About some time ago I wrote an article about a class I attended at a Community Centre. That article languished in my drawer for a long time because there didn't seem to be any relevant opportunity to post it up.
So here is my experience with brewing coffee. I'm a coffee lover - I usually go for the caramel macchiato from Starbucks, and if I could I'd have one everyday. There's something so heady about the smell of the coffee beans, and when you step into any coffee-brewery outlet... pure heaven.
Oh My Brew, I Love You
I love coffee.
I especially love the smell of the fresh brew. It perks me up in the mornings, and keeps me awake all day (and occasionally all night as well).
Now, to be honest, my coffee experiences are limited to watching baristas behind the counter of my favourite coffee joints.
So you can understand why I was excited when I read about this Do-It-Yourself American coffee-brewing workshop.
I entered the classroom and smelt coffee all around. Yummy.
Then I saw the contraptions sitting on the counter. I saw shiny stainless steel and a lot of buttons and knobs.
Further down was another (smaller) machine with even more buttons than Starship Enterprise.
Now this can’t be good, I thought.
We had to learn how to operate a semi-automatic espresso machine (by the way, an espresso is the base of every single cup of coffee - be it lattes or cappucinos)
Now whoever gave it that name obviously lied, because it is neither anything automatic nor even halfway there. It was like a chemistry class - and I never did do well in that subject.
Scoop the ground coffee into a portafilter (like a cup on a handle) which is attached to the espresso machine.
You have to press the coffee powder tightly into the portafilter with a miniature dumbell.
Press too hard, the coffee drips out and tastes awfully bitter. Press too lightly, and the coffee becomes diluted.
Froth (give it foam) the milk with the pressure jet attached to the espresso machine. Again, another flurry of activities.
About one-third of a cup of milk must be placed just about half a milimetre away from the surface of the milk, so that the pressure-jet can steam it exactly to get foam on top.
Too much milk means you will just boil the milk without any foam - and too little milk will mean you will simply burn it.
Now take the espresso you have made (a round of applause, please) and pour the milk in.
But wait! What exactly do you want to drink? A cappucino? Pour half the milk in. Or a latte? Go all the way with the milk.
But hold the foam, please. That has to go precisely on top of your latte-cappucino-espresso so that you can etch patterns in it using chocolate sauce.
Latte art (can we call it cappucino art, please?) is a form of drawing on top of the foam. Pretty, yes, but difficult. If your foam is weak it sinks in and leaves nary a trace.
I tried to draw Mickey’s face. I got as far as the circles before I realised that foam is not exactly helpful (it was as stable as Mariah’s performance in Glitter).
So out of sheer desperation, I drew a line through the three circles. And somehow I managed to get a series of hearts and leaf motifs.
The experience of a fully-automatic machine, in contrast, wasn’t anything to crow about.
A cup here, a button there, and you’ve got yourself your espresso. Even the pressure jet for the milk was specially designed to allow the milk to be evenly frothed wherever you placed it.
But even a non-barista like myself found that the automated machine was lacking in the fun and experience that the other espresso machine had, despite the complicated operations.
It’s all about the joy of the experience.
But I’m still far from being a professional barista, though it has spurred my interest greatly.
So the next time you order a coffee from Starbucks, forgive the barista if he takes too long to get your coffee. It might just be me behind the counter.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Parents Sue Hospital over Death of Cancer Patients
The families of three pediatric cancer patients sued a Florida hospital this week, claiming their children died after contracting fungal infections from renovations being performed at the facility.
The lawsuit filed by parents against St Joseph's Hospital Inc in Tampa on Tuesday claims the children were exposed to pathogenic fungi because the hospital failed to properly seal off an area under renovation.
Each of the children - ages 2, 5, and 9 - had been previously diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of white blood cells. Two had recently gone into remission, and a third was still battling the disease.
Attorney Steven Yerrid, who is representing the families, said they believe dust containing the fungus became airborne and invaded the patients' rooms, 'where all these children then were forced to engage in yet another battle.'
'And this one was unnecessary, and could and should have been prevented,' he said.
In a statement, the hospital said patient safety is its top priority, and that they take necessary measures to reduce infections. Those include using barriers around construction areas, filtering the air and monitoring ventilation systems.
