My Fitbit Charge Activity Watch

The hubs got me a Fitbit Charge watch last week.  The Fitbit measures heart rate, number of steps walked, calories burnt, stairs climbed and much more. Oh yes, it shows the time too.  The Fitbit is synchronized with my mobile phone. I can check all my physical activities (done earlier) on my phone even when I am not wearing my Fitbit.   I love it!

This morning, I wore my Fitbit for the first time when I went brisk walking and then to the gym.  Too bad it rained when I was in the midst of brisk walking outside. I ran back to the condo and proceeded into the gym, where I worked out on the air-walker.

In my 40-minute workout today, I walked 3,992 steps and burnt 483 calories.  This is not  near my ideal target. I could have done better than that. I had to cut short my work out session as I have a lot of work to be done on the computer.  Soon, I will have to go to school to check on Cass.   But hey, this is still good and way better than sticking my butt on the chair or bed for 40 minutes.

The figures I get on my Fitbit today is still better than a big fat zero (had I not exercised), which would contribute to a big fat butt and belly.   I am doing this not so much of wanting to be slim and trim but more towards investing in good health.  As you already know, I have issues with genetic high cholesterol.  I have already increased the duration of my work out everyday -- from swimming 20 laps to 26 laps a day and brisk walking from 20 minutes to 40 minutes. I  alternate between swimming and brisk walking everyday.




I know many of you ain't doing anything to keep fit and healthy.  It is never too late to start. Remember, even if you burn 100 calories a day, it is still better than a big fat zero :)

A Barista’s Best Friend: Understanding Espresso Tampers

Most Americans fond of the uber-popular hot beverage known as the espresso know little beyond how delightful it can taste after a good meal. Yet, there exists a whole science of sorts behind what makes an espresso the drink so many of us love – and it all begins with pressure. A fusion of the pressurized water emanating from the espresso machine, and the resistance caused by what is referred to as an ideally "packed cake" of coffee grinds the water must navigate through to successfully brew, is what’s meant by “pressure” in this case…but this "coming together" of factors to create the perfect cup of coffee is often credited to the espresso tamper.

Why Do We “Tamp”?

A skilled barista, taking a light amount of coffee grinds and transforming them into an evenly-dispersed, tightly-compressed “puck” within the portafilter – where the coffee and water make contact when the beverage is brewing – understands that this process of tamping is necessary. Why? To begin with, the espresso needs to be compacted far enough to create significant room between the top of the coffee and the screen the water pours through from the espresso machine. Once wet, the coffee grounds exhibit a natural tendency to swell a bit, causing a sludgy mess if there’s no proper stopgap.

Secondarily, tamping is necessary because water is generally lazy – that is, it doesn’t want to engage in the difficult task of pushing through that coffee to sap out all the sumptuous magic inside. Indeed, water that's under pressure is even lazier in its habits, and if this element is forced through a loose pile of grinds, it inevitably will be drawn to all the channels, crevices and cracks it can zip through, ultimately avoiding all the good benefits we want it to absorb from the coffee. If those grinds are tightly pressed into a level cake-like formation, the water is left with no alternative but to squeeze through it evenly, all kinds of flavors hitching a ride along the way.

The Supply Chain

With espresso being so popular, not only in the U.S. but around the world, it is something of a no-brainer that a multitude of wholesalers exist to serve the tamper market. One such entity is Espresso Parts, which since 1993 has been supplying café owners, baristas and home brewers with a plethora of tampers and tamping products. Premium coffee drinks can only be served if the barista boasts the necessary tools, industry experience and expertise, and aiding in this are products such as the Compressore Espresso Tamper and Compressore Professional Espresso Tamp, both available in a dizzying range of colors and materials including Bocote Wood, anodized blue, Kino Wood, Walnut Wood and more.

The espresso tamper, one of the most important tools of the coffee-making art, should fit a hand like a glove…after all, tamping remains a major step in preparing that perfect espresso. 

Little Masseuse At Work

My darling Cass gave me a relaxing massage today, while I was working on my computer...





