Maturity does not come through a wish.

Do you watch and observe people and their talk as well as their actions. Through such observation, we find that many are still so immatured despite their age.

I am not talking about the comic, the guy who likes to make others laugh through their childish pranks and jokes. Purposely using childish behaviour to elicit some laughter or attract attention may not be an indication of maturity. that is merely an effective method to get people into a livelier mood.

Maturity is not just physical whereby a person develops physically in size, shape and growth of hairs in certain places as most adult would.

Maturity can also be mental development, the ability to judge well, to behave correctly and think with wisdom and knowledge.

This kind of maturity does not come through a wish. Maturity has to be developed. Our parents, teachers, friends and, even more important, we, ourselves, are the ones who have to help us develop our maturity.

This maturity is developed through the years with right thoughts, deeds and words.
First, we learn the right way to do things. For example, we learn not to throw tantrums. We learn to understand that we not only control situations but also ourselves. We come to realise the world is comprised of not just us but other people as well and that we cannot live as an island. We have to take in account other people's feeling and wants as well as needs.

Such a development can only come about through listening to the thoughts of people in and around us as well as from books. We get to think of these thoughts, understand them and realise the truth of the matter after which we apply the ideas in such thoughts in our everyday living. It is from this application to our lives that we know what is right and the situations where they are applicable. Our thinking is improved and thus more matured for living in a society. Thus, through the people around us, we learn by listening, digestion of what have been heard and application.

Another way we develop is through observation. We watch people, how they act and the reactions obtained. We understand and realise what should be done and what should never be our behaviour. However, sometimes, we do not agreed with the reactions and we understand that ther are times when it is not the majority actions which are right. We discover that there are times the individual or minority action can be right. What do I mean?

Let's look at America when slavery by the South was a popular practice. It was the accepted practice until a man, a courageous individual, saw the wrong thought of enslaving other fellow humans. His thinking was certainly clearer on the wrong of such an action. He was not only matured but brave enough to voicehis thoughts and apply his thoughts in positive action to erase such backward behaviour from his people when he took on the role of President of America. Of course, the person I have in mind is none other that Abraham Lincoln, one of the most admired man in our world.

A matured mind which can see the truth of actions clearly must, of course, be open-minded, able to look into opposing thoughts to see any possible good in them and possibly adopt them. It must be able to see the weaknesses of its own thoughts and strong enough to remove his own weak thoughts where and when necessary and thus change for the better.

A person who can readjust to improve constantly as his knowledge and understanding increases will develop great maturity. If every individual can achieve this maturity, the chaos present in our world can be obliterated forever.

Can we hope for such maturity in all mankind?

Careful with your words.

Yesterday evening, I overhead my neighbour shouting at his wife, "Stupid! How can you do such a thing?"

As I was not peeping and the drama was not unfolding in front of my eyes, i knew not what he was angry about. Frankly, I did not wish to know. However, I could not help overhearing and thinking of his wife's reply to that.

"Yes, I am stupid. How come you only realise it just now. I knew it the day I married you. I was stupid enough to choose a husband like you. Do you know that?"

That was one fantastic returning blow. And it struck home as I could hear nothing further from the silenced husband. She surely can throw a powerful punch when she has to.

See, the husband should have been more careful with his words. True they are only words but words can hurt and hurt real bad.

I know how badly hurt one can be especially when it comes from someone we love. I was once called a busybody by someone I loved very much. I have always cared for the person, did all I could to please her but when I gave what I thought was beneficial to her, She called me a busybody. Maybe, she was annoyed with my advise. Of course, she apologised for that but I was slow in recovery as the blow came when least expected. By the time I was grateful for the apology, it was just too late. The pain remained and much later, it was I who said the wrong negative words. This is one part of my life where I made certain regrettable, unredeemable mistakes.

Thinking back, it is so often that words are thrown at people without much thought into the hurt that it can bring. We are just too careless with our words. We just have to exercise more caution.

Sometimes, it is just a few wrong words that erupt into a quarrel. The quarrel escalates because of more wrong words. The heat becomes unbearable as more bitter words emerge. Then, it is too late to retract as the ego comes into play and nobody wants to back down. And it all began with those few little painful words.

And this is one kind of mistake where it is so difficult to be careful about as words come forth so spontaneously.

Of course, we are told to count to ten or maybe more before saying anything when hot or disturbed but more often than not, it does not work.

However, the best way to face angry words that hammer back is to be silent. Silence is the best move and in the case of my neighbour, by keeping silent he acknowledges his mistake which was the right move. Good for him!

The most important person in the world.

Every morning, you wake up, brush your teeth and dress up well before you step out into the world. Why do you take all that trouble? Have you ever thought of that?

You do it all for yourself? No? Well, you brush your teeth so that nobody would think your mouth smells bad. Right? You dress up well because you would like others to have a good impression of you. You want to look good. Right?

Yes, you do all those things and more for yourself. You. It is because what others see of you is important to you. You want to be the freshest face in the crowd. You want to be the best dressed person in the world. You want people to respect you.

Of course, there are among you, those who think that others should respect you for what you are. So, you may dress in a particular way which may not necessarily be the best according to other people’s standard. Perhaps, you want to be the unique guy or gal who wants to show the world you can be very attractive with a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans. You want to make some kind of impression on others. What counts is what you believe in.

So, whatever it may be, you are the one uppermost in your mind. Whatever you do is for you and nobody else.

Even when you, if you are a man, are thinking of giving flowers to a girl on her birthday, it is because YOU like or love her. If someone else were to like or love her and not you, then YOU would not be thinking of giving her flowers.

Similarly, a girl leaves a man who have not shown concern for HER. She did not want to help the man change her attitude towards her. If he does not show his concern, forget him. Does she think of him? Does she ever think that perhaps there is good reason for his behavior; that she could help him to to overcome whatever problem that could have beset him? No, because he is not important any more. He is only important to her as long as he pleases her.

So, from the above examples, the most important person in the world is you. You yourself! Throughout life, we do things for ourselves by giving attention to somebody or something in order to achieve a certain goal in our lives.

So, each morning, when you wake up, go to the mirror and give yourself a beautiful smile to start your day. Smile at the most important person in the world.

Decisions, confidence and life.

When someone tells you to jump across a wide drain, do you do it? At a metal barrier which is about four feet high, do you vault over it, knowing that you had done it ten years ago?

