We want good health from gym visits not …..

It is now quite common for those who are health-conscious to go to gyms to exercise on a regular basis. Many can attest to the benefits of keeping to such a regime. But now some medical experts are coming out with contrary opinion. A leading British surgeon is saying intensive gym use is creating a crippled generation in need of hip replacements in middle age. Dr. Robert Marston, an orthopaedics consultant of Hospital of St.  John and St. Elizabeth in London says the number of men and women in their early forties who have worn out their joints as a result of running on machines and doing step aerobics is increasing. He is of the opinion that obsession with such high-impact forms of exercise is to blame. Mr Marston has treated at least five times more patients in their 40s and 50s than he did ten or 15 years ago. 

According to statistics from the National Health Services information centre the number of hip replacements has been increasing steadily since 2002. Last year alone 89,000 cases were carried out.  

He says they are treating a lot of people in early middle age with significant arthritis and worn-out joints and he feels in many cases it is down to the gym craze.  He feels it is particularly problematic for overweight people who go to the gym. 

Mr Marston is a pioneer in hip replacement technique. This allows younger patients to walk hours after surgery. He has issued an additional warning – that binge-drinking can take its toll. He says a sudden intake of alcohol can lead to a condition called avascular necrosis. Large amounts of alcohol can cause blockages in the blood vessels that supply the joints and the joints die. 

Like everything else, if there is an opinion there is always a counter-opinion. Gary O’Donovan, an exercise physiologist at Exeter University, said it was a ‘myth’ that exercise is bad for the joints. He is of the opinion that the fitter we are, the better it is and that we have evolved to be active.

May we all have the wisdom to choose the right course of action for ourselves.

Sad, real sad!

There are two incidents that I witnessed when I went shopping that I would like to relate here. Both the encounters left me somewhat troubled.

The first incident was when I saw a young lady walking  from the opposite direction to where I was heading with tears streaming down her cheeks. Both her eyes were red and filled with tears and she looked downcast.

The second incident happened in an ‘Argos’ store. I saw a tall, well-built man bending down to face two young kids. It was quite obvious he was giving the kids a lecture, judging from the facial expression. He suddenly straightened himself and caught each child in each of his hands and knocked them against each other in the chest area. I was stunned but the two boys were more embarrassed than stunned. The man then told them he wanted no more nonsense from them. The poor boys still had to nod their heads to show they got the message.

I felt sad on seeing the two events happening with my own eyes and I feel sad thinking about them now. The first incident is sad because the young lady must be suffering then, otherwise why would she be crying in the public? The second incident is sad because young children were deprived of understanding and tenderness. The adult concerned has lost his paternal instinct and subjected his kids to fear and that is sad too.

Young lady, I don’t know who you are or where you are from. There is no much I can do for you. But I wish to send a prayer your way with the wish that you find a happy solution to your problem.

Dear children, I would also like to send you a prayer, I pray the treatment you received is a one-off thing, that you are not subjected to it everyday. I pray adults have the wisdom to appreciate children’s exuberance. I pray awareness is ever present to treat your occasional mischiefs and rowdiness with proper understanding. I pray you are not scarred in any way. It is my wish you are smothered with tenderness, warmth and love.

Today my homeland celebrates its fifty-first birthday. I would also like to send a prayer to all my fellow Malaysians, I pray our national leaders are blessed with the wisdom to carry out their responsibilities with the right intentions, right conduct, and right actions. I pray they desire harmony for the nation and happiness for the people.

“Happy Birthday Malaysia”!

May Malaysia and all nations have wise leaders and may happiness spread throughout all the land.

Recession is for real!

I think it’s better that I write this piece now lest I be misunderstood by some who have read my previous posting that I don’t share the view that the UK is now facing an imminent recession. It’s not me who is the bearer of this bad piece of news, everyone is saying it, the sentiment is all over the place. The politicians, the economic pundits, the administrators and the businessmen are all saying it. Even the Chancellor of the Exchequer has joined the ‘chorus’.

Indications are there for all to see, and they are expounded daily in the newspapers and in the television. Unless you don’t read the papers and and watch television or else you can’t mss it. It is a long list of woes, not pleasant to listen to at all. I would like to list them here so as to add a wee bit of weight to the warning.

Twelve million British households would be facing soaring fuel bills as the electricity and gas giants are hiking the prices of their commodities. These increases would meant the householders would be carrying a heavier burden as they are not expected to get any pay increase this year.

Homebuyers are facing an uphill battle to get mortgages to buy their homes. They now need an average of deposit of £40,000 to qualify for a best buy mortgage deal. This makes it very difficult for first-time homebuyers to purchase houses. Banks have tightened their lending policies, mortgage lending has gone down by 65 per cent.

Another indication of a recession is we are seeing borrowers falling behind in their repayments. Twenty-five per cent of borrowers in the sub-prime sector is already behind in their repayments.

Actual figures show the British economy has grind to halt between April and June of this year. This is the worst performance in 16 years.