All those measures were in place when the infections occurred, spokesman Lisa Patterson said. The hospital is part of the BayCare Health System, a network of not-for-profit hospitals in the Tampa Bay region.
'Cancer kills more children than any other disease,' the hospital statement read. 'Sometimes, despite all the measures we have in place, all the medical expertise we provide, and all the personal care we deliver, patients do not survive.' In each case, tests confirmed the presence of a pathogenic fungi.
The lawsuit says patient rooms were located right above the construction activity, where renovation work would have created a moderate to high level of dust. The air condition systems would have brought air from the outside into patient rooms, it claims.
Sometimes, the patients had to be transported right through the construction area. The parents claim the hospital failed to take common precautions, including sealing the area under construction from non-work areas.
The hospital said that aside from using barriers around construction areas, it also conducts regular preventative maintenance rounds throughout the hospital; infection control, nursing, and other departments work together to provide a clean environment; and they educate families about the importance of infection control measures. - The Straits Times
The lawsuit filed by parents against St Joseph's Hospital Inc in Tampa on Tuesday claims the children were exposed to pathogenic fungi because the hospital failed to properly seal off an area under renovation.
Each of the children - ages 2, 5, and 9 - had been previously diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of white blood cells. Two had recently gone into remission, and a third was still battling the disease.
Attorney Steven Yerrid, who is representing the families, said they believe dust containing the fungus became airborne and invaded the patients' rooms, 'where all these children then were forced to engage in yet another battle.'
'And this one was unnecessary, and could and should have been prevented,' he said.
In a statement, the hospital said patient safety is its top priority, and that they take necessary measures to reduce infections. Those include using barriers around construction areas, filtering the air and monitoring ventilation systems.
All those measures were in place when the infections occurred, spokesman Lisa Patterson said. The hospital is part of the BayCare Health System, a network of not-for-profit hospitals in the Tampa Bay region.
'Cancer kills more children than any other disease,' the hospital statement read. 'Sometimes, despite all the measures we have in place, all the medical expertise we provide, and all the personal care we deliver, patients do not survive.' In each case, tests confirmed the presence of a pathogenic fungi.
The lawsuit says patient rooms were located right above the construction activity, where renovation work would have created a moderate to high level of dust. The air condition systems would have brought air from the outside into patient rooms, it claims.
Sometimes, the patients had to be transported right through the construction area. The parents claim the hospital failed to take common precautions, including sealing the area under construction from non-work areas.
The hospital said that aside from using barriers around construction areas, it also conducts regular preventative maintenance rounds throughout the hospital; infection control, nursing, and other departments work together to provide a clean environment; and they educate families about the importance of infection control measures. - The Straits Times
Friday, January 30, 2009
Permanently Remain Fresh? No Sweat
Note: This is an article I wrote for The New Paper on Sunday as part of my internship programme. Since the topic was of relevance to this blog, I thought I'd post it up here. Minor changes have been made to the original text, which remains the copyright of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Permanently Remain Fresh? No Sweat
Botox has long been the favourite of those looking for a quickie facelift. But now, there seems to be a growing number of people who want a botox jab for an entirely different reason – to stop perspiring. In August last year, The Daily Mail reported that in Britain, up to 50,000 people a year are going for botox injections to stop excessive perspiration or to stop perspiring completely.
Dubbed Sweatox, the injection works the same way as ordinary botox, which temporarily paralyses muscles with a mild
dose of toxins. But instead of targeting muscles, it freezes sweat glands to stop them reacting to heat. Botox experts say that the treatment is sought after by those who are worried that they will drip like a melting snowman and
ruin important occasions.
Those who have hyperhydrosis, or excessive perspiration, also tend to ask for it. The California Institute of Hyperhydrosis and Facial Blushing has a more detailed explanation of hyperhydrosis.
One in 100 adults suffer from this condition, caused by an overreaction to the body’s sweat glands.
But staying cool and dry comes at a price. Each jab costs £550 ($1,500) and above per area, such as the palms or armpits. And
the injections last for up to seven months before they eventually wear off.
One of the country’s biggest chains of cosmetic surgery clinics, Harley Medical Group, said that demand for Sweatox now makes up 31 per cent of all botox treatments carried out since May last year. Botox ranks as its second most popular non-surgical procedure after laser hair removal.