Well, I would do it for those are two things I did recently. Since my teenage days, after I have taken up body-building and found that I was just as strong as any other if not more so, I have done all those so called dangerous things. Oherwise, I would not have taken up gymnastics which can bring one's self-esteem down easily. Perhaps, it was my ego. Well, through the years, my ego has mellowed a little through knowledge and understanding from experience and places such as The Art of Living Centre.

When my wife was around she would often caution me. Still I went ahead and did some of the things which she would consider too adventurous and dangerous. It was my ego, fo course. To be the hero has always been strong in me somehow. There are times I succeeded and that brought that wonderful top of the world feeling I have always desired. Of course, there were times when I had to smile sheepishly as I drag myself out of the undignified situations I put myself into. I had been fortunate to have escaped any permanent injury in the spins and spills I endured. Thank God for that.

So, I was really sorry to read in Yahoo!. News today that a young man of twenty-six from Salt Lake City died after he was stuck upside down in an L-shaped underground cave for twenty-eight hours. He could not be saved despite recuers' attempts to get him out with drilling equipment, rope and a pulley system.

This young man was an experienced caver who had even led groups of cavers into other more dangerous caves. Certainly, he must have known the dangers involved. He must have been very confident of his ability to explore such a cave. Perhaps, it was this overconfidence which was his undoing. Having been able to get out of dangerous situations easily can give one the confidence to tackle other dangerous situations without putting much thought into it. I have known this kind of feeling as I have had such kind of confidence with my gymnastic ability and my motorcycle control.

However, upon reading this story of this caver, I think we should not throw caution to the wind unless a situation deems it necessary. We should think of possible consequences when the situation presented us is not a life or death issue. Yes, it is great to be be a 'hero' but is it worth it?

Then again, what would life be like if it is boringly safe and uneventful? Well, we will just have to balance between the two. Judgement is important here. Take risks but if the percentage is too high, so high that we cannot stand a chance of winning, then, if we can, just walk away from it.

I suppose this is something that every individual has a responsible for: his own life. Nobody can do it for us. Judge the situation and decide for yourself what to do. Is not that life? We go through life making choices.

More and more are turning to nature for a cancer cure.

Just an hour ago, a friend telephoned me to say that she will not be around this weekend and so would not be able to take some edible plants from me; plants which I had promised to pass to her this coming weekend.

You see, this gal had the first sign of cancer a year ago. She, as advised by her doctor, went through surgery and two courses of chemotherapy. A year later, which was about a fortnight ago, she discovered from her doctor that the cancer had returned. So, the chemotherapy, which was supposed to annihilate the cancer cells, did not work.

So, when the doctor again suggested another round of chemotherapy, she refused as she felt that it could not perform the task it was supposed to.

Going for alternative therapy, she found that there had been people who recovered through a raw vegetable and fruits diet; at least ninety percent of the food raw. Looks like more and more people are turning to nature when they see that chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not work well enough.

Having started on it, she told me on the phone this afternoon that she felt good and is having excellent health. As I believe in raw greens supplying the most amount of chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to boost our immune system, I told her that I supported her move.

When it comes to raw greens, these should be organic as pesticides, insecticides and other toxic chemicals in plants are consumed into our body together with food which is not organic. Of course, to ensure that these vegetables are truly organic, if you have the time and space, it would be good to grow them yourselves.

When the greens are grown by ourselves, we benefit even more as we can pluck them at the last minute to have the freshest greens possible with no nutrients lost.

As I have told you in an earlier posting, I am interested in the prevention and cures for cancer. As such, I will be keeping in touch with this friend to see her progress.

Prevention is better than cure. There is a lot of truth in that saying. So, let us eat more healthy greens to help our body and its immune system to protect us from cancer.

The craze for power.

Each day, we read in newspapers of people being killed. We often say that life is constantly changing. Yet, what is the difference between our fore-fathers’ time and the so-called civilized twenty-first century? In terms of violence and death, there is not much difference.There are still many people being killed. There is still a lot of violence, maybe more.

Do we not have governmental bodies to organize law enforcement? Do we not have armies to protect our country? Do we not have a United Nations to safe-guard the world?

Yes, we do. But we still have countries waging war on others. We still have terrorists and pirates to kill and plunder. We still have people ready to murder for one reason or another. So, how effective are our organized bodies?

We have religions to teach the people love for God. We have them understand that all creatures, big and small are the creations of God. We are all one big family, people of God. To show one’s love of God, there should be a healthy respect for God’s creations. Yet, each day, we read that somewhere on this planet someone is being killed in the name of God.

Schools, colleges and universities are built to install the best brains of all possible subjects so as to spread knowledge. Through this knowledge, we hope to develop better understanding of life on this planet. Yet, some of the men of violence come from such institutions.

So, where have we gone wrong? Yes, we have done everything possible to make this world a better place but we have not changed the instincts of Man. Inside every human, educated or otherwise, lies the desire for power.

To be powerful, Man needs to lead by good or foul means. It does not matter which , to some. So, there are those who become political leaders while there are some who become gang leaders. One uses brains while the other uses brawn. To hold on to leadership we see how such leaders can resort to all kinds of tactics to kill off the opposition in other parties or in the same party. In certain countries, we read of supporters of opposition leaders being killed with guns. This happens in gangs too. Leaders are killed so that another may take his place. And if the plot is exposed earlier, the aspiring gangster and his supporters could be killed to prevent power from being lost by the reigning gangster.

Sometimes, leaders of certain countries decide to wage war to achieve a particular objective which could be popularity among his people. Such a decision could also be due to a need to prevent an erosion of his power.

Nowadays, religion has been used as a tool to gain power in certain regions or the world. Since fighting for such kind of power is difficult to be done in the open, we have terrorists who kill sometimes innocent people, and even people who are of the same religion as the terrorists, just to achieve popularity and power in their groups.

Even the small man or woman desires power. Such demonstration of these people’s need for people manifests itself in road terrorism and road bullying.

Of course, when it comes to bullying, this starts at a very young age. The stronger ones bully the weaker ones at home among the siblings, then at school and eventually in the workplace or in society. So, this trait of power exhibits itself early in life. It is not that the weaker ones are too good to resort to such behavior; it is just that they know they dio not have the brawn to dominate others.

Well, this instinct to dominate, to have power over others starts from young and continue to exhibit itself in one way or another throughout life whenever the opportunity to do so arises. And all our problems come from this human instinct which is also very essential for survival.

Is there anything else anyone wishes to add to the above. I’ll appreciate it very much if you can do so.

There are some who deliberately look for sadness as a therapy.