A leading Liberal Democrat who had been the chief economist of Shell before warns that this protracted recession may even last for ten years. Frightening, isn’t it? A Bank of England rate-setter has called for a bigger cut in rates to avoid a protracted slump. He predicts two million people will be unemployed by this year end. He gives a very pessimistic view of the UK economy – he says the bank and construction sectors are cutting jobs and the job-cuts will get worse. He feels the prices of houses will fall by 30 per cent.

If some of you still harbor doubts, this piece of evidence should cast away all your doubts. If this doesn’t convince you nothing else will – this is the proof of all proofs – Divorcing couples are forced to live together by the credit crunch !!!

May all be saved from sufferings. May we prevent our own sufferings by being more frugal and less wasteful.

It’s hard to fathom human nature.

What words and phrases are most used in the newspapers nowadays. Which are the ones you will not missed each day? Each time when you open your papers these phrases scream from all over the pages at you. If we were to focus just on them, we would believe that ‘doomsday’ would soon be upon us.

I list here those most-repeated phrases for you – credit crunch - economic woes - economic downturn -sinking into recession - further misery for millions of households - the worst is yet to come - mortgage market is set to fall - recession looms – homebuyers hit by triple misery - gas bills are set to soar - bread price is still rising - business confidence slumps to a new low.

What do you think of them? Aren’t they gloomy, discouraging, uninspiring, dispiriting and downright negative? Hasn’t the weather created enough gloomy, must the newspapers add more gloomy to our lives? Wish human nature isn’t so hard for one to fathom.

On one hand we have the newspapers and the economic pundits issuing warnings on how dire consequences are going to rain down on the nation, on the other we have behaviors that seem to contradict the newspapers and the pundits. They seem to point to the other direction. Right now 32% of the population still think that the UK is not in a recession (survey conducted by nebusiness.co.uk  - the survey is still on-going).

How could it be if such things are still happening before us? There is an entrepreneur who brought a £150,000 custom-built Batmobile. And we have a showbiz personality paying what is believed to be the largest divorce settlement (£25million). Then, there is this billionaire boyfriend who is willing to splash £9.25million for a pad for his supermodel girlfriend. And from the corporate scene, the top 100 law firms chalked up a record £14billion in fees last year. And there is a collector who is prepared to pay £2,000 for a slice of cake (albeit it is a piece of Princess Diana’s wedding cake).

Newspapers and the pundits versus the big spenders, what are we to believe? Or who do you believe? It is truly hard to fathom human nature, don’t you think so?

May each of us find our true happiness.

Herbal Medicines

Here is an article from a British daily on herbal medicines sold online which should be of interest to many. For most of us, unless we get help from medically qualified people or we read reports conducted by professionals and professional bodies we are not clear whether we are benefitting from what we are using and taking, whether the medicines possess any side-effects. Thus, such researches are a great help to people like us. Here is the article in its entirety:

Herbal medicines sold online frequently contain ‘dangerous levels of toxic metals’

By DAVID DERBYSHIRE
Last updated at 8:39 AM on 27th August 2008

Herbal medicines sold online frequently contain dangerous levels of lead, arsenic and mercury, a study suggests.

A fifth of Ayurvedic treatments – a traditional Indian medicine – contained doses of toxic metals and chemicals up to 10,000 times higher than acceptable limits, researchers found.

The scientists said products with such high levels of dangerous metals should be banned from sale.

Toxic remedy: The findings could put people off buying herbal medicines online

Ayurveda has been practised in India for thousands of years and is used by 80 per cent of the country’s population.

It combines herbal medicine with oils, massage, yoga and meditation and is increasingly popular as an alternative to western medicines for a huge range of illnesses.

Fans include Madonna, Naomi Campbell and Cherie Blair. The study, led by Dr Robert Saper from the Boston University School of Medicine, looked at 193 Ayurvedic products bought from 25 websites.

They were made by 37 manufacturers in India and the U.S.

These were analysed for metal traces using a technique called X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, reported the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The highest levels of toxic metals were found in medicines used in a branch of Ayurveda called rasa shastra, which is used to treat serious illnesses including paralysis. It combines herbs with lead, iron and zinc, as well as minerals such as mica and gems such as pearls.

In total, around a fifth of the products contained lead, mercury or arsenic. The scientists said all exceeded ‘one or more standards for acceptable daily metal intake’.

Lead was the most commonly found toxin, followed by mercury and arsenic.

Rasa shastra medicines were more than twice as likely as herbal-only medicines to contain the toxins, and had higher levels of lead and mercury.

Many rasa shastra medicines were elaborately prepared with various forms of metals including ‘cinnabar’ (mercuric sulphide), ‘galena’ (lead sulphide), ‘realgar’ (arsenic sulphide) and ‘white arsenic’ (arsenic trioxide).

Since 1978, more than 80 cases of lead poisoning have been linked to Ayurvedic medicines.

Dr Saper said the findings highlighted the need for proper regulation of dietary supplements.

‘Our first priority must be the safety of the public,’ he added.

‘Herbs and supplements with high levels of lead, mercury and arsenic should not be available for sale on the internet or elsewhere.’

