Photo from HitzFm

    The Japanese Koi fish is one of the luxurious types of fish because of its value and maintenance. Koi fish are ornamental fish that are usually kept in aquariums as pets. However, this Malaysia lady have decided other ways to treat these beautiful fishes: DITCHING THEM INTO THE SOUP!

    Amanda Omeychua took her idea to a Facebook page called 'Masak Ape Tak Jadi Hari Ini', when her Japanese Koi died from suffocation when her maid forgot to turn off the water in their tank. 

    In the comment section, Amanda said that she felt that it would have been a waste to throw away those fishes so she decided to eat them instead. 

    In my whole life, never had I the slightest idea that Koi can be eaten. I Googles on it and yeap, they can be eaten. I'm just going to skip that idea because Koi are lovely and too beautiful to be eaten, not to mention their price. #fish_are_friends_not_food

    Amanda said Koi taste like ikan patin, also known as Catfish. 

    Amanda even got positive comments for her post on the Koi Soup. One comment went:

'These fishes are tasty. It's a loss for those who don't eat it. Out of the many freshwater fish, Koi is the most delicious. These are the dishes of the royal family, based on history. It's suitable for it's high value. 

    Another comment went:

'There are a lot of these fishes in Sabah. We eat them any other.'

    Well, I guess may be a normal thing in the East of Malaysia. But you guys reading this. Would you try Koi fish? Have you actually eaten one? Do let us know in the comment section below. 

Photo from World of Buzz

    The Employees Provident Fund expanded the criteria for withdrawals from the i-Sinar facility. The purpose of this is to ease financial burden of members that are affected by this Covid-19 pandemic. i-Sinar was formulated using extensive deliberation and consultation with key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including the Finance Ministry.

    Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the EPF allocated RM 70 billion for the initiative, allowing about eight million subscribers to withdraw maximum amount of up to RM 10,000 or RM 60,000 from Accoutn 1. He also made the announcement during the Budget 2021 debate in Parliament that Sinar facility will be expanded to include all who's income were affected by Covid-19. 

    Before this the facility was only open to members who have lost their jobs , give no-pay leave or have no other source of income. 

    As we know, EPF is one of the world's oldest and largest retirement funds. It is now refining the i-Sinar withdrawal facility. From the initial guideline, affected depositors are allowed to apply since mid-December 2020. It is said eligible members will have access to 10% of their savings in Account 1, with a minimum balance of RM 100.

    Those with savings of RM 90,000 and below in Account 1, they can  have access to any amount up to RM 9,000. The amount advanced will stumble over six months with an increased first advanced of up to RM 4000. Those with saving above RM 90,000 in Account 1, they can also have 10% of the savings but capped at RM 60,000. The amount advanced will stumble over six months with an increased first advanced of up to RM 10,000.

    Depositors who wish to apply for the i-Sinar facility will need to replace the full amount advanced while future contributors will be 100% credited to Account 1 until amount advanced is replenished. 

    i-Sinar will complement other assistance programmes offered by the government and other EPF relief during this Covid-19 pandemic. Some relief offered are like the reduction of employee statutory contribution rate, i-Lestari withdrawal facility and the Employer Covid-19 Assistance Programme. 

    To me, I think this initiative can be seen as a good think. Reasons being that this initiative is able to cater the financial needs of the members. But does this have impact? EPF understands members' need to withdraw the money to survive the pandemic. However, they hope members can plan well so that they can aid their current needs and this can help minimize the impact of their retirement.     

    Kuaci or commonly know as Sunflower seed. Now, I don't know about you but I just love them. 

    There are other seeds like Chia and Flax that are well known for their nutritional value. However, this low-key Sunflower seed has its own nutritional qualities that can be highlighted. 

    So let's look into the benefits of Sunflower seed.

    Are sunflower seed healthy? So here's the thing, sunflower seeds are rich in nutrients. According to experts, 1 serving of shelled sunflower seed delivers 14g of fats with a mix of monounsaturated and poly saturated fats. According to a registered dietitian Alissa Rumsey, the mono and poly fats shows a clear health benefit especially related to heart health and risk of cardiovascular disease.

