The Magic of My Local Starbucks

Just a quick one before I get back to work.

I went to my usual local Starbucks today. It's more crowded than usual given it is a Sunday afternoon and there was a long line to place orders. I stepped in line behind a few other people, a little impatient since I'm here almost everyday and never had to wait in line because it's always empty here. My usual barista greeted me and asked if I want the usual. I hesitantly said yes, aware of every other customer in line looking at me like I had killed their mother, and their mothers' cat too.

I braced myself for the death stares. I paid and my usual latte with extra shots was waiting for me at the service counter, yay so fast!

Then I sat down to work. I tried the password for Internet log in, but the page said I'm already connected. Okay, that never happened before. After 2 hours, I was disconnected, which was usual. I disconnected from and reconnected to the Wifi and was immediately connected, without having to key in the password per usual. WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Am I such a valued customer that even the Wifi know to give me special treatment?

Bulletproof

I was on the treadmill last Thursday, body aching with first day period cramps but still trying to work out, when I came across Dave Asprey's podcast where he talked about the Bulletproof diet. Dave is a hacker by definition who started out as an overweight, unhealthy, IT genius, whose vision transcends further than computers and technology. He is the pioneer of biohack, a term he coined and explained simplistically as hacking the body to optimize its functions and capacities.

I started reading the materials on the Bulletproof website and naturally was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it all (so much information!). For beginners, Dave offers a chart that helps simplify the Bulletproof methodology in a single page. They have a table that lists the types of food that are good, suspect and toxic. I'm having trouble because so many of the food listed as suspect and toxic for you are things I like, for example carrots, onions, tomatoes (in the suspect list), and also all animal protein must be from the best source (grass fed beef and lamb for example). *Hiperventilate*

I know I have to take it easy, all beginnings are hard until it is not. So for this month, I'm going to start with consuming organic green leafy vegetables (highly bulletproof according to the chart), get the Bulletproof Diet book, and maybe find out if I can get the bulletproof coffee locally. I need to understand the science and philosophy of this way of living first, but honestly, he had me at biohack. I'm a sucker for efficiency, optimization, getting the best out of life. Why do we want to live okay when we can live great, right?

Consuming the bulletproof coffee (need a separate post for the coffee alone) is going to be my next step, if I can find grass fed butter.

The last 2 months of 2016 saw me trying to find the best food source at the lowest price, now I feel like I have to start over and change my philosophy because great food, is not cheap my friends.

Here's the link to the chart if anyone is interested:

http://blog.bulletproof.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/BulletproofRoadmap_Rebrand_outlined.pdf

Terabur Thursday

I talk a lot about groceries, one can surmise that it is borderline obsessive. What with finding the best prices, looking for the best produce and chicken each store has to offer and at the same time considering the most convenient way to shop, so much time is spent on online research and price comparison. It is a process of discovery and ultimately, I hope to arrive at the best conclusion for my need right now. All this research is not for nothing though, for example I know now I HATE Tesco chicken, however cheap they may be, because they are disgusting. I respect food because they fuel our bodies but believe me, when I typed HATE earlier, I made myself stop to consider it for a minute. One minute is up, and I still HATE Tesco chicken.

I found an organic farm online that delivers to your door, exciting! You have to buy their box produce (varying sizes to choose from) and then you can add free range chicken to your order. Their box produce is a bit expensive but the chicken is quite cheap, really. I have yet to receive my order but I can't tell you how happy this hippie is right now, organic food yo! I have high hopes riding on this first order, please let it be good so I can stop Googling "Grocery Delivery Malaysia" already.

I'm at Starbucks now doing some work, I find that I'm more productive when I'm out of the house and not tempted to binge watch Annalise Keating and her murder crew online. One reason working here is good is because their Internet connection is slow, so one can really focus on real work and not busywork, like taking a pic of your coffee and posting it on Instagram, #workmode. The staff greet me with a special regular-customer hi every time I step through the door, I feel so special hehe. So in the spirit of reciprocation, whenever they hard sell me anything, I'll buy it. The other day they suggested I try their over the counter products, and I got a fruitcake. Today, when they came over to my table and told me (in a conspiratory we-don't-offer-this-to-anyone-but-you kinda way) that their mugs and tumblers are on 30% discounts, I, or rather they, made me buy a mug. A white, beautiful, overpriced 8oz coffee mug/tumbler that I don't need. Sigh, I'm such an easy sell I should stay home to be safe. I tell myself that I'll get RM 2 off of every beverage I purchase from now on and use less paper cups, so I'm saving money AND the environment, but let's face it. For this price, I'll have to buy a gazillion drinks to make it break even.