London is most popular destination among US travellers |
- London is most popular destination among US travellers
- Healthy food raw-ing to go
- Paul Manio: A life of purpose
- It’s that time of the year again…ready to eat for abundance and luck?
- Asian stocks drop fourth week amid China growth slowdown concern
| London is most popular destination among US travellers Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:01 PM PST
That's according to Hotels.com, which came up with a list of the most frequented destinations of 2013 based on numbers from its own Hotel Price Index. The latest ranking — albeit only focusing on one market — comes in the aftermath of a recent spat between Paris and London, in which French officials and media disputed claims that London is on track to overtake Paris with a projected 16 million international visitors in 2013. The significance? That would knock Paris off its perch as the most visited city in the world. Meanwhile, in the Hotels.com report, Toronto bumped Rome to fourth place to crack the top three spots thanks to a plunging Canadian dollar and "captivating art scene." The report also singles out Dubai as a destination to watch, as the affluent city surpassed longtime favourites like Madrid, Florence, and Venice, cracking the top 15 foreign cities on the list. Last year alone, the city opened 16 new properties and a new airport to much fanfare. Here are the top 10 most popular foreign cities of 2013 amongst American travellers by Hotels.com — destinations expected to continue to trend this year, the report says. 1. London 2. Paris 3. Toronto 4. Rome 5. Vancouver 6. Tokyo 7. Hong Kong 8. Montreal 9. Barcelona 10. Niagara Falls — AFP-Relaxnews  |
| Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST
Their company -- Delicious Detox Delivery -- offers customers three different packages: 7-day Detox Menu, 7-day Smoothie Detox and 5-day Detox Lunch Menu. Delicious Detox Delivery only serves vegan, gluten-free food and it's not just healthy but really yummy. The Zucchini Spaghetti with Hempseed Pesto is gluten-free; the pasta is actually made from zucchini but it tastes exactly like spaghetti minus the carbohydrates! Light and refreshing, it fills you up so you don't have to worry about going hungry. Then there is the Raw Pizza and Spinach Quiche which are equally amazing even though they are entirely made of seeds, nuts and vegetables! One bite leaves you wanting for more and the "crust" is crunchy. Delicious Detox Delivery only uses the freshest ingredients so the vegetables are flavourful and juicy. But what about dessert? If you miss having cheesecake, the Lime Mango Cheesecake tastes almost like the real thing except no dairy was used in the making of the cake. The chef, Azeb Tersitewold, didn't want to tell me what she used to replace the cheese but it doesn't matter because you can't taste the difference. So how did Delicious Detox Delivery come about?
She had come to Malaysia from Germany in 2000, and she started out by selling second-hand books in a company called Pay Less Books. A few years down the road, she started her restaurant and eventually closed down Pay Less Books. Lipold arrived in Malaysia two years ago and she was looking to get into the health and wellness market here.
Wollschon and Lipold met just when Wollschon closed Eco-Oasis. Wollschon teamed up with another restaurant and offered the detox programme again but she designed it in a way that people had to pick up the meals. Lipold wanted to try out the detox programme and asked if Wollschon delivered but she said no. "At that time, I didn't have transport. It was very difficult for me to go to the restaurant so I went online to see who could deliver raw, healthy food and there was nobody so I called Elke again and said 'You know, there is nobody else (that does a detox delivery programme). We should do that, we should start and do this ourselves," said Lipold. And thus, the idea for Delicious Detox Delivery was born. That was one year ago.
"We searched for a team, there are two of us together with a cook and delivery man," said Lipold. Wollschon did not want to start big, she planned to start with the least amount of capital. "It is good to start organically small with what really is the basic and what you need and then go from there," she added. Both Wollschon and Lipold are health and wellness coaches with Lispold focusing on fitness and nutrition while Wollschon is a relationship expert and a life coach. Yes, Delicious Detox Delivery is not just about food as they offer consultations, workshops, personal training and advice as well. "I noticed that people want to change their lives and live healthier but they don't know how to begin and don't know where. That's why our tagline is 'Health and nutrition made easy' because you really get healthy with organic food delivered to your doorstep. So if you just take the decision and say you want to change something in your lifestyle, in your diet then we have a solution for it," said Lipold.