The report’s co-author Professor Venkatesh Thuppil, from St John’s Medical College in India, said: ‘The medicines which are supposed to cure sickness should not promote another illness due to the presence of toxic materials such as lead.’

May all be blessed with good health and happiness.

Generation gap closing?

Mom and dad, change your outlook in fashion, music and culture if you wish for better bonding with your children. In generations gone by, most teenagers have gone out of their way not to be seen with their parents.

But according to a survey done here in Britain, it seems spending time with mum and dad is now cool. Half of Britain’s teenagers surveyed actually wish their parents would spend more time with them claims the research.

Behaviour experts think the change is caused by a closing of the generation gap, as many couples adopt a younger outlook on fashion, music and culture. So, be more up-to-date, be more ‘hip’ is the message. Obviously the teenagers don’t want to be embarrassed by old-fashioned fathers and mothers. Do not be cynical about it, it is very easy to get it verified to see if this is true – just go ask your own teenagers.

Coca-Cola Great Britain quizzed 1,000 parents and teenagers for a Guide to Teenagers published by its Fanta brand. The answer it got from the youngsters was that an overwhelming 86 per cent enjoy spending time with their folks, believing it is important to bond as a family. Isn’t this great, great things are in store for the nation if you believe that the family is the fibre that holds the nation together.

The survey also reveals that 74 per cent do not believe their parents make enough time for their teenage children, particularly during the holidays. Many parents have the impression that teens like nothing better than sitting in front of a computer with a takeaway. This is untrue, according to this survey as 58 per cent would prefer to have a family meal together. So mothers what are you waiting for? Or have the mothers become too relaxed themselves and are using this as an excuse not to cook? No more excuses, moms.

Other findings that surfaced are that 47 per cent of youngsters actually enjoy shopping with grown ups and 57 per cent like going on holiday with their parents. Dads better start saving to buy bigger cars so that you can load all your kids into one car. And don’t forget who has to foot the bills on such outings and these holidays. But I think most dads would gladly obliged, isn’t this right?

Judi James (a social behaviour expert)  said: ‘This new-found friendship between teenagers and their parents could be explained by the closing of the “mental” generation gap.

‘We see parents and teens shopping in the same clothes shops, buying and listening to the same music and even going to the same festivals.

‘This increasing desire to look and stay young keeps adults in closer touch with new trends and teen interests.’

So there you have it – the formula for bonding with the teenagers in your families. If I were big car salesman, a fashion or a music retailers I would print this article and send it to all households with teenagers.

Wish you all luck, may you all have all the happiness!

Reviewing my relationship with my own parents.

My parents passed away years ago and I myself is now many years passed the retirement age, why then do I want to do a review at this juncture of time? If for no other reasons, I think it would provide me the opportunity to know myself better. I feel it would also offers me the platform to understand my own behavior then, to fathom better the actions taken by my parents. It would offer me the time and space to reflect on the of the actions and reactions.

I remembered many a times when I wanted something I stood my ground and refused to bulge till my parents gave in. I often forced my way through and was very unreasonable and uncompromising in my demands. I acted without giving any thoughts to the positions of my father and mother. I was thoughtless enough to totally ignore their feelings and was oblivious to their obligations to my siblings. Though without meaning to, I am sure I had hurt them many a times. Though I loved my parents, my words, actions, reactions and behaviors then surely had caused much anxiety, pain, uncertainty, and worries. I am not proud of my thoughtlessness and the inconsiderate attitude of my youth.

Reviewing my own behavior and acts I reckon I was not perceptive enough. I did not possess enough empathy for my parents. I did not attempt to take into account the difficult position they were in as they were also parents to nine other children.

I was rash and impulsive and reflection was definitely not my strong point.  Bulldozing my way through was my modus operandi. Cooperation and compromising were all foreign to me then. I did not try hard enough, I did not put in enough effort to be  nice and obedient. I sincerely hope my own children would act differently from their father.

My own verdict is I had been totally obnoxious, opinionated and pig-headed, and now realised how much my parents had to put up with me. I appreciate my parents for they had showed me what compassion, and loving-kindness are. Of course I cannot turn the clock back. But I think it gives me a better understanding of how youths act and behave. I thank my parents for their sacrifice!

May they be happy, may they have good rebirths and be born into better realms.

Diamonds maybe ladies’ best friends but grandchildren are grandfathers’ best friends!

Put a grandchild and a grandfather together and the moment instanteously becomes magic. Grandchildren and grandfathers are a perfect match for creating gaiety and joy. They bond easily  as each has nothing to hide from the other, each can reveal oneself to the other without fear of being vulnerable.

There is absolutely no fear of one-upmanship, of one trying to outdo or outsmart the other. Of one trying to steal the limelight for oneself. Granchildren are too young to be anything else but being their true innocent selves, the grandfathers have clocked in enough years to realise there is not going to be friends more true than the innocent kids.

When they are together everything that transpired is from the heart! Everything is genuine. No false courtesy is displayed, no one trying to be polite and politically correct. One can take the other as he is, no veneer at all.