Do you see people going to cinemas for film-shows? What kind of shows are popular where you are concerned?

For the active group, action films are popular. Then, there are those who go for detective stories. Next, we have ghost stories. Finally, there is a group who go for sob stories; sad stories which bring tears to our eyes.

People who like such sad stories are sentimentalists. They feel for other people's problems and for those approximately 75 minutes, they empathise with the characters in the film. They feel the very problems potrayed in the film and cry for the poor characters who are caught in such tragic events in the film.

Why do these people search for such sad movies to watch? I think those who do know the answer to this question? You see, I am one of those people who love to watch sad movies. They make me cry and after the flow of tears,this tough man does find the crying good. So, I have made an analysis of my action.

Do you know that such movies can be therapeutic? Well, this is how it works. Many of us have our own problems in love, life and work. In love, perhaps, we have lost a loved one either through death or a break-up in a relationship. Although time heals but the pain is still there deep within us. Like it or not, it stays although it seems to no longer bother us. It still hurts each time we remember the loved one. We never stop loving someone we truly love, do we?

Fortunately for us, there are story writers and film-makers who creates stories which are so true to life that we can relate to the incident or tragedy. We see the same sadness which we had suffered being enacted. We know we are not the only ones who carry the painful burden in our hearts. We know we are not alone; that others do suffer just like us. It makes our own suffering or pain more bearable. thus, each time we cry our soul out in the darkness of the cinema, we find relief in the knowledge that life is like this.

Then, as we understand that life changes all the time, from good to bad times and back again, from happy times to sad times and then back again, we understand that sadness is not constant. Not only that, we are able to appreciate even more the happiness we can find even more after having known sadness.

So, regardless of the source of the stories, sad ones have a place in our society. It allows us to let go of our suppressed emotions and give us relief. Without that release, the suppressed emotion could lead to some problems.

Such poor souls who find no such relief do exist in our society and we, as members of the same society, should do something about it to make this an even better world.

Failures are lessons in life.

Children today face so much stress as a result of parents and teachers who insist on the type of success they demand.
"You have to get all 'As'. You must be at the top of the class. 100 marks and no less!" And the demands go on and on. To please them, the child works at it. So does so many other children.

The teachers and parents are happy with the child when the child is able to achieve their hopes. However, when something happens and interrupts or disrupts the child's study, and the child slacks a little, giving the parents not the usual good results, the parents get worried. Why should the parents worry?

For example, if a child happens to live in a flooded area and this interrupts the child's studies; it is certain that the child will have no choice but to think of immediate flood problems first. Of course, if at that time, the child sits for an examination, marks most probably will tumble. It's expected. So, there is no worry. It is a temporary setback. Let the child and the parents learn from this.

Furthermore, in life, if we live long enough and do many things in life, we are bound to make some mistakes and fail somewhere. The only people who do not fail are those who stick to just one thing where they know they are safe; walk the same safe path and so commit no wrongs or failures. Do we want our children to be like that?

Certainly not. We want our children to see good opportunities as they appear, jump into the opportunity vehicle and see where it may lead to. If the ride becomes too rough and we have not the strength nor the capability to rough it out, we learn something from it. We discover ourselves. We know such a ride is not for us. We know our limits. As I have said in an earlier posting, everyone have limits. So, we must be realistic. Some are good at academics, others are good at physical things. Once we know where our capabilities and strengths lie, we know which opportunities to grab.

If a child were to slack due to some unforseen circumstances, it is a time for the child to learn that nobody is so good that he/she stays at the top all the time. He/She learns that it takes time and effort to stay at the top. He/She realises that others are just as good or can even be better. The child understands that even when he/she is not always at the very top, he/she is just as good. He/She may also realise that priorities are important and right choices have to be made. That is a lot of self understanding. Self understanding is important in decision making later in life.

Therefore, accept the fact that failures can happen. However, we must learn from our failures. Know what caused them. Understand that the best laid plan can go astray and when that happens the experience can stengthen us for future incidents. We can become stronger individuals. Understanding our failure can help prevent other failures and strengthen us for whatever other challenges that life throws at us. Wisdom comes through knowledge and experiences. And unless we experience failure we may not know the right thing to do under the circumstances.

Life is learning and that is what makes it adventurous and worth the living.

When political power leads to arrogance, the voice of the people is lost.

Every citizen in a country must be treated equal regardless of race and religion. That is the basic right of every citizen. Yet, even in this century, we find ourselves with governments who do not recognize this basic right. Without equal treatment there can be no unity.

In Malaysia, one particular political party had the temerity and the arrogance to deem a particular race the master race with actions and words to light the fire of superiority. If there is a master race, then the other races in the country have to be the servants or slaves. Yet, these leaders spoke empty promises of unity. At that stage, our country was obviously moving backwards. It reminds us of the Nazis’ claim to be the master race in the Second World War. In the same thought were the Japanese when they started the First World War. Looks like there are still people who have not learned from history and still want to create a master race. The result of such an action came in the 2008 elections in which the people demonstrated their power to remove the government’s two-third majority and gave the opposition five states so that they could show their ability to be better ‘trustees’ of the people.

Every now and then, we have read of local councils with their appointed councilors blindly supporting policies while either abusing their powers or neglecting the needs of the people. With political masters behind them, their arrogance caused the loss of the voice of the people. As one very arrogant local council president said, “Who are you? I am the one in charge here.”

In Sungai Petani, for example, the local council once insisted that every resident buy a dustbin of a particular size to be put in front of every household despite the fact that such a size was against the council’s own laws.

The residents who did not comply were given summonses. The Taman Intan Residents’ Association, Sungai Petani, helped the residents by approaching a councilor to solve the problem. Upon being told that the size stipulated for the dustbin contravened the councils’ own laws, the councilor agreed. However, I think something big was at stake in that case as even that councilor could not do anything for the residents. Arrogance of power seemingly overrides even the law of local councils. Eventually, the association had to fight through the media to win their case.

What is the use of having councilors who cannot ensure that any act passed is for the benefit of the people? That is the reason the citizens have been for a long time now asking for councilors to be elected by the local residents so as to ensure that councilors serve the people and not their political masters or themselves. All this fell on the deaf ears of the government. Yet, we are supposed to be the government of the people, by the people and for the people, a democracy. It is a democracy and the people showed their understanding of it by voting in the opposition in five states.