But doing delivery has its challenges as well. "The recipes are not really a problem but we need to make sure that the food still looks good when we deliver the next day. In a restaurant, you can do different recipes because you can make it and instantly serve it. That's not the case in a delivery business so that was the challenge, to find enough variety, enough things that will still look good and still taste good the following day. So that took a little while. It took some testing like making food, leaving it overnight to see if it still looks nice," said Wollschon. Delicious Detox Delivery is not limited to Western recipes as they also serve Asian cuisine. They have spicy foods like curry and sushi rolls made of vegetables to adapt to the local palate. "We offer a variety because people here are adventurous when it comes to food and also our aim is to get a few people to take a few ideas and see how they can incorporate into their lives later on when they are not on our programme," said Wollschon. Since Delicious Detox Delivery is about raw food, you do not have to heat up the food. The food should be kept chilled at all times. If you prefer to eat it at room temperature, just leave it out awhile before consuming. Lipold advised not to put it out too long, especially not overnight because it is not cooked and does not have preservatives.
Before embarking on the detox programmes, customers are required to fill up a questionnaire online to determine their health status. After that, there will be a 30-minute private consultation over the phone so that Wollschon and Lipold can help you set goals, find out if there are any allergies, how to follow through the programme and give advice.
"They can also hire us for private coaching sessions," said Wollschon. According to Lipold, a lot of people have problems with their food because they have problems within themselves or some issues they have never worked on. Delicious Detox Delivery also offers the option of picking up the food from their headquarters in Sentul if you don't want to pay for delivery. Upcoming in July would be raw cooking workshops where people can learn how to prepare raw food in a four-hour-long class. "Energetically, we know that raw food itself has a higher vibration. Cooked and canned food has no more energy, it's dead. It has calories but it does not give you vital energy. That is also a very big difference between the foods. Raw food has the highest energy, sprouts have high energy and that's why we also use a lot of essential oils in our food preparation because they have the highest vibrational energy of anything on this planet. It is higher than the dried plants and the dried herbs. Therefore our food is very much enhanced with energy," explained Wollschon. "Our food is made of organic fruits, nuts, seeds and veggies," added Lipold. According to Lipold, most people who are overweight are undernourished. When you look at the nutrients they have in their bodies, there is a deficiency in certain vitamins and minerals and when their bodies don't have them, they don't function properly and that's why they eat more.
So what's next for the company? "What we want to offer this year are nice catering packages for corporate companies. When we started, we had a lot of clients saying, you know what we have are terrible food when we have boardroom meetings and no nice snacks or cakes. Since we're both also coaches, trainers and nutritionists we can actually offer not just catering but also programmes for the companies," said Wollschon. There are also healthy dry snacks for those who do not want to go on the detox programmes. These include gluten-free chocolates, granola and pizza bases which are dehydrated. To promote healthy living, Wollschon and Lipold also plan to participate in bazaars. For more details on Delicious Detox Delivery, visit their website http://www.deliciousdetoxdelivery.com. This story was first published in Crave in the print edition of The Malay Mail on January 24, 2014. |
| Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST
He thought that if he could make a difference in the corporate world, he could make a difference in growth countries like Cambodia. Ahkoon empowers Cambodian children by providing them with an education through up-cycling used rice sacks and cement bags, turning them into guitar cases, messenger bags, wallets and pouches. We chat with Manio about Ahkoon, and how he is changing Cambodian children's lives, one up-cycled rice sack at a time. 1. Can you tell us what Ahkoon's about? Ahkoon means thank you in the Cambodian language (Khmer) and that is really the foundation of the company: bringing everyone back to humble beginnings and appreciating things we take for granted. We are a full cycle company, which means we work from beginning to end. Our products are up-cycled from rice sacks and cement bags and we work with fair trade workers who hand-make our products in Cambodia. When a product is sold, the proceeds help fund children's education in Cambodia -- something very important to look at for a developing country, as the children are our future. 2. Why did you see the need to do this in Malaysia and Cambodia? I've noticed that Malaysia is becoming more aware, educated and sensitive to the environment and I wanted to bring a product that added to this environmental awareness by the means of selling eye-catching useful apparel and accessories. Ahkoon products stand out on their own and when people find out that the material we use has been up-cycled, they are pleasantly surprised. 3. How did it all first started? My co-founder Gabriel Lannerdorfer and I went on a holiday in Cambodia and saw one of these bags in a market. Every time we used the bags, we would get stopped and asked where we got it. We thought it was pretty cool when we got it, but we never thought it would get so much attention from others. It made us do more research about the bag and after visiting a few manufacturers, we were inspired by the stories of the fair trade workers and also the positive opportunity to give back.