There is no false pride to mar the talk, everyone word spoken is right from the heart. There is absolutely no need to be anything or anyone else but himself. There can never be a more transparent and a more healthier situation.

The friendliness one extends to the other is not tainted by self-interest or selfishness. It is the true expression of one loving the other’s company. The friendship blossoms on pure motive of love and it bonds on this fine quality and nothing else.

The smiles are not faked nor are the laughters. Every smile and every laughter is a true expression of geniune emotions and feelings. There is no need to double guess nor be suspicious of motives or intentions.

All expressions are true revelation of feelings, what transpired has real warm and gaiety. There is no greater joy and there will not be a more perfect combination!

Grandchildren are nature’s gift to grandfathers. They are given as antidotes to award off loneliness, unhappiness, sorrows, here to energise them, to grant them comfort, joy and happiness, to brighten their days. Grandfathers are nature’s gift to grandchildren. They are given to provide gaiety, warm, cuddles, hugs and companionship to make the childhood a more loving experience.

Grandchildren and grandfathers have genuine love for each other, they are made for each other.

May all grandchildren be happy and may all grandfathers have the joy to be surrounded with grandchildren always.

Revisiting my nephew in Brough, Northern England.

Since the coming Monday is a holiday in England and Wales I get to visit my nephew for the second time since coming to the UK. This young man has come a long way. He studied in a privately-run secondary Chinese school when he was in Malaysia. Even at that age he had the fore-sight to pick pharmacy for his career. The choice then was either to go to China or to the UK to pursue the course. Again he made the right choice of choosing the UK to complete his studies. Since then he has done well for himself.                        

Actually, he is my wife’s nephew. In he younger days there was not much of a contact between him personally and us. Each time he went back for his holidays, he was always courteous enough to call on us. That was just about all the contact we had we him.

Now that we have the opportunity to visit the UK, the relationship has really deepened. He, his aunt and I had the chance to sit around and talk after the nightly dinners when we finally visited his home. These ’round-table conferences’ had provided the opportunity for us to truly bond and it is wonderful. His two-year-old son has won us over and is the cement that bonds this link even further.

Why does it have to take so long for it to happen and why had it have to happen in such a far-away place? Reasons there are a few but what is more important is that the bond is solidified. If there is true affinity, things will usually turn out this way. This is serendipity making its appearance again and I most welcome it.

Is there such a thing as a Generation Gap?

My answer would be a definite no if this was asked of me ten years or so ago. That was the time when all my children were still in primary school and I was the absolute czar in the family. I was so sure of my own abilities, I was pretty certain I would be able to handle any situation that might arise which might cause us to drift apart.

If the same question had been posed to me five years or so ago, my answer then would very likely be slightly modified. There would most likely be a qualification. It would sound something like – ‘Yes, maybe but there shouldn’t be anything that serious that it can’t be resolved as it is a family affair.’ A trace of uncertainty has crept in! This had come about because my position as czar of the family was no longer as solid as before. My faith in my own ability to hold sway in the affairs between my children and I had started to wavered. Deep inside me I still hold some hope that I  still have some persuasive skill left.

If I am ask the question now, my answer would be a definite yes – “That’s for sure!”.! Reality leaves me no room to state otherwise. The fact is staring me straight in the face, I just have no other choice but to admit defeat. I have been dethroned as the czar. There are now so many chiefs in the family and each wants to stake his/her claim to the territory. (Remember the theme I used on the top of my blog before this and then see this one now, you will have the picture).) My say and opinions do not hold total sway anymore. Sometimes it looks like there is totally no sway at all.

How does this come about? Well, there are many causes, the main one being, when children grow up they want to exert their own independence. The age gap and the ‘lingo’ gap are the aggravating factors. The older generation wishes to save the younger generation the pains it had gone through but the younger generation feels this restricts its freedom and retards its growth.

What then should be the solution. The answer I have given myself is not to have too much and too high an expectation. I wish to learn not to cling to things, circumstances and people and be able to let go. It is a long and arduous journey but one I personally choose to embark upon.

May we all be happy, may we find the causes of happiness.

Victories over the Big ‘C’

Research studies conducted to find ways to combat cancer are producing positive results with increasing frequency. Two recent research studies are reporting very encouraging news  on the fight against the Big ‘C’ (Metro page 11 – 20 August 2008):

1) Study conducted by the Cancer Research UK:- the study shows the percentage of teenagers and young adults with cancer surviving now than 25 years ago has risen 11 per cent. It says the survival rates for 13 to 24-year-olds has jumped from 63 per cent between 1974 and 1984 to 74 per cent between 1996 and 2001. It says blood cancer leukaemia records the highest the biggest increase – a significant 21 per cent.

2) Study conducted by Durham University – this study focuses on bowel cancer. This type of cancer is the third most common one in Britain, 36,000 people are diagnosed to have it each year. It is only one rank below cervical cancer.A technique has been developed to identify aggressive bowel cancers. it offers hope for better survival. Research conducted on tissue samples gathered from 700 patients found those who had a protein called Lamin A were more likely to have a deadlier form of the disease. Scientists from this university say  if this stem cells marker is detected early, a combination of chemotherapy and surgery may ensure a better prognosis.

