What To Wear in Winter? How To Keep Yourself Warm While Travelling?

Christmas is coming, are you going somewhere cold or snowy this winter? Are you a first time winter traveler? Do you want to keep yourself warm and stylish instead of looking like a walking Hamburger?

Don’t worry, you would definitely be looking good after this!

  1. Thermal Wear


Whether you will be travelling to countries with snow or not, as long as the temperature is under 20°C and there would be a strong wind forecast, then I suggest to put on yourself some Thermal Wear (usually known as Long John).

Thermal is a pair of long sleeves shirt and pants that normally worn during cold weather. So, thermal is worn for the first layer of cold protection, and you could wear flannel shirts or sweater on the second layer.

You could find yourself a softer and thinner thermal if you are afraid of looking fat. There are many thermal brands sold in department store, but my favorite has always been the Heat-tech by Uniqlo. There are many colors available, such as Black, Navy Blue, and even lighter colors.

Point:

By wearing a thermal doesn’t mean that you would not feel cold no matter how low the temperature is, this is something that many had misunderstood. A thermal is worn to kept the heat or warmth inside your body, and protect you whenever the wind is strong.

  1. Flannel Shirt/Sweater


You definitely need to wear a second layer after you put on your thermal, such as flannel Shirts and sweaters. There are no restrictions to what kind of second layer you should wear, but remember to choose a warmer fabric.

Remember, it is so wrong to think that the clothes will keep you warm as long as they are long sleeves or cover your body. No, they are not! put in mind that long sleeves shirt or turtle neck made from cotton are not able to keep you warmth enough,  but wool could, so bring yourself a more suitable clothes to keep you warm.

  1. Winter coat

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My Winter Wear While in Brig, Siwtzerland

You thought two layers would be enough, no, not yet. If you would be travelling from day and night, what makes you so sure your body is able to handle the 24-7 cold? You definitely need a winter coat. The type of winter coat depends on where you would be going as well as the temperature; you would need to buy a thicker wool fabric because they are warmer.

Winds are usually strong while winter, so a decent winter coat would keep you away from it. One or two piece of coats are enough, you could have one in brown color, and the other one in black, keep in mind that these colors definitely never die.

Many has asked me whether or not they need a very thick winter coat, the one that would make you look like a Definite Hamburger? Well, the answer is yes if the place you would visit are snowy as having a strong wind. I was in Brig, Switzerland last time, it was snowy but no winds, so an usual Winter coat worked well for me at that time.

  1. Scarf


I am a scarf collector, and it is my most favorite winter fashion accessories. Why? Because you will be wearing your same winter coat over and over again. I wouldn’t want to look the same in the picture all over the time, and different kinds of scarf would give us different kind of looks.

Nobody would know what I wore inside, but they certainly could see differences from the outlook, wouldn’t they? However, scarf not only about the look, but scarf is also effective in protecting our neck from the cold.

  1. Gloves

Gloves are effective to keep the warm in our hands, and you have to wear it while your hands are still warm, and not after they are cold. The common gloves we had would not allow us to use our phone, but with a touch screen gloves, you wouldn’t need to put on and take off your gloves while using your phone anymore!

  1. Wool Socks


Every part of our body is important to be protected from cold, and feet unconditionally. You walk and travel with your feet, right? So you need to make sure they are healthy and warm as well. You need to buy yourself a couple of wool made socks to keep them extra warm, because cold and even wet feet would affect your activity.

  1. Boots


I prefer leather boots, because they are usually stronger and better made. If your wool socks have warmed your feet enough, then basically you don’t need to buy boots because boots are expensive. However, if you compare common shoes or sneakers with boots, then definitely boots are better.

Not only they are stronger, but some are even waterproof. Black colored boots are easier to match with clothes rather than brown colored boots, make sure you bought 1/2 or a size bigger than what you usually wear, because cotton socks are definitely thicker.

Now you definitely are ready to look good this winter! Have fun!

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10 Unique Korean Local Cuisine You Must Tried

Have you wondered what to dine while in South Korea? I have prepared 10 unique Korean dishes that you must tried while you are there, and they are all local cuisine.

Be aware that most Korean do not speak English, especially seniors, so I have also attached the Korean Characters of the food which might probably be a good help for you while doing order. Make sure you tried them all!