The biggest challenge is funding. We plan on expanding into two more countries in 2014: Australia and somewhere in Europe, but we don't have the means to do it yet. At the same time, we are trying to raise RM20,000 to start the foundation of a second school in Cambodia (currently we are at 24 per cent of that target). 5. So far, how's the response in Malaysia? The response in Malaysia has been great. People are starting to be more aware of our products and we are developing a loyal clientele. I was out once and someone came up to me asking, "Hey, aren't you the owner of Ahkoon?" That compliment made my night! 6. Who helps out with the operations? Do you have volunteers? I am the operations manager, the marketing manager, the secretary and the coffee runner. During bazaars and markets, I am fortunate to have a group of friends who support the company (of course with a beer bribe here and there). Friends are key in start-ups and I am both thankful and lucky to have some great friends who are experts in different fields whom I can seek advice from when needed.
Honestly, Ahkoon is no different from organizations like Toms or Warby Parker, where a product purchased gives back to the community. I do work very closely with the manufacturer of our products (down from quality control to design) and have visited the children whose education we help fund. In the future, I want to plan that every Ahkoon employee would partake in the hands-on-work that goes into a product. I want them to experience our product from beginning to end. 8. What else can we do to aid disadvantaged societies? Share, educate and be more sustainable. We can share our expertise with those less privileged by doing something as simple as providing workshops within a local community or offering apprenticeships by taking someone under your wing. Opening the doors for a child who cannot afford to go to school is key -- we can help through donations or by taking time off and teaching children basics like reading and writing. Finally, being more environmentally conscious is another step; up-cycling is a fun way to turn something that had no use into something useful. So you should challenge yourself and your family to be more creative in finding new uses for things you may normally throw away! 9. Besides buying from Ahkoon, how can the public help out? Starting February 1, Ahkoon will have an Indiegogo (a crowd funding site) campaign online. Visit our website www.ahkoon.com for more details. We also accept donations through Paypal. But it doesn't stop there: Ahkoon will soon have a portal to connect you to volunteer opportunities within Cambodia and Malaysia to share your expertise, teach at a school and hold workshops on sustainability! 10. What's next for Ahkoon? We are looking at creating a new product for Ahkoon. We are extremely excited as we are in the development stage of launching our new backpack. We are also looking for more exposure within Malaysia (also across the world) and are looking for wholesalers, distributors or partners! If you or someone you know is interested, please contact us at [email protected] |
| It’s that time of the year again…ready to eat for abundance and luck? Posted: 24 Jan 2014 04:55 PM PST
This allows you to enjoy the various textures – the crunch of the dough crackers, fried yam shreds or even the bouncy jellyfish strands -- without a cloying sauce masking everything. Eat it straightaway for a crunchy taste. Leave it for a few minutes and it tastes even better as the sauce made with preserved plums and apricots really gets into the mixture. At Chef Choi, ocean trout is preferred over salmon for its fresher and less salty taste. As you arm yourself with the super long chopsticks... toss to happiness, good health and prosperity as loud as you can for the new lunar year. Next, relish the nourishing clear soup akin to a consomme served in individual bowls. Each bowl holds a whole dried scallop, shark's fin and bamboo pith.
Abundance is the name of the game at these festive feasts, like the braised mini abalones with shiitake mushrooms and sea cucumber served with broccoli florets. The Chinese love the texture of the sea cucumber eaten for its collagen properties, while the abalone and mushroom are braised till tender.
Next is a steamed fish lightly anointed with soy sauce -- a must for the festivities for its auspicious meaning and the delicate sweet taste. Vegetables are in the form of braised dry scallop with baby Wawa cabbage. The cabbage is prized for its tender texture and sweet taste. The piece de resistance is the steamed rice with Chinese sausage and waxed meat in a claypot. Usually, as you work your way through the various courses, the stomach is almost filled to the brim.
Savour the taste of the air dried waxed meats especially the aromatic goose liver sausage brought in specially from Yung Kee, the goose specialists in Hong Kong.
Chinese glutinous rice dumpling or tong yuen filled with black sesame paste. The roundness of the tong yuen is believed to be a symbol of harmony and unity.