Things sure are looking up on this front, real progress has certainly been recorded. This is a wonderful development, hope the news media in the developing countries and the less-developed countries are keeping their readers informed with this positive development, it would give their confidence a big boost.

For those who are trying to give up smoking, you may like to go to this blog:

http://www.nvaine.wordpress.com

May all be well and happy.

Malaysians, Don’t wait to be struck by Stroke.

In Great Britain stroke is now the third biggest killer, just behind heart disease and cancer. But how many Malaysians know what a stroke is? Are we like most the British who think stroke as something that affects older people? The British statistics show that in each year one in four strokes occur in people under the age of 65 and a frightening 1,000 affect people under 30. So, what actually is a stroke – it is a brain attack that occurs when a blood clot blocks a vessel supplying blood to the brain bursts. Brain cells die without the supply of oxygen brought by the blood. Pray we be spared from stroke attacks as recovery from a stroke can take a long time and physio speech therapy is usually required. Depression and frustration normally set in, too.

Prevention is always better than cure, there are steps we can take to ward off stroke attacks.  A healthy, active lifestyle will reduce the risk of a stroke. Foods play a vital role in the prevention of a stroke attack:

     > Bananas – it is rich in potassium that can help protect blood vessels  from the damage caused by high blood pressure.

      > Oily fish – eat these as studies in Japan show those living in fishing village had fewer strokes than farmers from inland agricultural villages.

      > Porridge – take oat porridge for breakfast as oats possess a chemical called avenantihramides which stops blood cells from sticking to the artery walls, allowing blood to flow freely.

(Source: MetroHealth,UK)

There is a video I feel very strongly that no one should miss, I found it in ‘zoe’s blog’. View it and be inspired by it.

Stroke of Insight ~ Highly Recommended Video

So do take care and may you be happy.

Hi everybody, I just can’t contain myself…

I just got to share this right away !!! ‘imarriedacountryboy’ recommends this a blog very enthusiastically and I ventured to have a read and boy, what a treasure. You should pay a visit to http://boobsinjuriesanddrpepper.blogspot.com/ for what is happening there is very heart-warming. The very best of human qualities and the finest sentiments we as human beings can display are all there. Go to it right now! Remember to recommend it to others.

May you be happy.

Malaysians, don’t lose this beautiful characteristic of ours!

This is an article written by an Australian on a fine human characteristic of Malaysians. I am also one who has the tendency to react with joy and tenderness towards babies and toddlers when I see them, so I like what is written. We should try to keep this naturalness and not allow fears and ‘protectiveness’ to stifle our love of children. Australians and people in many Western countries  have allowed their fear of paedophiles to freeze their warmth towards the very young. This is a pity.

Not everything Asian is old-fashioned, sometimes it takes an ‘outsider’ to reminder us of the beauty of our own culture. Thank you ‘verbalminestrone’!

Malaysians, enjoy the praise heaved on us but more important do not hold back your natural instincts! May you be happy and may you help to spread happiness.

http://www.verbalminestrone.wordpress.com/2008/08/17/child-friendly/#comment-4

Help for new parents and alert for newly-married couples!

My wife and I are well past the child-bearing stage but I feel this story may help save a lot of heartaches and pains for many young couples. For new mothers and fathers who find themselves facing PPD -postpartum depression- there is help. For those who are yet to have children read this and know what PPD is and what potential damage it can do.

For those who are presently suffering the effects of PPD, please consider the comments.

http://www.postpartumhelp.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/ppd-the-aftermath/

Hope you all are spared this dreaded affliction, may you be happy.

Would you believe it – Forgiveness helps in Fertility!

A website called ‘with forgiveness’ is of the opinion that ‘being able to let go of any bitterness and resentment towards anybody – but often someone in particular, and it might even be yourself – is part of the fertility journey.’ What is your take on this, would you believe that there is some truth in this?

This website postulates that harboring bitterness and resentment in one’s heart and mind one is keeping ‘poison’ inside oneself and that by ‘letting go of the ‘poison’ in your mind and body, you will allow more positive energy to flow, and allow the possibility of wonderful and new things showing up!  (like a pregnancy!)’. I tend to agree with what is said for if you allow all the foul air to fill your body how can you be be happy? Conception is a happy event.

The website goes on to say that ‘your body literally produces poison when you harbor ill feeling.  So this is part of the process to do everything in your power to be emotionally and spiritually ready to accept a baby into your life.’ They may be right you know.

Well, I leave it to you to judge the validity of its arguments. You can visit the website below:

http://www.withforgiveness.com/events.html

Wish you well!

When does one’s role as a parent end?

Does the role of a parent ever end?

From the time a man or a woman is married, he/she (for the sake of ease, ’she’ will be used from now on but it is to mean both genders) yearns to have a child. This is the time the role of a parent begins. Even before a child is conceived, a parent wishes for the child to arrive. Once the conception is confirmed, she is overjoyed with ecstasy. She makes plans on how to welcome the little one into this world. She is filled with high hope for the child, and dreams of a great future for the off-spring.