Remember to say 잘 먹겠습니다 (Jal moke get sum nida) before you have your meal.

1. Kimchi 김치
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Picture taken from source

All of us definitely have heard about Kimchi, it is a fermented korean dish made by various of vegetables. There are over 200 varieties of kimchi recorded according to my source while I attended my class in Kimchi Academy, but the most common kimchi are made from radish, napa cabbage and cucumber. Restaurants will always serve various of Kimchi for complimentary, so don’t bother to order.

The taste of Kimchi depending on the vegetables and seasoning itself, some are spicy, and some taste sour. However, the most favorite kimchi is this napa cabbage kimchi, you could find this Kimchi in almost every restaurants in Korea. How does it taste then? It has a sour and little spicy taste. Kimchi is not only eaten with rice, but some also mix Kimchi in their cookings, such as in pancakes or even soup.

You might find the taste a little weird if you have never had Kimchi before in your life, because Kimchi is not served while hot, mostly are kept in refrigerator, so many exclude kimchi in their meal because they are not used to having cold vegetable dishes. Every restaurants kimchi taste slightly different, so it is worth a try!

2. Tteokbokki 떡볶이
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Tteokbokki sold in Myeongdoeng

Tteokbokki is a popular Korean food made from soft rice cake, fish cake with sweet red chili sauce, and you could easily find tteokbokki sold in stalls and street foods. FYI, tteokbokki was a part of royal cuisine in Joseon Dynasty, and the older type of tteobokki is savory, while latter version was much spicier, which then becomes more popular than the traditional tteobokki.

3. Japchae 잡채
japchae
Picture taken from source

The name japchae means “a mixture of vegetables” (jap means “mixed and stirred”) and (chae means “vegetables”), and may be served hot and cold. However, Japchae is usually cooked with sweet potato noodles, it was stir fried in sesame oil with vegetables (sliced carrots, onion, spinach) and served with beef, and cooked with soy sauce and sugar.

There are also Japchae without noodles according to source, they are:
Gochu japchae (고추잡채), made with shredded fresh green chili pepper and vegetables
Buchu japchae (부추잡채), made with Korean chives
Kongnamul japchae (콩나물잡채), made with kongnamul (soybean sprouts)
Haemul japchae (해물잡채), made with seafood and vegetables
Beoseot japchae (버섯잡채), made with mushrooms

4. Bibimbap 비빔밥
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Picture taken from source

Bibimbap is usually served in a hot stone bow white rice topped with sautéed vegetables, egg, sliced meat, chilli paste, soy sauce, or a salty soybean paste. You will need to stir everything until it evens, then you can start tucking in! The taste might be a little strange to you due to the chilli paste, so I suggest you to have a taste of the chilli paste before you stir them all.

5. Bulgogi 불고기
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Combination of Red Chilli Paste Squids with Bulgogi Grilled

Bulgogi means Fire Meat, it usually made from thin slices of beef and marinated before cooking (soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, ginger). Bulgogi sometimes are served with lettuce, so you could wrap them together with sliced onions, and whole cloves of garlic and eat them all together. You could add chilli sauce or sesame oil if you would like to have more flavors.

6. Budae Jjigae 부대찌개
Budae Jjigae is also known as an Army Stew, due to food scarcity in Seoul after the Korean War, and the surplus foods from U.S. military bases, such as hot dogs and hams, the food were then being consumed together with Korean traditional flavor and cooking style, and this was how Budae Jjigae was ‘invented’ accidentally.

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Kimchi is added in this Budae Jjigae

Budae jjigae is often served with instant noodles, ground beef, sliced sausages, baked beans, onions, tofu, chili peppers, macaroni, garlic, mushrooms, and sliced American Cheese. The Stew taste differently depending on the seasonings and flavor added, but my favorite Army Stew is definitely the one with Kimchi.

7. Samgyeopsal 삼겹살
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Samgyeopsal is commonly served as an evening meal consists of thick slices of pork belly meat that could be marinated or not seasoned. We could grill the meat ourselves and eat directly from a grill in the diner’s table. You will need to dip the grilled meat into sesame sauce for a better taste of Samgyeopsal!