In Singapore, this surgery is not as new - and not as fancily named as well.
Plastic surgeon Woffles Wu of The Woffles Wu Aesthetic Surgery and Laser Centre said that Sweatox has been available in Singapore for over six years. Here, the treatment is simply
named “botox for hyperhydrosis” or “botox for excessive sweating”.
Dr David Loh of David Loh Surgery said that the fancy name of “Sweatox” is only a brand. He has been offering the treatment for around four years.
The demand for Sweatox or botox for hyperhydrosis seems small. Dr Loh and Dr Wu estimate that they each get about 100 customers a year, but the bulk of them are repeat customers, not new ones.
Dr Loh said: “Most of our patients do not sweat excessively by any standards. It’s just a personal choice not to have to
worry about sweat stains on underarms or parts of their shirts or blouses.”
Besides Botox, there are also other ways excessive perspiration can be treated, in this case permanent solutions.
1. Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS)
ETS permanently removes nerves associated with the sweat glands.
Dr John Tan of The Vein Clinic has been doing this surgery
for almost 15 years. Dr Tan says: “Most of our patients are those suffering from excessive sweating due to stress."
“They can now get complete dryness in one permanent procedure instead of having to go for multiple treatments.”
The procedure costs around $9,000 and usually takes about 45 minutes. Patients typically make a full recovery in two days, and there are no side effects other than mild discomfort.
2. Subdermal Vaser Treatment
Another way is to go for a subdermal vaser treatment. Here, a fiber optic wire is inserted into the skin. A laser then destroys the sweat glands. This permanently stops the sweat glands in the armpits and even removes some hair follicles.
However, it is not completely effective - for example, it cannot be applied on the palms, and in some cases, the patient might perspire excessively in other areas as the body compensates for the “loss”.
The procedure costs about $2,500 and a one-time treatment has a success rate of between 60 and 80 per cent.
Permanently Remain Fresh? No Sweat
Botox has long been the favourite of those looking for a quickie facelift. But now, there seems to be a growing number of people who want a botox jab for an entirely different reason – to stop perspiring. In August last year, The Daily Mail reported that in Britain, up to 50,000 people a year are going for botox injections to stop excessive perspiration or to stop perspiring completely.
Dubbed Sweatox, the injection works the same way as ordinary botox, which temporarily paralyses muscles with a mild
dose of toxins. But instead of targeting muscles, it freezes sweat glands to stop them reacting to heat. Botox experts say that the treatment is sought after by those who are worried that they will drip like a melting snowman and
ruin important occasions.
Those who have hyperhydrosis, or excessive perspiration, also tend to ask for it. The California Institute of Hyperhydrosis and Facial Blushing has a more detailed explanation of hyperhydrosis.
One in 100 adults suffer from this condition, caused by an overreaction to the body’s sweat glands.
But staying cool and dry comes at a price. Each jab costs £550 ($1,500) and above per area, such as the palms or armpits. And
the injections last for up to seven months before they eventually wear off.
One of the country’s biggest chains of cosmetic surgery clinics, Harley Medical Group, said that demand for Sweatox now makes up 31 per cent of all botox treatments carried out since May last year. Botox ranks as its second most popular non-surgical procedure after laser hair removal.
In Singapore, this surgery is not as new - and not as fancily named as well.
Plastic surgeon Woffles Wu of The Woffles Wu Aesthetic Surgery and Laser Centre said that Sweatox has been available in Singapore for over six years. Here, the treatment is simply
named “botox for hyperhydrosis” or “botox for excessive sweating”.
Dr David Loh of David Loh Surgery said that the fancy name of “Sweatox” is only a brand. He has been offering the treatment for around four years.
The demand for Sweatox or botox for hyperhydrosis seems small. Dr Loh and Dr Wu estimate that they each get about 100 customers a year, but the bulk of them are repeat customers, not new ones.
Dr Loh said: “Most of our patients do not sweat excessively by any standards. It’s just a personal choice not to have to
worry about sweat stains on underarms or parts of their shirts or blouses.”
Besides Botox, there are also other ways excessive perspiration can be treated, in this case permanent solutions.
1. Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy (ETS)
ETS permanently removes nerves associated with the sweat glands.
Dr John Tan of The Vein Clinic has been doing this surgery
for almost 15 years. Dr Tan says: “Most of our patients are those suffering from excessive sweating due to stress."
“They can now get complete dryness in one permanent procedure instead of having to go for multiple treatments.”
The procedure costs around $9,000 and usually takes about 45 minutes. Patients typically make a full recovery in two days, and there are no side effects other than mild discomfort.
2. Subdermal Vaser Treatment
Another way is to go for a subdermal vaser treatment. Here, a fiber optic wire is inserted into the skin. A laser then destroys the sweat glands. This permanently stops the sweat glands in the armpits and even removes some hair follicles.
However, it is not completely effective - for example, it cannot be applied on the palms, and in some cases, the patient might perspire excessively in other areas as the body compensates for the “loss”.
The procedure costs about $2,500 and a one-time treatment has a success rate of between 60 and 80 per cent.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Something's Brewing
If you spend your whole day sitting outside your favourite outlets of Starbucks and The Coffee Bean, chances are, you're probably doing something right. New studies have come forth stating more conclusively than ever that coffee may just be the thing to make you live longer.
There have been many studies to say that drinking this brew, which commands a market of over $13.5 billion (in 2007), and has consumers drinking an average of over 2 1/2 cups of speciality coffee daily. (Source list: 1)
Coffee has a long history. According to National Geographic, legend says that the coffee bean was discovered by an Ethiopian goatherd as his herd danced from one shrub to another, and then spread through Africa, where it was then roasted and brewed in Arabia.
Right now, according to this website, over 19,000 studies have been conducted in recent years on how coffee affects our health. And while there's still more research needed, it has been shown that studies do show a trend towards coffee being healthy rather than harmful.
For one, there's protection of the heart and brain. A 2008 study of 130,000 people in the US found that those who drank between 2 and 5 cups a day of coffee had a 30 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular death. It is thought that antioxidants, called phenols and found within coffee beans may help in preventing deadly blood clots from forming. (Source list: 2)
The Harvard Heart Letter also states that coffee is not linked to the development of heart disease, and offers some protection against Type 2 diabetes and gallstones. (Source list: 3)
But there are always two sides to the story, and it's the same with coffee.
Most of the time, the problems with coffee lie within the fact that it causes us to lose sleep, through the effects caffeine. The stomach lining too is at a mercy to the oils, which then produces excessive amounts of hydrochloric acid and result in a number of digestive problems. A whole host of other problems can be found on this website
But all in all, it's important to keep in moderation. Just because coffee may have some benefits doesn't mean we should all rush down to the nearest coffee shop and overload ourselves on coffee. A recent study says keep it to 300mg of caffeine per day. That's up to three cups of coffee. (Source list: 4)
So go on, have a cuppa.
Source list:
1. COFFEE JITTERS. (Cover story). (2008, November 10). Brandweek, Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
2. Can coffee be a health food?. (2008, November). Consumer Reports on Health, Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
3. Coffee: A connection to good health?. (2008, October). Harvard Heart Letter, Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
4. White, A. (2008, November). Coffee Is Healthy. Dance Spirit, 12(9), 52-52. Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
There have been many studies to say that drinking this brew, which commands a market of over $13.5 billion (in 2007), and has consumers drinking an average of over 2 1/2 cups of speciality coffee daily. (Source list: 1)
Coffee has a long history. According to National Geographic, legend says that the coffee bean was discovered by an Ethiopian goatherd as his herd danced from one shrub to another, and then spread through Africa, where it was then roasted and brewed in Arabia.
Right now, according to this website, over 19,000 studies have been conducted in recent years on how coffee affects our health. And while there's still more research needed, it has been shown that studies do show a trend towards coffee being healthy rather than harmful.
For one, there's protection of the heart and brain. A 2008 study of 130,000 people in the US found that those who drank between 2 and 5 cups a day of coffee had a 30 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular death. It is thought that antioxidants, called phenols and found within coffee beans may help in preventing deadly blood clots from forming. (Source list: 2)
The Harvard Heart Letter also states that coffee is not linked to the development of heart disease, and offers some protection against Type 2 diabetes and gallstones. (Source list: 3)
But there are always two sides to the story, and it's the same with coffee.