Once the child is born, her whole world evolves around the ‘little treasure’. The well-being of this precious treasure takes precedence over everything else. The next stage of parenthood is when the education starts. She wants the best for the child and does her utmost to give what she herself did not enjoy. She rejoices with the child when academic successes are achieved and suffers just as much as the child itself when failures are encountered.

When the education stage is completed, the next stage of parenthood is the working phase. She worries for her child on the prospects of a good career and she suffers the same anxious moments when the child (now an adult child) faces her interviews and rejoices with the same intensity when a job is secured. As parent, she now starts to worry if the job will prove to be too taxing for her child.

Once this phase has settled, her next concern is the marriage of her adult-child. She agonizes till her adult-child finally finds a prospective life partner.  Even when the adult-child has  a prospective partner, she also worries whether the prospective in-law will turn out to be the right partner for her adult-child.

When the choice is finally made, her next parental anxiety is the wedding. She will use all the means at her disposal to get them to settle down. Once she becomes the mother-in-law, her next major concern is when would she become a grandparent.

When the day finally arrives and she becomes a grandparent, her concern and anxieties are still not finished. They will only be over when her pair of eyes are shut for good.

It seems many years of a person life are spent playing the role of a parent. Does it really ever end? What does Buddha teach us on parenting?

What should I have done if the situation turns out to be true?

There is a children’s festival being held here where I am staying. As this is the first time I visited such festival, I was unsure it is free of charge or whether one has to pay. On getting to the festival ground I saw a man and he was with two little kids whom I presumed to be his children.  The man was trying to lift the movable fencing but it did not yield. I presumed he, like me, did not know where the entrance was and wanted to take a short cut. He and the children went anti-clockwise and I went clock wise. The direction taken by them was nearer to the entrance.

The entrance charges were – for children, £12 (RM75) each and for adults it is £8 (RM50) each. Without a kid I did not go in. I backtracked to see if I could find some interesting subjects to photograph. Then, I saw the man and his two kids again. They were standing near another part of the fenced area looking into the playground. I then had the feeling the man wanted to take his kids to the festival but because of the high entrance fees he could not afford to delight his kids.

My suspicion was further strengthened when I saw the kids drawing in a mud pool when I returned from my little excursion. The dad was sitting next to them.  Obviously, the man loves his kids and it is sad he could not afford to get them into the playground.  I would like to help but my financial means would not allow me to do so.

What would be the best un-intrusive thing to do here?

A heart-wrenching story

If after seeing the clip you tell me you are not affected by the story and you are not shaken by it I would be surprised.  A careless act can cause untold miseries. This is a very telling reminder to all of us. Please pass this video clip on to as many people as you possibly can. Let us alert as many people as possible to the danger of drink-driving.

The poor girl, who was once such a beautiful and vibrant girl, is now permanently disfigured, despite having to through hundreds of operation. What pain and suffering she has to go through just because someone was unthinking when he drank too much and drove. It must be hell for the parents, which parents would choose to go through such misery. My heart goes out to them. The young man who caused the accident is remorseful, but the harm had been done. A life has been ruined!

I do not drink, but to those who choose to drink, please bear in mind the message from this episode – “Don’t drive if you drink!”  I hope the young people will take heed of the message in this clip – hope they will think twice before they take a drink. Help prevent such happenings, pass this clip to as many people as possible, especially to the young members in our families.

“By Hook or by Crook” how did it originate?

As promised, here is the piece on how “By Hook or by Crook” originated.

By Hook Or  By Crook

In the Middle Ages, the peasants were only allowed to take from the forests wood which they could reach by hook or by crook. The ‘hook’ was the billhook, or curved sickle and was useful in cutting the brushwood; the ‘crook’ was the long stick with the curves end – like a shepherd’s crook- and with this they could pull down the lower branches of the trees to cut them off.

Source: ‘By Hook or By Crook” by Tony Wootton & Gwen Zanzaottera.

The next piece will be ‘Above Board’

You should try this

I never had the chance to sleep in an attic before till I spent time with my youngest daughter in her rented flat in Bristol. It is fun, I would recommend that you try it if you have the chance. It is quite an experience.

I get to climb up and down an aluminum ladder every day. Looking out the window I get to see the open sky and the displays performed by the sun, the clouds and the wind. Each change in the weather brings forth a new performance and what a lovely sight some of these natural performances can be. On some mornings when I decide to sleep on late, i get up with the sun literally ’shining on my b**kside’.

I get to see the spires of the churches around here as they are the only tall buildings around. I also get to see the tree tops and the roof-tops with all the chimneys of the surrounding buildings.

Lying down on the mattress, I get to see the clouds floating by, the birds flying across my window and I also see the occasional helicopters flying by. 

When it rains, I get to see the displays now being performed by the rain-water. I can see rain-drops falling on the glass of my slanting windows and the beautiful patterns they made as they dribble down the glass.

