Breakfast. Break fast. Yes, it is the most important meal of the day because it is the meal when you break the fasting state that your body has gone through the night. 

Skip breakfast and you’ll feel sluggish at work, and then famished at lunch. What do you do when you’re famished? You pig out! 

Nutrition is extremely important for performance, especially in terms of sport performance. Considering the jump in intensity for trainings in preparation for the Singapore River Regatta, Kiyah-Splashhies should have a good meal before turning up for trainings. 

WHY? 

A good breakfast provides your body with the necessary nutrients and energy that you need to last throughout your workout. This is especially important since our training lasts more than 2 hours, combining water and land trainings. For guys looking to bulk up, if you train for that long without eating beforehand, please say good bye to nice hunky muscles. 

WHAT? 

No, no matter what Ronald MacDonald says on TeeVee, eating MacDonald’s for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner or tea is NOT the way to go.  

The typical Singaporean fare of fried beehoon with chicken wings, hotdog and luncheon meat won’t do either. The oil will likely make you queasy halfway through the training. 

White toast with kaya? You’ll feel energized on your way to Kallang, but believe me, once you get into the boat, you’ll feel hungry and tired before even rowing. 

That’s what happens when you consume simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs causes a sudden spike in insulin levels, causing a sugar crash after. But let’s leave the details out shall we? 

Special Kiyah-Splashh! Breakfast Menu: 

Set A – Apple Cinnamon Delight 

• 1 Cup plain non-fat yogurt (Try Marigold’s, quite nice)
• 1 Apple, cubed
• Ground cinnamon powder
• Raisins and nuts (Baked, not fried and/or salted)

Pour the yogurt into a bowl, cut the apple and mix into yogurt. Sprinkle the ground cinnamon powder. Serve with some baked nuts and raisins if you like. 

Set B – Go bananas! 

• 1/2 cup rolled oats, measured dry
• 1 Banana
• 1/2 cup low-fat/skim milk

Warm the milk on the stove, add the dry oats and cook. Mash half the banana in bowl, slice the other half. Cook oats till the consistency that you like, then add in mashed banana and stir. Pour contents into the bowl of sliced banana. Eat! 

Set C – Ya Kun  Kiyah Toast 

• 2 Slices Multigrain/Wholegrain/Whole wheat bread
• 1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter (Try Adam’s. No sugar, no hydrogenated oil, ingredient only peanuts)
• 2 soft-boiled eggs

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Remember, abs are made in the kitchen! ;) 

AHHH!! Butterfly arms! *gasp*

XOXO, 

Ali

Although we frequently read/hear of media reports about political and religious dissent in the country (especially recently), Lahore was surprisingly peaceful. Still, my mum froze for a second when I told her I’m going there. Lahore is about 6 hrs away from Singapore, and I was there to attend a conference for APAC mobile operators, hosted by Warid Telecom (SingTel just bought a stake in this company).

Aside from the meetings and presentations, the conference delegates took time off to visit several attractions in Lahore. Lahore Fort, a structure constructed between 1566 and 1673 A.D., boasts a grandeur of Moghal Architecture. I took a close look at the walls, and found it nicely well-preserved!

But the highlight of the trip, was a visit to the Wagah Border. Wagah Border, about 25 km away from Lahore, is the check-post separating the hostile neighbours of Pakistan and India. 2 heavy gates (1 at Pakistan’s side, 1 at India’s side) define this sensitive border, and every evening at 6pm, 1,000 Pakistanis and 2,000 Indians will gather here to watch the flag-lowering ceremony. This ceremony, which is replicated on both camps, demonstrates the standard of pomp and precision expected from 2 nations of military might. It is difficult for me to explain the process of flag-lowering, with just a few happy pictures of me. You can watch it from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18QFTStzimM. Now, why doesn’t Singapore and Malaysia have this at the causeway too?

 

I arrived on Monday morning in the city centre of Zurich (Bahnhof-Strasse), which was rather gloomy and quiet.  The street was laid with shops on both sides, and I tried to see if there was any good buy. No, even the Swiss-made products (e.g. watch brands) were expensive over there.

And because the poorie me had nothing to buy, my colleagues and I took a 3 hrs train ride to Villars after lunch at Marche (yes, they have Marche over there, and I ate rosti!). Villars is actually a french-speaking resort town that is nearer to Geneva. As Villars is located among the alps, the view is naturally breath-taking.

It was my first time attempting to ski, and it is much more difficult as compared to what I see on TV. Although there was a ski instructor to guide us on the fundamentals of skiing, I still fell on my fours, when I skiied down an easy slope. And my legs were aching after the morning session. Of course I was embarrassed when I saw some small children skiing past me with ease.

On the night before I left, the temperature in Villars was -7 degrees celcius. It is one of the coldest climate I have experienced. That is why I still love the sun, which I get to enjoy with the rest of the team during our weekly trainings, whooppeee!!!