8. Galbitang 갈비탕
galbitang
Picture taken from source

Galbitang is a soup from beef short ribs with stewing beef, onions, and other ingredients. Galbitang has a clear soup, the beef rib is cooked in water for a long time and is eaten as a meal. Galbi and Galbitang are different, galbitang is beef short ribs ‘soup’ while galbi is a marinated or nor seasoned grilled beef short ribs.

According to source, “historical records on galbitang are found in records on table setting for Korean royal court banquets held in the 1890s. However, galbi, was assumed to have been eaten since the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (918 – 1392).”

9. Seolleongtang 설렁탕
seoll
Picture taken from source

If Galbitang is soup from beef short ribs, then Seolleongtang is a broth soup made from ox bones (mostly leg bones), brisket and other cuts. The process of Seolleongtang making is not different with galbitang, which is to simmer the ox bones for over a period of hours and even entire day in a low flame. The simmering process is to ensure the flavor from the bones could be gradually extracted.

Usually Seolleongtang is not seasoned in the process of cooking, so you will need to add salt or any flavors according to your taste. It has a cloudy and milky appearance on the top of the soup, and is eaten with rice (the rice is sometimes added directly to the soup)

10. Samgyetang 삼계탕
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Samgyetang means chicken ginseng soup and usually refered as an energizing soup. Samgyetang is extremely popular during summer days, as nutrients can be easily lost in summer due to excessive sweating. In the making process, a whole young chicken filled with garlic and rice, scallion and spices is boiled in Korean Ginseng Broth.

Also you will need to add some seasoning according to your own preference, such as salt, white pepper. Samgyetang taste slightly the same with our home made chicken broth, only Samgyetang has a distinct ginseng flavor. The dish is also usually accompanied by side dishes and sometimes a small complimentary bottle of insamju will be served in some restaurants.

You could save the names of meat in Korean to help you in ordering the other dishes:
Fish 물고기 mulgogi
Beef 쇠고기 chwi gogi
Chicken 닭고기 dalq gogi
Pork 돼지고기 dwaeji gogi

And don’t forget to say 잘 먹겠습니다 (Jal moke get sum nida) after you finish your meal!

Photos mostly credited to Susi Chen, thank you dear.

How Ice Cream Help Lose Your Weight?

So, is the ice cream diet true?

The idea of losing weight is to burn out the extra fat in your body with exercising and consume less calories healthy meal into your body. According to Bartell, diet comes down to caloric restriction, so “Anyone who eats 1,200 calories per day will lose weight in the short term, because the body will be in caloric deficit,” she says.

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Picture is taken from helloeskimomo instagram

The ice cream diet is based on a book of Holly McCord. Her idea is simple; ice cream do not have the power to weight loss, but because you’re having healthy meals and limit your calories intake, then you can add the ice cream treat to your daily plan and still lose weight. However, you have to keep in mind that not all ice cream is on the list.

Eskimomo is a handcraft ice cream gourmet company based in Jakarta; the ice cream made uses the finest local ingredients, all naturals, with no flavorings, stabilizer, or emulsifier. It is also Philadelphia-style ice creams that contain No Eggyolk, which means less fat in the ice cream as the fatty yolk has been excluded from the treat. Most ice cream company‘s ice cream contain more than 400 of calories of every 100gr of serving, while Eskimomo’s Ice Cream on the other hand has only half of them.

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Picture is taken from helloeskimomo website

Besides less calories and healthier, each of every ice cream made have their own unique flavors, such as their famous Apple Pie, Sweet Corn with Beryl Swirl, Choco Mint Cookies, Choco Orange, Coffee with Honey Almond, Salted Caramel Popcorn. So, why not adding a scoop of Eskimomo’s Ice Cream to your diet plan today?

You could visit helloeskimomo.com for more information and order or follow @helloeskimomo on instagram!

Nasi Uduk Ice Cream & Kunyit Asem Sorbet by Eskimomo, the Ice Tinkers

I know you are curious, with the ice cream and the ice tinkers, Eskimomo.
Yes, Eskimomo has made a new breakthrough in creating new ice cream flavors, and this time the flavors are definitely new in the Ice Cream World and also represent Indonesia traditional dishes.
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Picture taken from eskimomo instagram
The ice cream degustation was held as Eskimomo 2nd anniversary celebration with menu inspired by traditional Indonesian food.

