nanyate » gijoy

Updates, Updates, Updates!

Ivy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:54:59 +0000

It has been a while since I last blogged about my daily life. Most of the time it’s because I don’t have much of a blogworthy life outside of work. But this time, it’s because I’ve been spending most of my time out, I haven’t found time to sit down to write.

Company Plant-a-tree Program

So my company organized a plant-a-tree program where a couple hundred of us went to Singapore’s Nature Reserves to plant some saplings. (I didn’t realize Singapore had nature reserves before this! *embarassed*) This was actually an eye-opening experience for me, and got me to appreciate nature a lot more than I ever did, so it deserves an entry on its own…some other time.

Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Singapore

SOYJOY Award Ceremony and Dinner

So the really fun SOYJOY GI Joy Blogger Challenge has come to an end. A big thank you for those of you who have supported me!

The SOYJOY Blogger Family: Rayner, Eunice, Nadia, me and Pamela.

The winners of the challenge are Nadia and Eunice. They are flying of the Japan as I write this entry! Congratulations!

The day after the awards ceremony, the 5 of us had dinner at Spruce with the guys from Ogilvy and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals.

Tangs Blogathon

Last Friday night, I made a pitstop at Tangs, a local upscale-ish department store to support some of the local bloggers, who had to blog for 24 hours at the department store windows in the middle of the Singapore’s busiest shopping district, Orchard Road.

LOL! It was definite a sight to feast upon. Pictures to be added later.

Nature Hike at Southern Ridges

As I was saying earlier, the plant-a-tree program had really etched the beauty of nature in my mind enough that I forced myself to wake up at 7am on a Sunday morning to walk the Southern Ridges, which is this 9KM trail across a few parks and nature reserves in Singapore.

Didn’t think I would survive the whole 9km, so I started midway at HortPark and walked all the way to VivoCity to have lunch at Marché.

So that’s it for now. I’m working on a few surprises. Stay tuned.

No related posts.

SOYJOY Challenge 4: Much Effort, Little Effort Video

Ivy — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:47:45 +0000

So our last SOYJOY challenge is a video/slideshow to show Much Effort, Little Effort. I decided to tell a story of two brothers Much and Little Effort with my wonderfully awful drawings that failed me my art classes in school.

Please excuse the watermark on the YouTube video. I had to use a free converter since MS Powerpoint couldn’t convert my slideshow into a video. The timing is a little off as well. Sigh, the perils of technology. If you’d like to view the original high quality version (with the right timings), download my powerpoint here.

[edit] I remade the slideshow into a video! The watermark was just not happening for me. Had to give up my lunch for this! Talk about Much Effort! T__T Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it! BTW, you can still download the original powerpoint here. [/edit]

Credits

Tools

Drawn with: pencil, paper & my lack of artistic skills
Touched up & colored with: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Slideshow: Microsoft Powerpoint
Audio mixing: Audacity & my playlist of ~~otaku music~~ anime soundtracks
1st video conversion: Authorstream.com & iMovie HD
2nd video conversion: Adobe Photoshop Extended CS4 & Windows Movie Maker

Tracklisting
Big thanks to the composers and artists.

Toshio Masuda – Jiraiya no Theme [Naruto OST]
Taku Iwasaki – Iza, Shousei!! [Yakitate!! Japan OST]
Benny Benassi – Satisfaction
DEDEDEJr – K.K. Bossa [Animal Crossing OST]
Toshio Masuda – Kehai [Mushishi OST]
Yoshimori Makoto – Nyankorasetsu [Natsume Yuujinchou OST]

Calorie and Glycemic Index Info

THANK YOU!!

And that brings the SOYJOY GI Challenge to a close. Huge thanks to all my friends and readers for support. And another big thank you for the guys at Ogilvy, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals as well as the other 4 bloggers for all the fun!

SOYJOY Challenge 3: What is Glycemic Index?

Ivy — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:29:45 +0000

If you’ve ever checked out a SOYJOY bar or the hila rious ads, you probably have seen this:

What is Glycemic Index?

The GI is a list of foods that are given a rating, from 1 to 100, based on how fast they break down and release sugars into your bloodstream. Food with a low Glycemic Index (55 and under) release glucose to the bloodstream at a gradual rate. Food with a high Glycemic Index (70 and above), on the other hand, releases sugar into the bloodstream rapidly, causing a sugar rush (and the eventual crash).

What are some examples of low GI and high GI foods

Some low GI foods include:

16: Soy Beans
19: Apple SOYJOY Bar
22: Cherries
27: Whole Milk
28: Raisin Almond SOYJOY Bar
38: Apples
54: Bananas

And high GI foods:

72: Bagels
76: Doughnuts
83: Cornflakes
87: White rice (instant)
92: Scones

Glycemic Index and Your Lifestyle

Sedentary office people (like yours truly) who don’t have the time to go to the gym or eat meals regularly should stock up on low GI foods. That way we would have a sustained amount of sugar throughout the day, preventing that 3-4pm sleepiness we are all so prone to.

Athletes and other more active people should still maintain a low GI diet, although they could profit from consuming high GI foods (in moderation) after exercise to replenish their energy levels. (Now you know why sports drinks have high GI.)