At night, I get to see the stars and the twinkles some of them make. I can also enjoy the nice cool night breeze and the serene sight of a silent night. I enjoy the immense silence of the night as I look out the attic and also the sight of darkness that is dispelled by the street lights.

It is an experience I did not anticipate. What a pleasure. I appreciate the small pleasure this experience affords me. Try it if you get the chance.

Click onto ‘My Flickr Photos’ for the shots taken from the attic.

This saying, how did it originate? (part 1)

We have all used phrases and sayings in our conversations and writings to spice up our language and to emphasize our meanings. Though fluent and exact in our usage we, in most cases, do not know their origins. I’ve come across a book that contains some common sayings and phrases and it provides their origins. I would like to share them with you, hope you will also enjoy them.

LOOSE WOMAN

In Shakespeare’s days a girl wore her hair loose until she reached maidenhood and then she put up her hair – pinned it up tidily onto the top of her head. The only time she let her hair down was when she walked to Church on her wedding day. If she wore her hair down at any other time, she was a loose woman.

Next phrase will be -’By Hook or by Crook’.

Source: ‘By Hook or by Crook’ – Tony Wootton & Gwen Zanzottera

Life is interesting!

1)   Daughter of a millionaire protesting against the might of China for powerless Tibetans. She and a few others unfurled a Tibetan flag and banner in front of the Olympic stadium in Beijing.  Her parents know of her passion and they support her in her action. How many of us would allow our children to carry out similar act let alone support them?

2)   A father, his two sons and a nephew are members of a gang who burgled £80million in their illegal activities. The elder has the gall to claim the right ‘to rob the rich’. But as it is said ‘crime does not pay’, the law finally caught up with them and the gang members will be serving 94 years in jail.

3)   A train commuter nearly lost her life for having the courage to ask two men to stop smoking on a station platform. She was pushed down onto the track and missed being electrocuted by a 750-volt rail track. But she suffered a broken wrist and bruising. Rowdy behavior seems to be present in every society.

4)   A couple born next to each other in the same hospital 22 years ago are getting married this Saturday. They found out their amazing connection only when their mothers started talking about their births. What do you call this – fate – or destiny? Wish them luck.

Life is really interesting, it takes all sorts to make up the world.

Come visit again. Thank you.

Do we have the intelligence???

Are we human beings complicating our own lives?  Are we too confident of our own abilities and do we over-estimate our intelligence? Are we too smart for our own good? We build rockets to reach the moon, we build satellites to monitor activities of other plants and to track things in space. On the other hand, we we build vehicles and factories that pollute the air we breathe in and the water we drink. We destroy the physical environments that sustain our very lives by cutting down trees and we create waste and disposing it indiscriminately. We plunder the ocean’s resources by uncontrolled fishing and we kill the fishes and other sea-creatures by our unmindful action of throwing plastic into the ocean. We kill seals, tigers, leopards, elephants and other animals to satisfy our vanity and our desire to have a longer life.

We invent cars, trucks, heavy equipments, aeroplanes, clothes and dish washing machines for our conveniences while a large majority of the world’s population has not got enough to eat. All this goes to show if we are using our brain-power for the right purposes or are we actually wasting it in pursuit of vanity and self-aggrandizement. Have we the brains to put our priorities in order? What we have done with our grey-matter is certainly impressive but it also shows we are self-centred as the agility of the mind is used to better the livelihood of only the minority. Have we got it right? How can the tide be turned so that this wonderful gift can be used to bring benefits to the majority of the human race?

Vitamin C injections ’slow tumour growth’

Studies in mice have shown that high-dose injections of vitamin C can reduce tumour weight and growth rate by about 50 per cent.

Usually high levels of vitamin C, also known as ascorbate or ascorbic acid, are regulated by the body so that there is not a high concentration in the blood.

Rich men’s foundations.

The Global Killer

There are estimated 1.3billion smokers worldwide: 300million of them are in China; 120million are in India, and 50 million are in Russia. (The source for statistics quoted is the PLoS Medicine).

Now billionaires, Bill Gates (co-founder of Mircosoft) and Michael Bloomberg (Mayor of New York) are joining forces to lobby governments in Asia, Africa and South America to do do 3 things – increase taxes on cigarettes; implement smoking bans and to raise awareness  of health risks. Is this not admirable, now big bucks are pitch against big bucks.  It is reported each year, nearly 5million people worldwide die from tobacco-related illness. This is more than are killed by any other single agent. It is felt that unless that urgent action is taken, as many as 1billion people could die in this 21st century as a result of smoking (more than two thirds of these deaths will occur in the developing world).

The Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use has to date committed more than $375million towards its projects and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now to contribute an additional $125million over the next 5 years. Emphasis will be on funding programmes in China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Bangladesh as these countries together account for approximately half of the world’s smokers.

Hope with this support from both these foundations serious inroads can be made in the fight against the harms afflicting the smokers. The admirable gesture by these two billionaires deserves our applause. Taking the cue from these two philanthropists maybe more bilionaires will now put more money into such socially beneficial programmes to improve the health of their fellow-humans and to improve the environment around the world. My salutations to Mayor Bloomberg and Mr. Gates, it is not an easy thing for one to part with one’s money, even if one has tons and tons of it.