On Sunday, 22nd November, the Star reported the case of Subramanian who won a discharge not amounting to an acquittal when the Temerloh High Court found that the local government had no right to persecute him as according to the Federal Constitution, only the Public Prosecutor has the right to do so.

Here is a man whose very future was at stake when he was asked to move his mini-market which sells vegetable and fish to a wet market near a forest where this businessman knew would be unsuitable for commercial purpose as, according to him, nobody would go there. To continue to develop his business, he stayed put and this aroused the ire of the local council which, after sending many summonses to Subramanian, decided to persecute him in court.

According to Subramaniam, other provision shops selling fish and vegetables in the same town had their licenses renewed. The question that comes to mind is: Why did the local council pick on Subramaniam? Why were the other shops allowed to go on with their business while he had to move to an unfavourable spot? Why the inequality of treatment? Where is the justice? And thinking of justice for the people, where were the councilors? What action had they taken to help this local resident? Again, here is another case for local councilors to be elected by the people, not appointed by political parties. Was it a case of abuse of power? Did it have anything to do with politics?

Whatever it is, too much political power and arrogance have seen many leaders abuse their power. And because the political parties continue to protect such leaders, allowing such leaders to cover their wrongs, such leaders continue to abuse their power.

People must understand their rights and vote wisely for the benefit of our future generation.

Stretch for a healthy, painless body.

Do you feel pain in your back after sitting for a long time? Perhaps you are an office worker and the chair is where your body spent most of its time. If that is so, and there is lack of exercise, it is just a matter of time before your backbone cries out in pain.

When you sit down, other than your muscles, your spine is the bone which holds up your upper body. If you sit too long in one particular position, gravity and your weight set down onto the spine. The vertebrae of the spine are weighed down, pressing onto the disc and perhaps a nerve. If the vertebrae were to compress onto a nerve, there will be pain.

However, such a problem can be easily prevented. All we need is movement. A person who sits for a long time needs to get up from his chair every hour or at the most two hours to take a short walk to the toilet or the window. A stretch or two would help the spine to straighten or unbend, or counter the forward bending over the table with a backward bend. Of course, do not overbend or overstretch in any kind of movement that is made. The movement should also be slow and not abrupt.

Such stretching or movement can help to lessen the tension in some muscles. It can help to strengthen muscles which otherwise are not given the opportunity to tighten and pull on certain parts of the body.

By changing the position of the body, by stretching and getting certain muscles to tighten and strengthen, and by moving the body to get better circulation, the body will be able to endure better your sitting position. These change in position, stretching and movement will prevent the spine from sagging downwards without relief for too long and so prevent injury and pain.

Too many people suffer from back pain due to sitting too long; especially office workers and 'computer addicts'. It is time they take correct action to prevent their back from suffering. If your back suffers, so will you. So, prevent it!

Great is the Faith of the Faithful.

On the 18th of November, I read in the AP Associated Press about a woman who left $40,000 in rare U.S. coins at the National Shrine Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes near Emmitsburg so that Virgin Mary could help her to keep her savings safe while she left her house empty while she went outstation for a week.

She obviously had great faith in God. She must have strongly believed that the Virgin Mary would ensure the safety of her valueables.

And believe it or not her faith was well placed for despite it being found by the groundskeeper, the money was kept secured and returned to her when she looked for it. Here is a story of not just faith but honesty. The people involved must be truly religious, truly believing in God. They must be beautifully honest!

Not that I know no equally honest people. In the Art of Living, especially amongst those who give their time and effort as volunteers, I have heard and seen of the many generous deeds of these friends of mine. I am truly fortunate to know them.

However, most of the time when we read the news media, we get the feeling that greed for money and power is so prevalent that each day passes with some kind of terrorism and power-struggle.

Therefore, when I read this beautiful story of faith, trust and honesty, I just had to put such information into this blog so that as many people as possible can savour such goodness. In a poor world where greed is so common, it is enriching indeed to know that such lovely, such wonderful people are among us.

To realise how great her faith in God was, I ought to let you know that she merely left her rare coins under some leaves. Great must have been her trust in God as to merely leave them under some leaves. In fact, according to her, she was afraid to leave the coins in her own empty house. Imagine that!

When the money was returned to her, her faith was reaffirmed as she believed that Virgin Mary did watch over it by getting the groundskeeper to find it.

Such faith as this, only true believers have. Honesty here also indicates that the divine spirit is still so evident. Thank God for that.

With such great people on this earth, God certainly would not allow a 2012 end-of-the-world happening. Good karma forces will pull us through and ensure earth's existence.

Overcoming obesity, the easy way.

I was once slightly plump. Then I started taking coconut oil as it was a good oil which brings health benefits. It has antioxidant properties. It is antibacterial and antiviral. As I have written in a previous post, it contains lauric acid which helps to prevent heart problems. As for the saturated oil in coconut oil, it is of a different length from saturated oil from animals. In fact, at room temperature, coconut oil does not harden like lard of animals.

After about two months of taking coconut oil, friends noticed that i was either slimmer or thinner. Some were in fact quite worried that I could be suffering from some kind of sickness. I believe it is the result of taking two to three tablespoons of coconut oil per day as my food consumption, the amount and types are almost always the same.

As it is a good nutritious oil, those who are obese ought to try it for two months and find out for themselves. Of course, it may be good to ask your family doctor for his/her opinion. It could be one of the easiest way to bring the weight down.

In fact, I am quite certain it is the effect of the coconut oil as when I stopped taking it for a month, my weight did increase a little.

According to my own experience, smoothies can also help us to reduce weight if we use fruits that are not so sweet as well as vegetables to make them.

Well, this is how I do it. In a blender, I put some washed clean vegetables and fruits with no sugar added. However, initially, for those who think it could be difficult to drink raw food or take on the taste of such stuff, a little honey could help. Another thing which can be done is to have a higher percentage of fruits in the smoothie. As we get used to the taste and the fibre or realise the benefits it brings, we can put in more vegetables.

Then I add some water to the fruits, vegetables and honey before I blend them for approximately one minute. You may add ice-cubes if you wish to have it cold. When it is ready, pour the smoothies into a cup or glass and enjoy it with the knowledge that you are drinking chlorophyll, a good number of nutrients and fibre for your good health.

Of course, reducing weight can never be as successful if we merely depend a certain type of food alone. We must be aware that plenty of simple carbohydrates can add calories and counter the effects brought by any effort to reduce weight. Just do not fight against your goal. An half an hour's brisk walking or some other enjoyable exercise will not only assist you towards your goal, it will bring many health benefits.