... with this roller-ball massage thingy that the MIL bought from Taiwan recently and it was so comfy!!










Not sure if you can get this gadget here but if anyone of you goes to Taiwan, it's worth getting this handy massage roller ball thingy. It's very soothing to roll the steel balls on your achy muscles and you can bring it everywhere with you.

Handy And Light-Weight Shoe Rack

Do you always run out of space to keep your shoes in the shoe cabinet or storeroom? And how you hate to stack your shoes up on top of another? I've found a cheap solution. Get this handy and cheap shoe rack that's made in Japan from 100 Yen Shop:



Now my storeroom looks so much neater and I can conveniently display more shoes on the shoe rack and not keep them in boxes anymore... and I don't have to waste my time searching for shoes anymore!

Guess What This Is

Wanna make a wild guess on what this is?



My 2 kay poh chees (nosey parker) having fun with this little gadget.



Give up? Hop over to my other blog to find out.

Disposable Toilet Seat Covers

My mil bought 2 packets of disposable toilet seat covers from Caring Pharmacy the other day... which is just the thing that I have been searching around for a long time. With this, I don't have to line the public toilet seat with heaps of toilet papers for Alycia and Sherilyn to sit on when we go out.

Cool Reading Magnifiers

My dad’s eye sight has been deteriorating as he ages through the years. However, he is still wearing the same old pair of conservative looking eyeglasses with huge thick lenses that he had bought almost a decade ago. My dad is very frugal and stingy with himself but extremely generous with spending money on his loved ones. I have seen some cool and trendy reading magnifiers from firststreetonline.com. One of them is a powerful digital, hand-held magnifier that connects to the television or any monitor to magnify words, pictures, etc. I am sure my dad will love this cool gadget if I got it for him.

Amazing Portable Reading Device

I have just discovered a real cool reading gadget from Amazon called Kindle. It’s a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 100,000 books, blogs, magazines and newspapers. With this cool and handy device, I can now read all the books that I’ve been wanting to read even when I am on the go – in the car, restaurant, shopping or just about anywhere. All I have to do is to shop for books or magazines in the Kindle shop and the book that I want will be auto-delivered wirelessly to me within minutes. Cool isn’t it? If you want to grab this cool gadget, get your Amazon coupon code to enjoy savings when you purchase this cool gadget.

Cool Gadget For Babies And Adults

My sil recently got a cool gadget for the gals from Hong Kong, but mummy and daddy can also use it. It's a anti-mosquito device, specially designed for babies. The device operates by emitting ultrasounds within a range of 3 metres which annoy mosquitoes without causing any undesired effect to people or animals. It operates on batteries with an average useful life of approximately 100 hours. This gadget is so small that you can fasten it to your clothes, babies' strollers, planpen, just on anything. Cool or not?

Mosquitoes And Insects Trapper

Do you know what DH hates most? Mosquitoes. That's because 5 years ago, both he and MIL contracted Dengue Fever, both at the same time. I remember it was a few weeks after I had finished my 'confinement' when I suffered a miscarriage, that both DH and MIL were down with Dengue Fever. Barely over from the heartache, I had to muster up enough strength to care for 2 sick people, travelling to and fro house and hospital. It was one of the darkest moments in my life.

Ok, enough of sob story. After DH recovered from Dengue Fever, he developed a strong hatred for mosquitoes. Everyday, he'd carry a huge torchlight and a battery-operated mosquito zapper (like a badminton racquet) and go on a mosquito-hunting spree.

Recently, DH bought a mosquito/insect trapper which is really very effective. This trapper emits Carbon Dioxide (CO2), the kind of gas that we humans emit and an ultraviolet light that attract insects and mozzies. When the insects and mozzies enter the trapper, a fan will pull these bugs down to the base, which is a sticky pad. Everyday, there will be lots of mozzies and little insects trapped in the sticky pad. This device is so effective that DH bought another 3 units recently, with each unit costing around RM300. So for those looking for a solution to mozzies woes in your house, check out this trapper.