle does 

and it's the predominant type of fat in the human body

encompassing more than 90 percent of it

In other words, it's a storage unit for extra calories

Brown

Brown fat is darker in color due to a rich blood supply 

and can actually burn calories rather than storing them 

--but only if you're a rat (or other mammal)

certain critters can activate brown fat to burn calories 

and generate heat to keep them warm in winter

Humans, sadly, have so little brown fat that it won't help you burn calories or keep you warm

Beige
Between white and brown in terms of its calorie-burning ability which is actually very exciting.
Why? Because researchers are looking into ways to shift white fat cells
into more metabolically active beige ones via diet and exercise or supplements
In fact, there is preliminary evidence that certain hormones which are activated by exercise
may convert white fat cells into beige ones
as well as some evidence that certain foods such as brown seaweed, licorice root
and hot peppers may have the ability to do this as well
I love spicy food yay!!

2. The Fat On Your Butt Is Healthier Than The Fat On Your Belly

It's probably safe to say that no woman favors the fat on one body part over another

but it's actually safer health-wise to be more of a pear than an apple [body shape]
Belly fat, also known as visceral fat

is much more responsive to the stress hormone cortisol 

compared to the fat on your thighs or butt, so when stress hits hard 

(and you don't find a healthy way to handle it)

any extra calories consumed are more likely to end up around your middle

Belly fat is also much more inflammatory than fat located elsewhere in the body
and can create its own inflammatory chemicals (as a tumor would)
These chemicals travel to the brain and make you hungry and tired
so you're more likely to overeat or eat junk food and not exercise
thus creating a vicious cycle and perpetuating the storage of more belly fat

The good news is that anything that helps you reduce inflammation
helps reduce those signals to the brain!
Food recommended: fish oil (for the Omega 3's) and probiotics
which you can take in pill form or get by eating yogurt with active cultures

3. First You Burn Calories, Second You Burn Fat

The term "fat-burning" is thrown around willy-nilly in fitness circles
but as an expression of weight loss, it's indirect
Before you "burn" fat, you burn calories, whether those calories come from
stored carbohydrates (glycogen and blood sugar) or from stored body fat

The more calories you burn during each workout
the bigger deficit you will create and the more fat you will loseYou can also create a calorie deficit by eating less (:

4. Fat Affects Your Mood

Certainly there is no easier way to ruin your day 

--than seeing you've gone up a few numbers on the scale but having excess fat
-- especially around your belly --
activates that inflammation/cortisol cycle
which studies show may be a factor in serious mood disorders like bipolar disorder

If you're stuck in a stress/eat/gain/stress cycle,however,
you're likely to experience at least a perpetually low mood
even if you don't have an actual clinical condition

To help break the cycle, try eating a square of dark chocolate!
 there is just enough sugar to satisfy a stress-induced craving
but the healthy flavonoids help calm inflammation
Low-fat dairy products like yogurt can have a similar effect
-- the combination of calcium and magnesium can help calm the stress response

5. Even Skinny People Can Have Cellulite

The dreaded c-word is caused by fat trapped under the skin (known as subcutaneous fat)
The overlying skin "dimples" are created by connective tissues
that tie the skin to the underlying muscle, with fat trapped in between like a sandwich
You don't need a lot of fat to cause a dimpling effect, so you can be in great shape
and have low body fat but still have a little pocket of dimpled fat
for example, on your butt or the backs of your thighs.

Building muscle while losing fat (and the fat loss part is key -- you have to have it to lose) can help minimize the appearance of cellulite;
cellulite-specific creams and lotions can also help minimize the look of dimpled skin (though they can't do anything about the trapped fat beneath)

Personal note:

I'ma health freak (if you don't know already), read articles daily, majority on health. 

And just wanna share some stuff I learnt with you guys

Hope you all learnt something new too! :)

Take Care, Kylie.