Restaurant Chef Choi, 159, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Tel:03-21635866. This story was first published in Crave in the print edition of The Malay Mail on January 24, 2014.
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| Asian stocks drop fourth week amid China growth slowdown concern Posted: 24 Jan 2014 04:41 PM PST
Cnooc Ltd. slumped 8.7 per cent in Hong Kong after an output growth forecast from China's biggest offshore oil and gas producer fell short of its five-year average target. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. fell 2.5 per cent as investors in a troubled trust product distributed by the lender met officials, demanding their money amid concern of a default. Newcrest Mining Ltd., a gold producer, climbed 3.2 per cent in Sydney as the precious metal capped a fifth week of gains. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slid 1.4 per cent to 137.64 this week. The gauge fell a fourth straight week as a survey from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics indicated Chinese factory output will shrink this month. The measure's 5.1 per cent advance from the end of August pushed valuations on the gauge to 13 times estimated earnings, above the average multiple during the past three years. "There will be a correction of 10 per cent or more," Monty Guild, chief investment officer of Los Angeles-based Guild Investment Management Inc., which manages US$143 million in global equity funds, said by e-mail about stocks globally. "We see China as an unattractive place to invest." Japan's Topix index fell 2.5 per cent this week and the Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 2.2 per cent as the yen strengthened against the dollar. South Korea's Kospi index lost 2.4 per cent and New Zealand's NZX 50 Index declined 0.4 per cent. Singapore's Straits Times Index slid 2.3 per cent and Taiwan's Taiex Index was little changed. Australian shares Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index retreated 1.2 per cent on the week. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Westpac Banking Corp. pushed back their forecasts for when Australia's central bank will lower interest rates, with the strongest inflation in two years offsetting rising joblessness. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slid 2.95 per cent and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, known as the H-share gauge of mainland firms listed in the city, slipped 1.5 per cent. One- third of investors surveyed in a Bloomberg Global Poll this month said China's economic slowdown is the world's major risk, up from 26 per cent in November. The preliminary reading of 49.6 for a Purchasing Managers' Index by HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics on Jan. 23 compares with a final figure of 50.5 in December and a 50.3 median estimate of 19 analysts in a Bloomberg News survey. A number below 50 indicates contraction. Bottom out China's Shanghai Composite Index will probably bottom out within days and begin to rebound, said Tom DeMark, a developer of market-timing indicators who predicted the measure's rally from a four-year low in June. The gauge may slip to as low as 1,952, or 4.4 per cent below its January 23 close, and then rally "sharply," DeMark wrote in an e-mailed response to questions from Bloomberg News Jan. 23. The Shanghai Composite, which touched an intraday low of 1,984.82 on January 20, has lost 2.9 per cent this year. Thailand's SET Index rose 1.5 per cent, a third week of gains, even as bombings and shootings threaten to derail elections scheduled for February 2. The Bank of Thailand cut this year's growth forecast to about 3 per cent from a November prediction of 4 per cent after holding its policy rate at 2.25 per cent this week. The nation's stocks gauge is down 10 per cent in the past year. Cnooc, ICBC Cnooc lost 8.7 per cent to HK$12.66 (RM5.44) this week. The Beijing-based energy explorer said it will produce 422 million to 435 million barrels of oil equivalent, or a 5.6 increase from a year earlier. The company maintained its 6 per cent to 10 per cent average annual production growth target from 2011 to 2015 with the proviso that key offshore projects start on time. ICBC slid 2.5 per cent to HK$4.76 as investors in a trust product that it distributed demanded their money back. Individuals were asked to sink at least 3 million yuan (RM1.65 million) in the 3 billion-yuan Credit Equals Gold No. 1 product amid guarantees that it was "100 per cent safe," said Fang Ping, one of 20 investors who went into the branch. The product, which comes due on January 31, raised funds for a coal mining company that collapsed after its owner was arrested. Newcrest gained 3.2 per cent to AUD9.48 (RM27.50). Zijin Mining Group Co. rose 1.8 per cent to HK$1.71. Gold climbed 1 per cent this week. Lenovo Group Ltd. surged 4 per cent to HK$10.44 after agreeing to buy International Business Machines Corp.'s low-end server business for US$2.3 billion. The deal price includes about US$2 billion of cash, with the rest coming in shares of Beijing-based Lenovo. The transaction now faces regulatory scrutiny, including a likely national-security review that could slow or scuttle the purchase. — Bloomberg |
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