What else will they think of next?

Gamblers now betting on eggs – as reported in the ‘Metro’ on 24 Wednesday, 2008

  

Gamblers now betting on eggs hatching

For some gamblers, almost anything can provide an opportunity for a flutter – but betting on when eggs will hatch is a bit much.

Eggycam, a live video feed showing ten eggs in an incubator, is a new internet craze aimed at raising money for charity.

 ’It’s a bit of fun and bets are not at the mercy of bad weather or human error,’ said Ken Robertson from Paddy Power, which is taking the bets.

‘Punters simply put their money down and let nature take its course.’

So far, about 100 bets are being waged each hour and the chicks are expected to hatch in about two weeks.

Since the eggs were laid last week, thousands have watched their early days online. When they hatch, the chicks will live out their days in free-range surroundings.

All the profits will be donated to Down Syndrome Ireland.

‘It’s like the new Big Brother, only this has real living things,’ added Mr Robertson.

‘Hopefully punters will have a cracking win.’

Let us see who is the winner, the punters or mother nature. Good luck to the the organisers who are raising fund for the Down Syndrome Ireland. Sure it is an innovative way to raise fund. What innovative ways have you come across?

 

It’s an Abuse that costs RM160Billion

The British government says alcohol abuse is costing the nation £25billion (RM160billion) a year. Of this £2.7biilion (RM18billion) goes to National Health Services, £15billion (RM95billion) goes to crime costs and loss in productivity takes up the remaining £7.3billion (RM47billion).

It now orders pubs, bars and clubs to help stop drinking sprees. It intends to bring laws to outlaw happy hours and large measures unless the licensed pubs and clubs self-regulate themselves. British Health minister said that around a quarter of the drinking population drink to a ‘harmful level’, as such the drinks industry needs to give them help and information needed to drink at a safer level.

It is sure a colossal amount of money which is not put into very productive use. Wonder what is the situation like in Malaysia? Saw a cartoon by ‘Brook’, he drew a sign place on a bar table that reads – “Liver and Kidney Failure Hour” and the bartender asking the customer - “What’ll it be…?”  It is an accurate interpretation of the happy hour, don’t you agree?

Is this true? It’s true, the French confirms it!

Human behavior is odd – it is shown that shoppers are seduced by products if their price tag ends in .99 rather than the whole number. A study in a French restaurant found people almost always opted for a pizza where the price was €7.99 rather than €8. By altering the price of one popular brand of pizza to €7.99, while leaving the rest just one euro cent higher, sales of the cheaper pizza rocketed. The report concluded that paying less attention to the end of the price led the buyer to underestimate the price of the item. It made him think €7.99 was nearer to €7 to €8.

It is sounds odd-logic to me, but it seems that is how our logic works. It must be true looking at the price tags of things in all varieties of shops in Malaysia and in the UK. Is it a sign that human beings cannot think logically? Or is it pure greed that make us behave in such illogical manner? Is it our desire to always gain some slight advance over others that lead us to throw logic overboard? Whatever it is the retailers are selling off their products and are laughing all the way to the banks with our money.

Low sperm count, the poor tofu is getting the blame now.

It has been accused of being tasteless and having a strange texture – but tofu could even hurt men’s fertility.

Eating soy seriously lowers sperm count, research suggests.

The count of men who consumed the most soy was about a third lower than those who ate none, a study shows.

Overweight men are even more vulnerable, which is worrying as soy products such as veggie sausages are often sold as low-fat alternatives to meat.

‘If you start with a very high sperm count it may have less of an effect but many men will still be concerned,’ said Dr Jorge Chavarro, who led the Harvard ­University research.

The intake of 15 soy-based foods by 99 men who attended fertility clinics between 2000 and 2006 was analysed by Dr Chav arro and his team.

Those who ate most of the product had, on average, 41million fewer sperm per millilitre than non-soya eaters.

The soy bean has been cultivated for thousands of years.

It is made into Chinese and Japanese foods such as tofu and miso.

Soy is also used to make flour, oil, milk and countless vegetarian products, including burgers and mince.

The high protein bean has been touted as a health food for many years.

But the new findings are bad news for those who may want to hear the patter of tiny feet.

More research is needed, said Dr Chav arro.

But he warned the change in sperm levels, ‘was a relatively large difference’.

Well, it is certainly a new revelation, tofu is now identified as the culprit in lowering sperm count. The Chinese must be the main tofu eaters, it would not be a bad idea for the researchers to focus their research on tofu’s effect on the Chinese. Are the Chinese’s genes made up differently?  But for those having problems having babies, it may not be a bad idea to watch their eating and drinking habits to see if their intake of tofu is in the excessive level. No harm in cutting down on the tofu intake if it can help you have a baby in your arms after reducing the intake.

A word of apology

Would like to apologise to all for not posting on the blog for the past few days. Was away in Dumfries, Scotland for a course.  For those who visited my many thanks.