Well, knowledge not used cannot bring any benefits. So, do it and tell us the results in two month's time.

The pain of obesity.

In the Star Online today, I read of a Malay lady in Bukit Mertajam who, at the age of 35 years, is already unable to move out of her house. She was crippled by a body too heavy to be carried by her equally bulky legs.

At that age, whe was already 170 kg, a weight that gave her so much inconvenience. Even to get around in her house, she had to drag her body with her hands.

Apparently, at the age of thirty years, she was already 110 kilogram, Due to her weight, she suffered from muscular pain in her knees.

To find relief for her pain, she took traditional Indonesian medicine and her weight shot up to her present weight. In two weeks the pain did disappear but when she discontinued the medicine, the pain returned and presented her with the new problem of a swelling below the knee of her left leg.

Obesity can bring a lot of pain and joint problems to a person. I know of a retired lady teacher who was a colleague of mine who had this problem too. She was almost as heavy as the lady from Bukit Mertajam. She suffered from pain in her legs and eventually, one of her ankle joints slipped sideways and, as far as I know, is now warded in a hospital.

Another sixty-three year old lady who could not control her weight was constantly having body aches, back pain as well as pain in the legs.Her weight was just too much for her skeletal frame and it caused havoc on her vertebrae column or spinal cord as well as her knee joints.

All the above mentioned pains are common among very fat people. This situation is always aggravated with age which brings along muscle weakness and oesteoporosis.

This means young people can afford to be obese if they are able to reduce their weight as they grow older. This is because strong muscles of our body help to hold up the extra weight and reduces the burden on the skeletal frame. However, with age and a sedentary lifestyle, muscles weaken and degenerate into fat and the load, without the assistance of those strong muscles, fall heavily onto the skeletal frame, gradually compressing the joints and wearing out the protective cartilage and disc at the joints. When this happens in the spinal column, the bulging disc narrows the gap between two vertebrae and with nerves being pinched by any of the two vertebrae in the spinal column coming together, there can be pain.

Therefore, as we grow older, we should throw out any extra weight. The lighter we are, the less burden we place on our body. It is not just the weight. Our organs would not have to overwork so often if we can control out food intake, consuming only enough nutrients essential for the fitness, strength and health of our body. And if we wish to eat a little bit more, well, there is always the pleasurable brisk walk with friends in the morning each day to rid the body of excess calories.

Of course, to enjoy life, do not be too obsessed with anything we plan. Just have a healthy lifestyle.

Incapacitating fear.

A gymnast's worst enemy is fear. No gymnast can perform well when there is fear in his heart. The fear can come as a result of loss of confidence. The doubt of being able to perform starts in the mind. Once doubt anchors itself in the mind, the gymnast is lost. No longer can he perform well.

In all things, the mind plays a very important role. Success or failure depends on the confidence which has its root in the mind. Convince the mind that success can be achieved and everything else fall into place. Confidence drives out fear. Without fear, everything is possible.

I remember very well my first Red Cross flag-day at the Penang Youth Centre more than forty years ago. I partnered with an Indian friend. From the moment I recieved the donation tin and the flags, I told my friend we were going to collect the most donation for the day. I told him it would be easy if we can cover the greatest distance and approached the most number of people. He agreed with me and promise to support every move to request for donation from every stranger we met that day.

As strong teenagers, we set off immediately and started right after exiting from the gate of the Penang Youth Centre. Initially, there was this little awkwardness in approaching strangers for donation but as donation after donation came in, the feeling subsided and the nerve to approach just anyone strengthened. Of course, a few refusals we did get but as we strove on, I noticed that whenever I approached strangers with a ready smile and explained or requested for donation in a friendly yet purposeful voice, the response was good. With that positive attitude, I reached out to all the shops and expensive places to discover that there were many willing to donate when approached correctly. After merely an hour of collecting, there was such great confidence that the rest of the day was easy going.

As we went along, I did notice that some flag-day volunteers were not bold enough to reach out to everyone they saw. For example, they moved aside for some well-dressed people moving purposefully past them instead of standing firm in their path and asking for donation. Many did not go into shops to approach proprietors whom I found to be the best to approach. It must have been fear, doubt, insecurity or a lack of commitment to perform the task well. So, some people who could have donated were lost to the cause.

Of course, we did end that day with the most donation collected and was pleasantly surprised with being presented a radio.

Even if my partner and I had not been given a radio each, it was one of the most beneficial experiences of my life. Through that experience, I no longer had any qualms in approaching any stranger. I understood people better; that people respect confident people and are more willing to comply with any reasonable request. I also learned that no matter how better dressed another person may be, he is no different from the flesh, blodd and heart of any other. It is courage, confidence and the ability to perform that makes people different. See. How much benefit a child can get from being a volunteer for a donation drive. Today, I am no different. I still approach strangers, this time to tell them of the Art of Living Foundation and the benefits of its breathing courses.

Of course, I am not saying that it is easy to get rid of some fears. Some fears exist because we know our limits. This is where we have to face reality. For example, from childhood experience, I know I cannot sing like Elvis or Cliff Richard. Those are singers during my time. Having faced reality, I now sing only in my bathroom or when no one is near enough to hear my out of tune, beautiful voice. So, I would never go on stage to sing. Never! Yes, it is a fear. But it is healthy fear. I know I am good at many things but there are a few things I would allow others to excel in. Give others a chance. See, this is where i am very generous.

You know, when I visited India a year ago I discovered that I could still vault over a four-feet high metal barricade at the airport in Chennai. Before then, I thought I could no longer do it. There was this fear of falling should my legs not clear the hurdle. Age can bring on such fears. Since then, I had regained the confidence and have been doing it each time opportunity presents itself. So, most fears can be overcome.

A true story: Pampering can kill a child.

One day, a friend told me about a child who did not need to do anything at home. From young, the parents had made sure that everything he needed was there for him. As a result of great wealth, he grew up merely eating, sleeping, playing, learning and enjoying. There was always a servant to cater to his every need.

Early each morning, he woke up, brushed his teeth, bathed and ate his breakfast. For breakfast, he merely went to the breakfast table where a servant had prepared his food and drinks. After breakfast, he left the plates, cups and whatever utensils on the table for the servant to pick up and wash. Then, he was chauffeured to school, his school bag already placed in the car, the bag packed ready each morning by another servant.

Everything was done for him. His bed was tidied and made ready for him, his toys were taken out for him each time he voiced his desire to play. They were kept by a servant after his enjoyment.

