Larian merdeka-23rd july 2011

                                                                                

               The Larian Merdeka is a run for the independence of Malaysia..in fact it is one of the numerous coming events related to the independence of Malaysia that will be celebrated on 31st August.Concerning the Merdeka run that was held on 23rd july,it was organize in the s.k hishamuddin near Bank negara.

                  The starting and finishing line was located at the same place....the weather was quite cloudy in this Saturday morning but the race was set to start by 4.30pm so have plenty of time to get everything ready for the run...I was wishing that it start drizzling a bit during the race that will surely be a comfortable race for everyone involved given the hot temperature this past few days..for lunch I ate a quite balance food without proteins because of the digesting time that may last too long and can trigger a pain during the race.I left my house at around 2.30 pm as the the registration was due to start by 3.30 pm,oh forget to mention that I went there by using my bicycle as it allow me to warm up before the race as I am the type of runner that need a long warm up to prepare my body...When I was on the way to kl it start drizzling and I appreciate the little droplets on my skin that cool me down with this hot weather and after a while the rain turn from a drizzling state to a huge one..Oh my god..

              After a few mins I was wet and partly enjoy it hehe...remind me of some cycling race that I did where we use to cycle in some fierce rain until the droplet really hurt our skin and added to it was the cold temperature that was dangerously cooling down our body and the only solution was to keep on cycling to make the muscle produce the heat and keep our body alert..Going back to my trip to the race..at some time the rain intensity slow down a bit that allow me to dry out a bit..I reach the registration place at 3.15pm and a lot of kids was there waiting for the departure for there category,they were running everywhere, teasing there friends and some playing in the rain and were scolded by there teacher..hehe..we all experiences that time when we were at primary school and full of energy until that we break or hurt ourselves..hehe..Reaching the registration table,I do all the official thingy and the officer was very helpful and thanks to Mr Siva from the MAAA that has a great passion for sports.After a long delay of 40 mins my category start..Waow I make a big mistake by starting too fast as right around the first corner there was a very long step uphill part that slow me down completely as my heart rate was already around 80% but I manage to maintain my position until the summit and after that I loose a bit of my pace and was overtook by 2 other runners...but I learn from my mistake .....otherwise it was a nice afternoon race and the rain already stop at that time..and I finally finish 5th in my category..may be I could have done better if I know the race route but no excuse,I enjoy the race.. 

              My next race will be the Siemens run on 25th Sept if there is no race in August hehe...A special thought to Jacintha Chin that is a veteran runner and who is in a coma and any special donation are welcome to pay the medical bill and below are the details:

                                     Jacintha Chin during a 30 km race

Jacinta is now warded at
Hospital UKM
Jalan Yaacob Latif
Bandar Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur
(Opposite Taman Tasik Permaisuri)

5th Floor, Ward 5E, Bed 24
(Chin Ah Lan)

For those who wish to contribute, you may bank in your contribution to :
(joint account)
Albin Aleinus / Chin Ah Yung @ Judith (hp no : 016-588 7011)

Banker : Malayan Banking Berhad
Acc No : 160193004740

No amount is too small to bring a ray of hope to human kind.

A visit at Nuclear Malaysia Agency

                   A visit to the Malaysian Nuclear Agency shed new light for the academic staff and few master student. The visit included a visit to a decontamination facility where the visitors were introduced to another complex study of chemistry and physics.

                                                 Main entrance of Nuclear Malaysia Agency

                  Arriving at the agency building in Bangi, the Unikl group were introduced to Encik Rahman. He brought the group into an auditorium for a briefing. He went on to explain about the uses of nuclear reactions and radiations which sparked interest in the minds of the many people there.

                 Later, we were shown to a decontamination center outside the main facility. A tour around the facility drew the interest of the Unikl group once more. The facility featured a conveyor belt which circulated inside a 1.7 meter thick concrete walled chamber. Inside, a Cobalt-60 source would be radiated, killing germs in the packages sent through it.

                              Exhibition on the various research and implementation of nuclear usage

                According to a source, the facility usually receives Cocoa and medical apparatus which are in need to decontamination. The participants were then shown to a wide range of specimens which were passed through the radioactive chamber. However, the items were safe as they had been preserved for year at the facility.

               In the end of the visit,we all agree that we need nuclear for our own good but we were a bit afraid that the same scenario that happen in japan repeat over here as we increase our dependance on this source of energy that need a very high level of safety to ensure that there is no leakage

Is salt dangerous for our health!!!!

CHICAGO (July 11, 2011): Put down the salt shakers. Eating too much salt and too little potassium can
increase the risk of death, US government researchers said on Monday.

The findings from a team at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are a counterpoint to a fiercely-debated study released last week that found no evidence that making small cuts in salt intake lowers the risk of heart disease and premature death.

"Salt is still bad for you," said Dr Thomas Farley, Health Commissioner for New York City, which is leading a campaign to reduce salt in restaurant and packaged foods by 25% over five years.

Most health experts agree with Farley that consuming too much salt is not good for you and that cutting salt intake can reduce high blood pressure, which raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. Salt intake has been rising since the 1970s, with Americans consuming about twice the recommended daily limit.

The CDC study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, specifically focused on growing research that shows a diet high in salt and low in potassium is especially risky.
Farley, who wrote an editorial on the CDC study, said it is one of the best yet looking at the long-term effects of eating too much salt.
"It is entirely consistent with what we've said all along about sodium intake," Farley said in a telephone interview.
For the study, researchers looked at the long-term effects of sodium and potassium intake as part of a 15-year study of more than 12,000 people.
By the end of the study period, 2,270 of the study participants had died; 825 of these deaths were from heart disease and 433 were from blood clots and strokes.

Potassium is key
They found that people who had a high salt intake and a low potassium intake were most at risk.
"People who ate a diet high in sodium and low in potassium had a 50% increased risk of death from any cause, and about twice the risk of death – or a 200% increase – from a heart attack," said Dr Elena Kuklina of the CDC who helped lead the study.

She said consumers need to increase the levels of potassium in their diet by adding more servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, such as spinach, grapes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and low fat milk and yogurt.
The Salt Institute, an industry group, challenged the findings, pointing out that the CDC study found that the link between salt intake and heart disease was statistically insignificant.
"This is a highly flawed publication that reveals more about the anti-salt agenda being pursued by the CDC than about any relationship between salt and health," said Mort Satin, the Salt Institute's Director of Science and Research. "The only significance is between low potassium and mortality," Satin said in a statement.

Dr Robert Briss, director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC, said the findings support the general weight of evidence and suggests that higher doses of sodium are linked with poor health consequences.

And it suggests "that higher potassium may be better for you," Briss said in a telephone interview.
"About 90% of Americans consume more sodium than is recommended. This impacts their blood pressure," Briss said.

"Most of that sodium is not related to the salt shaker but it is in foods and especially processed and restaurant foods that we buy and order from restaurants. Consumers, even motivated ones, don't have as much choice as they could," he said.

Kuklina said potassium often counteracts the effects of salt in the diet. This equilibrium is affected when people eat highly processed foods, which tend to increase sodium levels and decrease potassium content.
"If sodium increases your high blood pressure, potassium decreases it. If sodium retains water, potassium helps you get rid of it," she said.

Instead of focusing only on salt, Kuklina said researchers should focus on the balance between potassium and salt.