    The seed are also packed with vitamins and minerals like vitamin E (which has strong anti-inflammatory properties and may reduce risk of heart disease), folate (important for DNA synthesis), phosphorus (key for bone health), selenium (an antioxidant that protects against cell damage), manganese (helps with bone production) copper (helps with heart health and immune function), B6 (good for cognitive development and function), and zinc (important for metabolism and immune function). 

    Here are some healthier ways you can eat sunflower seed.

    Sunflower seeds can be roasted with or without shells but usually they are eaten after the shell is removed. Actually, the shells themselves have lots of fiber and they can be eaten. It is hard and if not chewed properly, it can harm the digestive tract. So I think its best to just eat the seeds without the shell. 

    You may eat the seeds raw or buy the dry roasted seed. They also come in various flavour but I prefer original. You can it them on their own or sprinkle them on oatmeal, yogurt, soups and salads. 

    However, bear in mind that sunflower seeds are high-fat food. So keep the portion in control to avoid excess calories. Make sure you keep the sunflower flower seed in an airtight container because they can go rancid due to the amount of fat it contains. 

We’d wish a world devoid of COVID-19, and life was as normal as ever. Where we can travel everywhere we want without being worried or scared of this virus. Where we can go on short trip to relieve some stress with family or friends.

We’d have wished the news about development, healthy lifestyle and an uptick in economy about new innovations, about new breakthroughs in science, about making new discoveries, about political controversies that we either sympathize with or deride, about our dreams and aspirations or sharing our achievements or ruing about the changing world, not necessarily only about climate change but also the falling morals or ethics and about the ills facing the world. But an invisible enemy brought the world to submission. Don't we want the term "coronavirus" not to enter our lives? No one can imagine that this will change our world, and we can adapt to the new normal in every imaginable way. In the process, we forgot about normal life.

Don’t we hope it never happened? If this happens, or it is inevitable, it is mainly due to our stupidity, or because we think "it will not affect me, but only affect others", or because they are willing to clear and present danger.

Yes, we live in a dangerous world. I don't want to describe the end of the world, but now I need due diligence. Are we ready to face reality and take action to save ourselves?

Not only have thousands of precious lives lost all over the world, but also thousands, and we are still counting. I don’t know when it will end. If anything, we will return to a normal life and not a new normal.

     The last day to travel as a family, was just announced by the PM.

    MCO 2.0. It was felt like it was yesterday I was able to roam freely in the cities, in the malls and any place I wished to go. But then, the news made me feel like a bird suddenly trapped in a snare. There isn't anything we can do though, it's all for the benefit of your lives. 

     So right after the announcement was made, my family and I decided to have our meals outside instead of cooking. We decided to dine at Aik Cheong kopitiam located in AEON Taman Maluri. 

    When I hear 'kopitiam', it remind me of 'kopi ice'. Yes, I love coffee and nothing taste better than that bitter-sweet cold drink. And this is my second visit there. My first time there I've tried their toast and home-made pandan kaya spread. It was just delicious. The bread was fresh. The spread, it wasn't too sweet yet it was satisfying. And of course, the kopi ice, it is to die for. Initially I had to share the drink with my mum but ended up having it all to myself.

Kopi Ice

    This time, we went for lunch so I decided to try their mains. They had the famous nasi lemak with rendang, curry and the original sambal. I decided to have Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang. At first I thought it was Nasi Kerabu since the rice was blue but it was just nasi lemak rice. I'm not a fan of nasi lemak but this one tasted super good. The rendang was full of flavor and so was the rice. The food even smelled good that it very much tickled my taste buds. The blue coloured rice really caught my attention. I guess certain shops have their own ways of being creative and in my opinion it was a brilliant idea. 

Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang

    Of course I didn't miss out my kopi ice. Strong and cold, just the way I like. I also had dessert which was ABC. The shaved, colourful ice mountain would be a must-have especially for sweet-tooths. They had lots of peanuts, jelly and other ingredients in it too. We also had some 'kuih'. Usually this kopitiams have a hint of nyonya flavors and nyonya pastries are really good. We tried Kuih Kuaci this time. Kuih Kuaci is a dumpling made of glutinous rice with stuffed coconut and palmed sugar as fillings. The outer part alone is either salty or tasteless and the filling is sweet. So, eating it together, gives you a unique taste. Kuih Kuaci is wrapped in banana leaf which gives a nice aroma as you open it. 

                        
                                                                ABC and Kuih Kuaci

    I really enjoyed my time there with my family. The spacing wasn't that hug as it was just a small lot in the mall. But the concept of the store, the food and the service really brought about lots of customers. Aik Cheong is actually a coffee brand, I Googled and came across their website. They have a history of how their products came to be. Here a link to it: https://www.aikcheong.com.my/index.php

    I would definitely recommend this shop to food lovers especially those residing in Cheras area. If your have been there or have been to similar shops, do share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. 

    I would surely miss eating out and I am sure you readers do to. I really hope the situation in our country gets better so that we could all roam about freely. 

MCO PONGGAL 2021

By, Kousalya Selvam

Pongal is a thanks-giving festival celebrated throughout Southern India. The word ‘Pongal Is derived from Tamil literature and its literal meaning is ‘to boil’. Pongal is also the name of a rice based dish, which is prepared for this festival. It basically is a harvest festival and the only festival to follow the solar calendar. This festival is celebrated on the 14th of January every year.  

According to Hindu mythology and astrology this festival marks up a very auspicious occasion, as the day when God begins, after a six month long night. The celebration for this festival is spread across three days. The first day is marked by a special puja, performed by cutting on the paddy. The farmers worship the sun and the earth by smearing their ploughs and sickles with sandalwood paste.

Each of the three days has a different festivity. The first day is a day to be with your family and is known as Bhogi Pongal. The second day is dedicated to the worship of Surya, the Sun God as in known as Surya Pongal. On this day boiled milk with jaggery is offered to the Sun God. The third day, Mattu Pongal is the day for worship of cattle, also known as Mattu. Cattle are bathed and cleaned, their horns are polished with bright colours and they are garlanded with flowers. The Pongal offered to the gods is later offered to the cattle and birds.

So as other Hindu families, we also celebrated our Ponggal. This year was extra special because all of my family members celebrated together. Every year, some of use couldn't make it as I will be away at campus and my father will go to work. MCO did it right where we had a chance to celebrate together after so many years plus this was the first year where we celebrated the original way where we did Ponggal outside of our house. Usually, we will keep on kitchen stove and that is a new norm to some Hindu families. It was a privilege's for us to celebrate the ancient way. 

We started our shopping on 13th where we bought all the things that we needed for our Ponggal celebration such as the clay pot, sugarcane, mango leaves, sweets, banana leaf, vegetables and flowers. I started to clean our prayer room, decorated with flowers and tied fresh mango leaves in the entrance of our house together with sugarcanes. 

House entrance with mango leaves and sugarcanes

Bhogi celebration

Finally, the day has arrived. On 14th January 2021, we woke up early to prepare things for Ponggal. My brother and I tied the sugarcane and tied three sugarcanes above it. In the middle of the stones, we placed some wood sticks and light up fire.                    

                  

Soon after, we place the pot on top of the fire and poured milk. We waited for milk to boil and pour which defines unlimited prosperous and happiness throughout the year.   

                  

Right after that, we performed some prayers to the sun which is called Thai Ponggal. We offered some fruits, coconut and sweets. 

Offerings

For lunch, my mom prepared for us delicious banana leaf food. Our 2021 Ponggal ended up with full of vibes and pure love. Celebrating any occasion with family is pure bliss, we are blessed! 

Banana leaf spread by Mom