As he studied, tutors for the number of subjects he studied were made available. They helped him to do his homework and fed him knowledge. There was no necessity for him to look through books to search for facts and information. There was always someone to do all that for him.

As he was quite intelligent, with the aid of so many good tutors, he managed to do well enough to secure sufficient good grades to enter the university.

For the first time in his life, he was on his own in the university. There were tutors but nobody to spoonfeed him sufficiently. As he had to stay in the university during his first year, he discovered that he had to wake up on his own. Used to being awaken by a servant, the alarm did no good. He missed lectures. As for food, he found it unbearable to have to queue up to buy food and drinks at the university canteen. Sometimes, he would rather go hungry at lunch time and take a taxi to one of the restaurants later in the evening.

Of course, not joining any of the university students for lunch, he lost the opportunity of associating with them, of befriending any of them. Except for the few roommates he had, there were few friends.

Even his room-mates found him deplorable, as he was used to having things his way. If he was tired and sleepy, he would expect everyone to keep silent and not interfere in any way with his rest. However, when he felt like it, he would have his radio loud with his favourite songs no matter what the time was. Almost everyone could not stand his behavior. Of course, in the battle for self, he was always the loser as every other person would do all things dreadful to him to avenge the times they were shouted for seemingly innocent faults.

Other than these, he had to wash his own clothes. Often, unable to settle down to such abominable tasks, he would accumulate the dirty clothes in a bag to have them taken to a laundry to be washed. Even that was so unpleasant as he had to lug it to a taxi to send it to the cleaners.

After some months, he found life so unendurable. He just could not take it anymore. He felt so wretched. This was not the life he wanted. Facing such depths of despair, he commited suicide. Despite the opportunity of a university education and possibly a good life ahead, he was a drop-out of life itself.

He opted out of life because he was not prepared by his parents for real life.
Money could get him servants. It could give him luxuries but it could never buy him the love of his friends or prepare him for the challenges of life.

According to my friend, the above is a true story.

If ever cancer strikes.

On Friday night, after my usual Kriya practice at the AOL, I saw a friend and asked, “How are you?”
“Not too well,” was the reply.
Anxious to know the reason, I sat down beside her and ask her what had happened.

She showed me a white plaster over her shoulder blade. It was due to an operation she just went through to remove some cancer cells.

She told me of the first time she discovered the cancer and went through chemotherapy. According to her, it did not do her any good as the cancer had returned after hardly a year. So, last week, when the cancer was discovered again, she refused any more chemotherapy. She agreed that chemotherapy not only kill cancer cells but also our own cells too, thus weakening our immune system eventually. So, last week, she went through an operation instead and now she is looking at alternative cures.

She told me she was lucky as she had always been strong. She found that her immune system was lower but still at a lever which is still good. However, having experienced chemotherapy, she decided not to go through it again. She wanted a better way to tackle cancer.

She was not just strong, she was a strong believer in Buddhism. Because of her strong belief in Buddhism, she had no fear of facing cancer. Through her understanding of Buddhist teachings, there was no fear of death. Watching her talk, I believed her.

She told me of a book in Mandarin in which a Thai doctor had written about food which can help cancer patients. According to her, it is the most popular book on the topic at the moment.

I mentioned to her the lady who took flaxseeds to help her stave off her cancer. At the mention of flaxseeds, she told me that that was recommended by the doctor in that book.She supplied the information that the book recommended taking two tablespoons of flaxseeds at each meal.

As flaxseeds are very cheap at five Ringgit Malaysia and fifty cents for 250gms, I believe there is no harm consuming it each day besides undergoing whatever treatments the doctors recommend.

When it comes to eating flaxseeds, I would advise that the seeds are crushed, pounded or chopped with a chopper so that our body can get at the oil in the flaxseed. Thus, our body will benefit from the lignans, the Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9. Crush just sufficient flaxseed for each day’s use. Any excess should be stored in the refrigerator away from light to prevent deterioration and loss of nutrients.

Although I do not suffer from any sickness, I eat chopped flaxseeds and sesame seeds mixed into my food. Sometimes, I take a tablespoon of flaxseed oil. Although I believe they keep me in good health, I do not overeat nor over-drink as too much of anything, no matter how good, can bring side effects or, sometimes, toxicity.

Well, my drinks, my raw and cooked food, my oils, my nuts, seeds, breathing exercises and hill-trek have kept me in good condition, working and playing throughout the day from five thirty in the morning to eleven at night. I am more than satisfied with the strength, stamina, fitness and energy at my disposal. What more can I ask for?

I strongly believe that food can help our body heal itself. Do you? Do tell us the reason if you disagree so that we can benefit from your experience. I am always open to new ideas and knowledge. I am never too old to learn.

Demands, demands and demands.

“Do something about it! That man scolded me,” she shouted angrily at the son.
“But mon, you did dirty his floor,” the son tried to put some sense into his mom.
“What! Are you saying that he can scold me and get away with it?”
“Mom, I told……….”
“Don’t you talk back at your mom! How can you take the side of that man? I’m your mother, you know?”
The poor exasperated son , realizing nothing could get his mother to see reason, quickly walked away from the scene to escape further embarrassment.

That mother demanded for action, right or wrong, to be taken. Her demands had to be attended to or she would throw her usual tantrums. Why are some mothers or fathers, or anybody for that matter, be like that?

It all started when this mother was young. She learned then the art of getting things her way. She found the method one day and through years of practice have built it into her life to have things her way.

Young children, not just the present day ones, are clever and know how to wrap their unwary parents or grandparents around their little fingers. Throwing tantrums is quite a successful and popular technique and too-loving guardians and parents just are no match for some of these tiny little tots.

As a parent, I remember taking my wife, my two children, my mother-in-law and her granddaughter to an outing. There was this procession with a lion dance in it. It was something I felt I would like to have my children enjoy. It was after lunch and all of us ought not to be thinking of food.

Just then, as we were watching and enjoying the sight of a lion prancing around near us, the ringing bell of the ice-cream man attracted the attention of the little girl, my mother-in-law’s granddaughter. She demanded for ice-cream. When none of us paid her any heed, she stamped her feet and cried. My wife and I paid her no attention as we did not want our children to learn such behavior. If we were to buy ice-cream for her, then my two boys would come to understand that that was the way to get attention and whatever they wanted.

With the grandma there, of course, the girl succeeded with her technique. She knew it would get results. She got her ice-cream.

