Ramadhan Special @ Putra Nilai

A cup of coffee a day keeps the doctor away

For years coffee has endured a bad rap, but experts now say the caffeine content can actually do you some good says Paul Benedetti.

Every morning Lesli Boldt starts her day with a serious cup of coffee -- a two-shot espresso with hot water. “I have one coffee a day and I want it to be a good one,” says Lesli, 35, a manager of marketing and communications for the Vancouver Public Library.

Not only does Lesli's coffee taste good, but new research suggests that it may also be good for her. Recent studies have found that drinking coffee can actually be a healthy habit, enhancing athletic performance, increasing mental alertness and protecting against serious diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and even liver and colon cancers. “Coffee consumption fits into a very healthy diet and, if anything, may have a beneficial effect,” Dr. Eileen Madden, a toxicologist and food-safety expert, told a symposium on coffee and health last fall at the New York Academy of Sciences.

That's surprising news for most Canadians who love coffee but treat it as something of a guilty pleasure. Canadians have mixed feelings about the beverage they love to drink, says Massimo Marcone, a food scientist and adjunct professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario who has studied coffee production and consumption all over the world. “People have a preconceived idea about coffee -- they think it's bad for you,” he says.

And no wonder. Almost every day media reports tell us that consuming coffee may be associated with serious health problems, such as osteoporosis, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, infertility, fibrocystic breast disease (FBD), breast cancer and even miscarriage. But, say the experts, many of those findings were based on poorly designed research and were not supported by further studies.

Here are some new findings and benefits of coffee

If you love coffee, here's some of the latest good news.

• A study of 90,000 Japanese by the National Cancer Center in Tokyo found that people who drank one to four cups of coffee daily had half the liver cancer risk of those who never drank coffee. Researchers aren't sure why, but they speculate that antioxidants may play a role.

• A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health that followed more than 125,000 men and women for more than a decade found that regular coffee drinkers had a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 (or late-onset) diabetes. Studies in Sweden and Finland also concluded that coffee consumption offers protection from type 2 diabetes. Again, researchers aren't sure why.

• A half-dozen recent international studies showed a positive relationship between drinking caffeinated beverages -- including coffee -- and lower rates of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

• Other research links coffee consumption with reduced risk of cirrhosis of the liver, colon cancer and asthma.

• A cup or two of coffee can improve endurance in activities such as running, cycling and swimming, according to other research. Coffee has a strong ergogenic effect, meaning it helps people work harder and longer, explains Lawrence Spriet, an exercise physiologist at the University of Guelph who has researched the effects of caffeine on athletic performance for more than a decade. "Even small amounts of caffeine can be quite powerful,” he says.

Feedback from the folks in Nilai is that Hailam Kopitiam served the best coffee in town. Don't just take their words. Try it and feel the difference.

Insight of our new menu

It's not all about variety here but the determination to improve and bring you the best local food that Malaysia can offer and some cool drinks that we can offer for your relaxation and enjoyment right here at Putra Nilai.

Service with a smile

When things go wrong don't shout at the person on the frontline

WHEN things go awry, it is human nature for us to lash out at the person on the frontline. I have seen many instances of people getting angry with the waiters when the service is not up to mark. Or giving the cashier at the hypermarket a mouthful when the bills don't tally.

In this modern era of virtual customer service, whether by phone or online, many also rant and rave at the unseen and unknown person at the other end of the line only to realise at the end of it all that they shouldn't take it out on that poor individual.

I was recently at a restaurant where the waitress who took my orders got it all mixed-up. But I could see that she was new to the job, and obviously struggling to get it right. She needed encouragement, not criticism. And, as the rabbit Thumper said in the Disney animated classic Bambi, “if you ain't got nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all.”

Let me give an example of how a complaint can have consequences. I know someone who runs a high-end shop who related to me how a customer, a man of some standing, came to his outlet and was served by a fairly new worker who was still learning the ropes. He was not pleased with the service and so he called up my friend to tell him so.

So what did you do? I asked. He was still on probation, so I fired him, of course, he replied.

This was some years ago but the impression it left me is that many employers are not exactly sensitive to the welfare of their frontline staff. When there is a situation, they tend to operate by the maxim that “the customer is always right”.

I do not like poor service either but when you consider that those who serve at the frontline have to deal with so many different people in a day and handle difficult and irrational requests at times, it is good to cut them some slack.

We have to make a distinction between poor service and unethical behaviour. Certainly, if a frontline staff is demanding a bribe to get things going, he or she should be reported. But if it is just a case of you getting iced lemon tea instead of Earl Grey, or being offered chicken breast instead of drumstick, surely there is no need to make a hue and cry over the service.

Some of you who read this column work in the front line. But all of us, no matter what position we hold, have to deal with frontline staff on a daily basis. Whether it is the bank teller, the toll attendant, the customer relations officer, the restaurant waiter or the civil servant, it is good to remind ourselves that everyone is entitled to a bad hair day.

And let us also apply this same principle to the unseen workers who work in our offices, getting things done right in the background all the time. They probably do not get a pat on the back for 99% of their work, so go gently on them if they falter on the 1%. To err is human, to forgive, divine.

This article was featured on The Star paper and written by Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin who is thankful for reminders from his wife, his better half for 25 years, to go easy on frontliners and to “go placidly amid the noise and haste”.

At Hailam Kopitiam we do our best to serve our customer with a smile.

New menu coming in June 2011

How would you describe our new menu? Well come June you guys and gals will be spoilt for choices!

With more than 120 food and drinks (and still growing), we have listen to your needs and added in some new food and drinks (about 40 only) on our menu!

With this many varieties, you simply can’t contend! Yet at Hailam Kopitiam, we know it is never about variety but delectable food. That’s why we take great pains in serving good food besides variety.

So, make sure you come on over and try our new food for yourself. One thing for sure we will have Fried Kuey Teow.

Seremban Municipal Council and Nilai Municipal Council to merge.

Guys you would heard by now that Seremban is set to become a city.

Once merge, Seremban would have more than the required population to be declared a city. The combined population of Seremban and Nilai at present is above 500,000.

The population in Nilai skyrocketed following the setting up of several research and educational institutions setting up their operations there many years back. Nilai being the city of knowledge has more university based to meet the city status requirement

Once declared, Seremban would be on par with the rest of the city in Malaysia including Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Ipoh, Shah Alam, Malacca, Alor Star, Petaling Jaya, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching North, Kuching South, Miri and Kuala Terengganu.

Davina II is coming to town

Did you know Sime Darby project Davina was a success that they are lauching "Phase II" so soon? Check out NILAI IMPIAN at http://www.simedarbyproperty.com

Wow property prices is gaining at Nilai. Look at Nilai Spring Heights and Ivory Villa and its surrounding at Pajam area. Why building material increased? Heard people start "camping" as early as 6am! Worth it?

What better place to talk about this at Hailam Kopitiam with the best coffee in town. Come and savour our hailam mee and chicken rice and discuss more on property in Nilai.