December 3, 2012

Introduction

As a first post, I would like to introduce myself a little bit. I'm from Penang, Malaysia which is known to be a food haven in southeast Asia and I am currently pursuing my electrical engineering degree in NUS. To those of you who don't know me and to those of you who forgot who I am, I LOVE FOOD! Food is my passion and third in my life after family and friends. I cook (experiment) occasionally and fail every now and then as well but it never stopped my passion.Because of that, I am not known to be the most healthy or the fittest (partially contributed by my laziness as well). I am pretty fat (especially among my peers around here) and I acknowledge it. I'm not the smartest person also and I am not especially talented at any field (as far as I know) so I am pretty much an average guy looking for a purpose in this world.
I haven't really blogged before this so there are many things I'm not familiar with like what to share and what not to etc. The last time this blog of mine was alive, there was less than 5 posts in a week or two and it was abandoned for more than 5 years. This blog idea came after some self reflection recently after a series of "motivational" videos shared on facebook and one recent video that really caught my attention was this:
After watching that, I've realised that i couldn't justify my reasons for pursuing an engineering degree other than lame excuses like "it seems interesting" or "I just need a first degree that keeps multiple options open". I don't really see myself in an engineering career but I don't plan on quiting school after all the effort I've put in. So I will try to find my deepest passion from now on and a way to convert that passion to a sustainable means of income and above all, to help people in any way I can, no matter how small the help I can provide.
Until then, I know that I love food and I know how difficult it is to part with many awesome tasting unhealthy foods that we have grown up with but I am going to slowly make a change for the better. Plus, I have always been a Jamie Oliver fan and he has always faught for a healthier food revolution in the UK and in America. His current fight right now is for healthier school meals in the west, stopping the fast food and processed "fake" food industry that is growing out of control there. He has been my idol for awhile and many of my experimentations are inspired from his cooking shows: The Naked Chef, Oliver's Twist, Jamie at Home and Jamie's 30 Minute Meals. So, this blog is not going to be really a food blog or a motivational blog but more of a project that I hope will transform me for the better while recording my ramblings in the process and at the same time, share some of the "experimentations" in the kitchen that I worked on. Besides that, it is also going to be a self exploratory journey and I am going to try my best to persevere and see where it will take me.
I believe that healthy eating does not equal to eliminating all good food. A small step at a time goes a long way and I believe that a simple balanced meal is the best solution. A good balanced meal is simply nutritionally balanced, reasonably portioned and good quality (fresh) ingredients. I'm not trying to change anybody's perception and beliefs in healthy diet but merely trying to prove the point that strict disgusting diets are not necessary for healthy living and that I can in fact change myself. If I am successful in this, I will be able to say for once that I've done it before rather than just telling people my opinion. I know that I don't have a good discipline on controlling my own diet and eating habits so I am going to take small steps one at a time and use this blog as a motivating factor for myself.
Some, if not most of you might think that I am not gonna make any difference or do any good being lazy and afraid to make drastic changes but I don't really care. I know for one thing that I will live my life the way I won't regret in the end and you can do whatever you want with yours. 
My first small step right as of right now is to achieve the "reasonably portioned" part of the equation. I won't be posting my next post soon due to ongoing examinations which will end this week and I hope I will have the discipline to go on with this plan of mine!