Let’s Welcome Nasi Uduk Ice Cream & Kunyit Asem Sorbet!
Nasi Uduk Ice Cream
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Picture taken from eskimomo instagram
‘The ice cream is soy sauce flavored, served with sweet chili jam, rice pudding, anchovy and peanuts, and also chips melinjo.’

Kunyit Asem Sorbet
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Picture taken from eskimomo instagram
‘Tamarind Sorbet served with Kunyit Merengue and Pomelo’

5-courses menu were presented in the degustation, which were the Nasi Uduk Ice Cream, Kunyit Asem Sorbet, also Pisang Goreng Ice Cream, Rujak Ice Cream, and Kopi Joss as the final dish.

According to Gupta, they have plans for Eskimomo outlets in the future, but their main focus now is the flavor innovation. Eskimomo would like to have more collaboration in producing unique flavors such as the previous Miso Caramel Cashew, Kinako, Tokyo Banana, and Mulled Wine Sorbet.

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Eskimomo Salted Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream

Besides Nasi Uduk Ice Cream and Kunyit Asem Sorbet, Eskimomo has 6 unique flavors sold in the market, which are the famous Apple Pie, Sweet Corn with Beryl Swirl, Choco Mint Cookies, Choco Orange, Coffee with Honey Almond, and Salted Caramel Popcorn. You can place your order through helloeskimomo.com The ice creams are also available in Kemchicks Pacific Place and Koiki Eatery in Senopati Suites Apartment.

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Eskimomo Coffee with Honey Almond Ice Cream

Eskimomo is a Philadelphian-style ice cream, means no yolks are used in the process of ice cream making. In addition, the ice cream is made using the finest ingredients from local producers, all naturals, with no flavorings, stabilizer, or emulsifier.

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Picture taken from Eskimomo Instagram

It was not easy to create the recipes as the basic ingredients of nasi uduk and kunyit sorbet were never ice and cream. However, these two ice tinkers had successfully done something extraordinary by unleashing their boundless creativity, and it all happens because of their patience, innovativeness, and ‘desire to create something that can please as many people as possible’ quoted from Eskimomo’s story.

So, instead of Ice Cream Maker, I prefer calling them The Ice Tinkers.

How to Lose 10 Pounds with Tomatoes?


Homegrown tomatoes grow in yard.

Do you want to lose 10 pounds within 3 weeks in a healthy way? It is a very popular diet method in Japan, which is The Night Tomato Diet. Firstly, aren’t we supposed to skip our dinner if we are on a diet, but why do we have tomatoes instead? Secondly, what exactly tomatoes do to our health? What are the nutritions inside these little red plants? And lastly, is there a maximum consumption? Will there be side effects and risk towards our body if we have them too much? Well, keep on reading then you would find your answers.

1. Why Night Tomato Diet?

When on a diet, it is recommended skip dinner. However, to maintain your body metabolism system, it is better to replace with a healthy meal than having none, such as having fruits and veggie salad, also plain tofu would do! However, another effective diet method had been found, which is Night Tomato Diet.

According to sources, tomatoes contain a substance that is said to be able to activate DNA associated with the burning of fat in your body namely (13-oxo-ODA) a special type of unsaturated fatty acid. The substance is said to help decrease the amount of neutral fat in your body and prevent metabolic syndrome from setting in.

Research shows that within 4 weeks of experiment, which showed dramatic changes in blood sugar, neutral fat, rectum temperature that indicate an increase in fat burning abilities after consumption, and the amount of 13-oxo-ODA given to the mice in people terms makes up about a small glass (200ml) of tomato juice each meal.

Therefore, if you drink 3 glasses of tomato juice a day your body has all the 13-oxo-ODA it needs to promote steady fat burning without exercise. What? A steady fat burning without exercise, why not?

Tomatoes vitamins and minerals could also encourage healthy excretion of growth hormones in your body, and since they are only released while you are asleep, this is exactly the reason why you want to eat tomatoes before going to bed at night.

2. What are the nutritions in Tomatoes?

Outstanding antioxidant content, especially lycopene. Many reported that after 3-6 months of tomatoes consumption, they have fairer and smoother skin, and it is due lycopene. Lycopene could help promoting Melanin, an antioxidant which is connected to antiaging.