Glycemic Index and Weight Loss

Studies have shown that weight loss is possible with low GI diets. Researchers put together two groups of rats to demonstrate the effect GI had on weight. One group was fed on a low GI diet, while the other on a high GI diet. 18 weeks later, the low GI rats maintained their body weight, while the high GI rats became a whopping 71% fatter!

Another study was conducted with children. Kids who were fed breakfast with low GI reduced their daily energy intake by 60 calories. That’s 1830 calories over a month or 21,840 calories over a year, which is about 38 burgers. So it’s not surprising that over time, these children become susceptible to obesity and the slew of medical complications (like type 2 diabetes and heart disease) that come with it.

So before you stuff those cornflakes or doughnut in your mouth, think of the poor fat rats that were put on 18 week high GI diet against their will. Or perhaps that 38 sinful burgers that could have saved yourself from. You have a choice and you now have the knowledge, so the next time you need a snack, pick up a low GI food instead – perhaps something like an apple or a SOYJOY bar?

Or even better, an Apple SOYJOY, which is still a crowd favorite here at my office.

Sources:

http://hubpages.com/hub/glycemicfoods
http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index
http://www.eufic.org/page/en/page/LS/fftid/Low-GI-breakfast-impact-appetite-children
And a book. Forgot the title. Oops! Will update this when I find it.

Office Snacking

Ivy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:44:47 +0000

This week for the GI JOY Challenge, the bloggers are to write about how we each enjoy our SOYJOY bars.

I could come up with a few brilliant ways of eating SOYJOY, but to be honest, I like my SOYJOY bars best when they’re half an arm’s length from my workstation… in my pencil holder.

As a corporate communications professional, I work pretty long hours. I arrive at the office at 9am and leave around 7pm daily. Although, I have to admit, leaving at like 9 – 10pm isn’t uncommon when there are major events around the corner. So hunger has always been a problem for me. I don’t have to time to grab a bite, yet I have to resist against whatever is lying around the department pantry since they’re all high on fat and sugar. While they do satiate me for a while, I also end up crashing from all that sugar high and start feeling all sleepy and hungry again. (I’ll leave the science of this for next week’s challenge.) The worst comes when I have to deal with the guilt after reading the nutrition labels for these things.

Anyway, since I started putting my SOYJOY in my pencil holder, I don’t have to starve and feel guilty about snacking anymore. My desk has also become a second (and a much healthier) pantry for my department, since my equally hungry colleagues can now help themselves to some SOYJOY even when I’m not around.

Talking about colleagues and SOYJOY, I’d like to take this opportunity to say that the apple flavor is the biggest hit in my department. So if you’d like try a SOYJOY bar, I highly recommend apple!

Dear Readers, what are your snacking habits like? Do you feel guilty about snacking? What do you have in your office pantry / fridge (for those still in school)?

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for their support! Please do keep the votes coming in. You can vote once every 3 hours.

Challenge #1: Free SoyJoy Bars For You!!

Ivy — Mon, 25 May 2009 01:43:50 +0000

Our first SOYJOY challenge has just started! We’re giving out FREE SOYJOY bars to your workplace! (Singapore, only.) Basically, the blogger who recruits the most # of companies will win this challenge. So do sign up with me, okay?

The closing date to submit your request is this Saturday, May 30 2009.

Sign Up

So if you’d like to stock up your pantry with healthy snacks, ~~fill out the form below.~~

Please do feel free to extend this invitation to your friends’ and family’s workplaces! If you require an EDM, let me know.

The submission period has ended! Thanks a lot for your submissions! Your call will be answered soon!

The SOYJOY Blogger Challenge

The SOYJOY Blogger Challenge

Ivy — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:05:10 +0000

Along with 4 other awesome Singapore bloggers, I was chosen by the guys at Ogilvy team to participate in blog challenge / campaign for SOYJOY, a healthy fruit bar from Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (who also brought the world Pocari Sweat ポカリスエット).

The 5 of us bloggers will be competing in a series of challenges over the next few months. The winners will get free trip to Japan to visit the Otsuka factory to watch how SOYJOY is made.

What this means is that I will be updating my blog much more frequently over the next few months. (not just about SOYJOY of course!) And if I win, I will do a Japan special covering everything from the Otaku HQ, Akihabara to the streets of fashion, Harajuku!

So, my dear readers please vote for me!

All you have to do is go to GI-Joy.com and click on “Vote” under my name! (I’m the one doing squats!) Alternatively, you can click on the flashy banner on my sidebar to vote! If all that’s too complicated, just regularly commenting would be fine too! <3

And if you’d like to go an extra mile…

Get everyone and their dog to vote! Feel free to user Twitter or add my blogger badge to your site.. but no spamming, okay? The blogger badge code is here:
<br /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gi-joy.com/badgeIvy.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /> </object><br />

…and in return, if I win, the one who helps generate the most votes/publicity will receive a FREE fully-customized, standards compliant, widget ready WordPress theme from yours truly!

And I shall end this shameless self-promoting spiel now. Stay tuned for the blog challenge #1 and part 2 of “Stuff Singaporeans Like”.