I did buy ice-cream for my two children when they were young but not when they shouted, screamed and demanded. From young, I have taught them love. I have always taught them what is good for them, what is the right thing to do and the way to doing it. When I see something tasty like the ice-cream in the supermarket, I would buy it for them to try the taste. At other times, I would not buy the ice-cream but get them some tasty fruits instead and teach them that fruits are better than ice-cream. Sometimes or as they grow up to understand better, I would explain to them the advantages of eating certain food over other food.

There is a lot of advantages in communicating with your children. Communication leads to a kind of closer relationship. Today, there are certain things my sons are better at or are more knowledgeable than me and because we easily communicate, they would tell me the things I do not know. Isn’t that wonderful?

Thus, we ought to talk to our children rather than just succumb to their demands and tantrum. Should a child throw a tantrum, parents must love them enough to stand firm and teach them why a thing ought not to be done then and teach them to communicate properly.

Of course, I have noticed that sometimes a tantrum is brought on by parents. A child may be hungry and needs food badly but uncaring(?) parents refuse to respond to complains of hunger; perhaps too engrossed in something such as an interesting conversation with a friend. To attract attention to his/her problem a child may be forced to complain even louder, gradually shouting and screaming for attention to a real problem. Only when a tantrum occurs do such parents stop whatever they could have been doing to attend to the child, indirectly teaching the child to throw tantrums or make demands.

How then can we fault such a child? That was what she had been taught or trained through a natural necessity to behave thus. If that child remained unaware of her problematic behavior, it can lead to an inability to understand that no one in society would pamper her with attention whenever she demands it. Success in being easily accepted by society, and even family members, can be crippled by such parenting.

Thus, it is important that children should never be allowed to continue or taught to throw tantrums.

Doomsday predictions since my schooldays.

Since my teenage years, I have been told about the end of the world. There was this young girl who told me that her mother had gone to a medium their family had faith in and the medium had predicted that the end of the world was getting nearer and advised all the followers to be ready.

Then, about ten years later, another young lady told me a similar story. She was there when the female medium told her devotees to prepare themselves for the end of the world which would take place no later than two years from that time.

Two years came and went. Nothing happened. Of course, this guy took all that was said with a pinch of salt. With my virile youth and the whole bright future in my vision, it failed to dampen or change my lust for happiness in all my activities during those beautiful years, years when I was at the top of my world with a healthy, stronger body through Charles Atlas and throught weight-lifting. Youthful energy ruled my days as I wandered all over Penang Island, a place one friend who knew my wandering ways called ‘my playground’. It was on this delightful island that I would go in search of knowledge, spiritual truth and happiness.

During my years of marriage, I put heart and soul into my home, planning for the years ahead, for a family life. Two children we had and most of the time was spent ensuring they had the best possible education and preparation for life. With that in focus, no end of the world prediction reached my ears.

It is only now when my wife has gone back to God, my children in their universities that once again I read of the Mayan calendar ending in October 2010 that has caused the ‘End of the World’ idea to surface.

From the way I see it, such a prediction is being propagated so as to bring people together for a good number of purposes. Newspapers will get more readers who are curious to know more of the prediction. Blogs, just like mine (See?), will have something to ponder about. Books will be written and its sales will be profitable. They have already made a movie out of 2012, the year of total destruction. Phophecies will be made. More good can also be expected. People will be more willing to donate ALMOST EVERYTHING they have to charity.

And that was what I heard from my group of friends. Someone hopes to get as much good karma as possible by donating almost everything they have before the world disintegrate or is smashed to smittereens. According to them, what's the use of them when there will be no more life.

It is good that people can become generous. It is good to have people think of the value of life. Perhaps,they would be able to appreciate whatever life and health they still have, to look at life in a different perspective.

It is wonderful to think of having good karma too. Nevertheless, even if we do not get karma, it is a fantastic feeling to be able to perform good deeds. The opportunity to help someone is always there and I know it for a fact the wonderful joy you can experience in carrying out such generous, helpful acts, a joy which in itself is sufficient reward. You do not have to believe me. Just do it. Help someone start his motorcycle. Take an old lady across the street. Stop to pick up some papers that had fallen onto the road from someone’s files. Just some simple assistance that do not require spending a single cent. Experience the quiet joy that comes from your heart, from your own inner self. Just experience that and you will know what I am talking about.

However, do not throw away all your wealth or possessions just because you think your world will no longer exist very soon. What if you are wrong? What if it is like the other predictions that never materialise?

As for me, I strongly believe the world will continue to spin around with the sun smiling into my eyes each morning, the rain cooling my body with its massaging flow down my body whenever I am caught in it as I trek up the hill and the cool breeze of the evening caress my cheeks as the setting sun sinks so slowly behind the hills, his embarrassed red face spied by the early eagerly-emerging moon. This beautiful world will still be around after 2012 for me to relish its many wonders.

Why am I so sure about that? Well, for one thing, I have heard people cry ‘wolf’ once too often to believe it.

Spiritualists tell me that for the last ten years nobody has gone to heaven. The implication is that there is no one good enough to enter its gates for that period of time. That is certainly unacceptable. No one? Impossible! You know, if there is a heaven (Sorry but to this day I have found no proof whatsoever of that.), my wife (I do not like to use the word ‘late’ for my deceased wife.) would be one sure candidate for it. I can vouch for her goodness. In fact, one of her niece likens her to ‘The Goddess of Mercy’. She has always been one of the best. And I believe there are many, many more like her. In fact, some of them I know personally. Without a doubt, there are lots of good people in our world. They are often unknown for their deeds are usually unsung, known only to the people who appreciate their presence.

Because there are more good than bad people in our world, the good karma overrides the bad karma and no great harm can happen to the world . In fact, even in ‘bad people’ there is still a lot of goodness in them. Sometimes, circumstances caused them to act badly.

So, let us forget about the end of the world. Let us continue to do whatever we can to improve this world of ours not because the end is near but because there is still sufficient time for all of us to learn, improve and let the divine spirit in each and everyone of us shine out to the whole world, making it an even better place for ourselves in the many future generations to come.

The Fort Hood Massacre: Being prepared as well as the right time and place ensures success; and even create heroes.

Yes! Preparedness as well as the right time and right place can and do create heroes.
Most of us had read about the extraordinary courageous civilian police officers, Sergeant Kimberley Munley and her partner, Sergeant Mark Todd, who acted instantly to prevent more casualties in the massacre of unarmed soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas. In the incident Sergeant Todd was just behind her and could possibly be the one to fire the last shot that brought down the gunman before handcuffing him.