Tomatoes consist of vitamin C, biotin, molybdenum, and vitamin K. They are also a very good source of copper, potassium, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin B6, folate, niacin, vitamin E, and phosphorus.

3. What if you have them too much

Nothing is good when it is too much, and believe me, so do tomatoes. Generally, tomatoes are safe to eat, but they can also cause dietary complications for some people. Since they are naturally high in acid, tomatoes can cause heartburn for those with gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD.

According to source, people with a food intolerance to tomatoes may have difficulty digesting large quantities of tomato, and canned tomatoes can contain a lot of sodium, which may also cause health complications.

Lycopendodermia also happens when you consume an excessive amount of red foods like beets, tomatoes, chili beans and other fruits and berries. You will suffer from a reddish discoloration of your skin. Some people report seeing this after drinking large amounts of concentrated tomato juice.

Intake of Lycopene may result in lowered blood pressure as well. Caution is advised if you are already taking medicines to lower your blood pressure. So it is advisable to add less salt to your other dishes if you intake plenty of tomatoes, because by just consuming tomatoes, you are already intake a certain amount of sodium.

You could try to homegrown tomatoes in your home, as they are easy to plant. My homegrown tomatoes grew by accident, I usually throw all the juice leftover in the yard, as a natural fertilizer. But who would have thought my tomatoes leftover grow up and bear me these cherry tomatoes! They grow more and more these days, so why don’t you try homegrown it? It’s safer for both health and money.

Severe back pain, hardly moved neck lasted for years, it might be Ankylosing Spondylitis

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Many of you would have thought it probably just because of high cholesterols, or wrong sleeping position. It possibly be true, but it might also be something else. My fiancé suffers from a severe back pain and losing its neck flexibility of moving left and right. These symptoms happened for a couple of weeks and he decided to see a therapist.
He felt better every time therapy ends, but soon the pain came back again, and the pain had occurred for almost two years. One day I urged him to see a real doctor, an orthopedic, and so he followed my instruction. After a full body and medical checkup and MRI, doctor said that his back pain occurred because of inflammation. The inflammation was due to an excess protein produced in between bones, which then causes the bones to fuse time by time. The fusion affects patient flexibility to move, as well as pain in a long term.
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The excess protein produced was due to internal factor, which is the gene, HLA-B. This gene was mostly found in Caucasians, but only those with an active HLA-B will get Ankylosing Spondylits. This disease only occurs to man and do no harm to woman. The worst part of having this disease is it can be treated, but not be cured. Doctors said that this disease is inherited, but my fiancé parents had insisted that nobody in their families had ever had this disease.
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Personally, I denied calling it a disease, but I prefer to call it as an abnormality. A well-known Taiwan celebrity also has Ankylosing Spondylitis, he is the famous Jay Zhou. Jay said that he needed to take 7 pills each time he was in pain. If you happen to be an Ankylosingers, please do not feel embarrassed to it, because you are not alone.
Research has found that Biologics could help in fighting the inflammation, as well as slowing the fusion, however, the treatment is more expensive.
Medical Doctor Parade
Affordable NSAIDS drug, such as Voltaren and Arcoxia can be consumed if you are in a severe pain. It stops the pain, but it does not cure the fusion. However, using this drug in a long run could cause damage and side effect to your health and kidney. So, the only solution is to endure the pain and use the drug only when you really need it.
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We went to well-known orthopedic in Johor, rheumatologist in Singapore, but all of them said the same thing, which is to exercise and stay healthy. The best exercise for Ankylosingers is swimming. It enables us to move our whole body, movement reduces stiffness, and so it could reduce the pain and slower the fusion of the bones.
If you stay in Jakarta, Indonesia, I would recommend you to Prof. Dr. Harry Isbagio, you could click here for more information about the doctors. Please do not see Chiropractic without your doctor’s approval. My fiance went to see a chiropractic last week, he felt better after the therapy, but it hurt him much more tomorrow afterwards. Mistreatment might lead to severity, such as bone breaking, and many more. So I suggest you to please have your own personal rheumatologist and consult only to him, because nobody would know your body better than yourself and your personal doctor.

This writing is made so that you Ankylosingers do not feel alone, and I sincerely hope somehow it can be a help for you.