Himalaya Herbals: Triphala Review

I have always suffered from bloating. I love food but eating in general makes me uncomfortable, due to the after effect. Bloating not only makes my belly bigger than it really is, I end up being gassy at both ends until the food digests.

I learned that some people have missing enzymes in their stomach that causes them to digest certain types of foods inefficiently. That certainly rings true for me as some of the food that I eat simply doesn't digest! (How I know? I looked back to examine my er...'brownies' and saw that the food I chewed remained as bolus and not 'brownies'). Therefore I am convinced that my stomach is missing some digestive enzymes.

This poses a huge problem, as the foods that you eat determines the health of your second brain, the GI-tract. The GI-tract contains beneficial bacteria that helps in digestion and absorption of food. So imagine having a wonky stomach content and the GI-tract unable to recognize the breakdown of the digested food, because the undigested bolus interrupts the GI-tract and...you get the picture.

When I bake brownies in the wazoo, the experience had always been unpleasant for me. Some days I am positively a musical human march band.

So I began to research foods and supplements that would help in digesting my foods, also act as my digestive enzyme that would not irritate my GI-tract. You see, we're essentially looking at probiotics here. 

Yoghurt is the easiest and convenient access to probiotics but the ones on the supermarket shelf has preservatives and sugars in it. Did I mention that my stomach can't also digest sugar effectively?My research explains why I seem to have fatty deposits on specific parts of my body; making me look completely out of shape. There's also another problem: I am lactose-intolerant. So yoghurt, easily accessible as they may be, 1) I can't digest fucking milk, 2) it has sugar. Both of which would only worsen my condition. 

So I researched probiotics and supplements similar to that. I found Triphala. Pronounced tree-palla. 

What is Triphala? According to Banyan Botanicals, literally meaning “three fruits”, triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulation consisting of three fruits native to the Indian subcontinent: Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Bibhitaki (Terminalia belerica) and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula). 

Benefits listed are as follows:

Assists natural internal cleansing

• Gently maintains regularity
• Nourishes and rejuvenates the tissues
• Supports healthy digestion and absorption
• Natural antioxidant

I have found the magic elixir that basically cured my digestive health. The first few days I started on this capsule, I had the shits like there was no end to it. Triphala does that you see: cleanses your gut, liver and spleen of impurities and toxins. After approximately 5 days, I noticed absolutely incredible changes in my digestive health.

I am no longer a walking human trumpet, there are farts here and there but not as frequent as before. I poop regularly, my bloating stopped.

This doesn't mean I can eat those foods whose enzymes had been missing. Nay, I still eat food where the sugars are naturally occurring like some fruits and veges. The odd teh tarik and milo panas now doesn't bloat if I pop in 2 capsules after eating. I eat 2-3 capsules right after eating and the results have been tremendous. I no longer suck my stomach to hide the bloat nor do I waddle like I am 4 months pregnant.

My stomach is slowly becoming flatter as Triphala also assist in weight loss if taken with proper food and exercise.

The brand I am using is Himalaya Herbals' Triphala vegan capsules. At the time I bought this, there was sale but I ended up buying only a bottle as I did not know how well it worked for me. Had I known, I would have bought boxes of it!

So if you a gal (or gent) that suffers from bloating and indigestion like me, try this.

DISCLAIMER: Make sure you research thoroughly about Triphala like I did before deciding to go ahead with it. This magic elixir is extremely potent and reacts differently in some people!

The Innocents (2016): Review

A Polish-French movie set in WWII Poland in 1945, tells a story of a young French nurse who ends up helping some pregnant nuns in a closeby church.

The movie beautifully explores PTSD, doing what is right despite your believes, questioning your faith and everything you have lived by your entire life.

The nun's lives are changed forever by the French nurse Mathilde, who takes greats risks to travel between her French Red Cross mission and the church, while avoiding invading Russian soldiers. 

The movie may be jarring and uncomfortable to some, but this was based on a true story. Of how a lone young woman protected a group of vulnerable nuns from relieving their nightmares for the umpteenth time.

The ending is bittersweet but satisfying, thanks to Mathilde's bravery and excellent presence of mind.

A truly woman-positive movie that we all deserved.

Acting was natural, emotions were delivered calmly yet remained powerful in their impact. The quiet resilience theme of this movie is what got to me the most, being a non-dramatic person myself.

Highly recommended. Does not portray women as simpering ninnies, but women who are broken by their repeated nightmares yet still finding the strength to live.

Director Anne Fontaine carved the delivery of this movie sensitively, with a lot empathy and projected kindness for women who's live revolve around suffering alone.

Malaysian Passport Renewal via Online

Consider this a long overdue review. My laziness knows no boundaries.

Ever since we received the irresponsible news from Malaysian Immigration that passport booklet stock is in a deplete and that renewal could take up to 6 months, Malaysians flocked to Immigration Offices, queue-ing up from 3am onwards just to get numbers; travelling became a nightmare.

I have been a victim of this too, sacrificing my well-deserved weekends queue-ing up at immigration offices only to find that I am unable to get a number (angka giliran).

Fearing for my impending overseas travel in 3 weeks and my passport expiring in 3 months, I had no choice but to put my hands on the MyOnline Passport system that commenced in 03 Sept 2016. I began my application on the very next day.

Paying online was a hassle, a damned nightmare as the FXS payment system was permanently down, promptig me to refresh for the millionth time and even sacrifice my lunch breaks at work to sit in front of the computer and eat while damnably clicking refresh. While at home, on the 4th Sept (Saturday), FXS payment was finally up and I managed to make payment. E-Receipt was issued and my instruction was to come the next day (6th Sept, Sunday) to collect at my chosen Immigration office. I chose the Pudu UTC as it is nearest to my office. I could just pop in after work.

So I sacrificed yet another weekend, as collection was only between 9.00am-4.30pm. So after one hour journey from home, I gleefully reached the Pudu office only to be told collections are never on weekends  but weekdays only. I shoved the receipt on his face and pointed that I am following instructions.

He then pointed to an instruction, conveniently printed in small font, that says collection is only from Monday-Friday with the times specified above. I fumed. I fumed at the very polite and apologetic immigration officer, I fumed during my entire journey home. I fumed at the Malaysian Immigration customer complaints page.

I decided to wait one week to give these guys leeway in preparing my passport. I went back Friday the next week around 3.00pm and thankfully I was given a number as I was an "online payment" customer. I waited 15 minutes for my number to be called only to be told that my picture is wrong. So the very polite and patient immigration officer (he was tho, I am not being sarcastic) apologized and took my picture and told me that after this I can collect, just wait for my number.

I am a very prepared and resourceful young woman you see, anticipating the long wait commonplace in government offices, I brought my knitting needle and yarn. Let the wait begin.

I waited for exactly one hour when my number was called. I finished a simple square dishcloth by that time.

Apalagi, gumbira lah dapat passport baru. Signed the forms, new passport and retrieved the old one.

Went home. I actually stood in the Immigration office hallway and just LOOKED at my shiny new passport. Doesn't matter that my passport photo looked like a mugshot. I had a new passport valid for 5 years. I don't have to think about this caboodle of a mess for another 5 years.

And that folks, recounts my nightmare of a journey getting a new Malaysian passport.

Lessons Learned:

1. Always pick up your passport on a working day.
2. Your photo uploaded online may very well be rejected by the system, so prepare to get a new one at the office anyway.
3. You will wait long. Bring a book to keep yourself occupied, like me with my yarn and knitting needle.