Most of the time, the problems with coffee lie within the fact that it causes us to lose sleep, through the effects caffeine. The stomach lining too is at a mercy to the oils, which then produces excessive amounts of hydrochloric acid and result in a number of digestive problems. A whole host of other problems can be found on this website
But all in all, it's important to keep in moderation. Just because coffee may have some benefits doesn't mean we should all rush down to the nearest coffee shop and overload ourselves on coffee. A recent study says keep it to 300mg of caffeine per day. That's up to three cups of coffee. (Source list: 4)
So go on, have a cuppa.
Source list:
1. COFFEE JITTERS. (Cover story). (2008, November 10). Brandweek, Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
2. Can coffee be a health food?. (2008, November). Consumer Reports on Health, Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
3. Coffee: A connection to good health?. (2008, October). Harvard Heart Letter, Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
4. White, A. (2008, November). Coffee Is Healthy. Dance Spirit, 12(9), 52-52. Retrieved January 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Curry Favours At Vansh Indian Restaurant
Samundari Toofan (Tandoori Prawns) - $24)
Traditional papadum in cigar shape
INTRODUCTION:
Stepping into the Vansh Indian Restaurant at the Singapore Indoor Stadium is like going into a swanky downtown club or bar.
Every chair is decorated with black sequinned cushions. The open-air kitchen sits squarely in the middle of the restaurant. The new-age decor is eclectic in comparison to the regal tones of sister restaurant Rang Mahal at the Pan Pacific.
And the presentation of food here is as unique as the decor of the restaurant. The traditional starter (or side-dish, depending on where you're at) papadum (deep-fried biscuits) is rolled into a large cigar shape and placed in a long-stemmed glass. Served with a selection of three in-house dips, the basic crunchiness has an added layer of sweetness, making for a very appetising start to lunch.
THE MENU:
The samundari toofan (tandoori prawns, $24) is a clear winner. A layer of basted herbed yoghurt gives way to firm white flesh within. The honey kulzza (leavened bread topped with honey and tomatoes, $9) is aromatic and crispy. Although listed as “fluffy bread” on the menu, it is paper-thin. A scattering of pine nuts on top gives the dish some crunch. We also had the chicken tikka masala (chicken tandoori curry, $18). Smooth, juicy chunks of chicken tandoori go beautifully with the tomato curry.
You must try the lamb biryani (mixed rice, $18), one of their specialties. Served in a small black pot, fragrant basmati rice is cooked to steaming perfection, and mixed with lamb chunks and sun-dried tomatoes. Cashew nuts add a crunchy texture to this wonderful dish. The lamb chunks were also extremely tender. The garlic naan (flatbread, $4) tasted great whether dipped in curry or eaten on its own.
Unfortunately, the kashmir rogan josh (lamb curry, $18) was a bit of a letdown. The curry was aromatic enough but the lamb
chunks this round were a bit too tough. Perhaps they needed to be cooked just a bit further.
CONCLUSION
Despite stories about Indian food being spicy - after all, nearly everything is curry - the meal was not overly spicy, even for a non-chilli eater like myself. Neither was it too oily. To keep things clean, Vansh stays away from using ghee (clarified butter) in its menu, and cooks its food in vegetable and olive oil instead. In fact, eight dishes on the menu have been endorsed by the Health Promotion Board as being “healthy choices”. We think that's a good thing for your body.
Price-wise, Vansh's items are placed in the mid-range. For lunch, expect to spend about $40 per person (without government taxes). You can also opt for the slightly cheaper set meal, which gives you a choice of mains along with two daily appetisers for just over $20 (before taxes).
But bear this in mind. For the quality of the food that you get to eat, the impeccable level of service and the classy ambience of the modern decor, we think what we spent was worth every cent.
Rating: 4/5
WHAT: Vansh Indian Restaurant
WEBSITE: http://www.vansh.com.sg/
WHERE: #01-04 Stadium Waterfront 2 Stadium Walk (Singapore Indoor Stadium, facing Kallang River)
WHEN: Noon - 2.30pm, 6 - 10pm
CALL: 6345 4466
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