Apparently, the Fort Hood’s Special Reaction Team had been practicing a new protocol whereby the first responder to a shooting scene must act immediately to eliminate the gunman to prevent more deaths.

Sergeant Kimberly Munley and Sergeant Mark Todd have been trained in this new protocol for more than a year. So, they were well-prepared to tackle the 5th of November 2009, Thursday afternoon massacre.

The above mentioned new protocol was put in place as a result of lessons learned from another shooting which took place at Virginia Tech in 2007 where 32 people died as a result of cautious first responders to the scene waiting for sufficient backup as the gunman went undeterred from classroom to classroom on a killing spree.

From the above, we ought to realize the present situation has improved because someone did learn from a mistake and acted on it by introducing a new protocol for such circumstances.

Another lesson we can learn from this episode is the preparedness of the officers. The scene occurred at the time and place they were available for action. As well- trained police officers, they were ready for it.

Coming back to us in our everyday life, how often are we ready for some of the things that happen in our lives? Apart from technical and professional knowledge which, of course, is out of our reach, what about daily happenings and opportunities?
Many things happen in our lives but, quite often, we are not ready for them. That is the reason we and our children should learn whatever there is to learn, as knowledge; even though such knowledge may seem unnecessary at the moment; is valueable and we can never know when fate dumps something into our path and such knowledge becomes useful. Preparedness for whatever we desire in life is necessary so as to be in the position to benefit from life’s happenings taking place at certain times and places in our lives. Can you think of the knowledge that may become increasingly important to you as the years go by?

Okay, back to our brave Sergeant Kimberly Munley. According to Sergeant Kimberly Munley, the scene was so chaotic that she did not think but responded with the training she was given, a training which requires automatic action of skill and courage. Her courage took her to face the gunman who was merely a few feet from her, without waiting for the fellow officer behind her. Her skill at handling her weapon resulted in her ability to bring the gunman down even as she was shot in her legs and knuckle. No doubt about it, she was obviously a courageous person ready to face death in the course of duty, certainly an exemplary law enforcer. Such an attribute ought to be immortalized in a film for our future generation.

God must have watched over her as she went into duty to save others even as she placed her own life on the line.

God bless her. May God bless every one of us too as we move forward towards our unforeseen future.

The importance of being open-minded.

"It is healthier if we eat most of our food raw," I told this guy one day.
"Raw? Do you know the number of pathogens in our environment? How can it be healthier to eat our food raw?" he demanded, annoyed that I could suggest such a method of consuming our food.
"Of course, when it comes to meat and animal products, we need to cook them but there is still so much food we can eat raw. Vegetables, for example, can....."
"No! No! No! We are not animals. Only animals eat food raw. And they do it because they cannot cook it. But humans.... what a preposterous idea!" He was frothing at the mouth and disgusted with the idea of eating like the animals.

I had to back off. I wanted no quarrel with him over an idea which could only bring good to him. If he does not like it; well, I am certainly not going to force it on him. Looks like he has a closed mind, not willing to listen and accept new ideas even though they have been tested and found to be good.

If he had shown surprise at the idea and requested for explanations, I would have done so. If my explanations were not based on facts and truth, then it was still not too late to reject it. Unfortunately, his mind was closed to new ideas and was not willing to listen before pushing such ideas away. Both of us were losers then. I lost the opportunity to help someone overcome his health problem and that someone lost the opportunity to acquire a healthier way of eating. That is the problem of being not open-minded. There just isn't any receptivity.

Unless we and our children are receptive to new technology and new knowledge, there will be an obstacle to improvement in our lives.

Once upon a time, cancer patients depend on just sugery, chemotherapy and radiation, the three methods of cancer treatment that weakens us and our immune system as it removes or kills most of the cancer cells. Today, we have cancer researchers from China, America and other parts of the world who found immunotherapy, gene therapy and herbs which improve the chances of survivor for cancer patients when used together with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. Each year, advances in medical science is made. Unless we are enlightened to these advances, we cannot make intelligent choices when the need arises.

Open-mindedness is not only beneficial to health. As society changes, and ccommunities open its borders people from all over the world, its members must become more liberal to other races, differing beliefs, religions and cultures which may be totally alien to their own. They must respect and allow beliefs and ideas which contradict with their own in order to exist harmoniously on this earth. Yes, people have to be open-minded enough to be tolerant of everything that is different from theirs.

As we can see, our open-mindedness is the way forward to a progressive society where all mankind can live in peace and harmony; with the understanding that every human is an individual, the world a heterogenous confederation of so many tribes, communities, states and countries; all dissimilar in their practises, yet so homogeneous in their human behaviour.

When everyone achieves such open-mindedness, there can be no conflict, no terrorism and no war. After all such miserable happenings occur because there are those who refuse to be liberal, tolerant, receptive or be enlightened. Open-mindedness is indeed difficult to ahcieve.

However, we ought to teach our children to be open-minded so as to bring greater understanding and love to all mankind. When that happens, The Art of Living's goal of a 'One World Family' become a reality.

Everybody is beautiful..

You like everything around you to look beautiful. So do I. We all do. That is for the mind. The mind is into logic. Of course, it has to look beautiful. How we look for a beautiful girl. We hope to have a handsome man. We search and buy only things we consider beautiful. We want all things beautiful.

Yet, when we eventually found someone, a relative or a close friend would whisper into our ears the imperfections of that someone. Yet, if we truly like a person, regardless of the imperfections that others see, we still like the person. Have you ever experienced that? Why? How is that so?

Or are you one of those who happen to get the perfect being? For me, all things are possible.

Through my own experiences, I have known people and friends I love despite the imperfections they do possess.

My own wife had a slight hunch when I got to know her. I used to massage her back and helped her to straighten so that it would not be a problem to her when she grew older. Despite her hunch which was due to the heavy things she had to carry when she was young, I liked and loved her very much. The beauty in her was more than just a beautiful face. It was an inner beauty that I saw. She had a heart of gold. She was everything I had such great appreciation for.

A friend I love thinks her face is too rounded. Yet, she has the loveliest smile one can ever find. Besides that smile, it is the person, that inner self that glows with goodness and tenderness.

There are so many friends, be they male or female, I love because of the many qualities they possess. They may have some physical imperfections but such things in no detract their attractiveness. It is the person himself or herself that I love.

People usually think of only the external beauty of the people around them. External beauty is never permanent. Just like a rose, after some time, it wilts. This artificial beauty, the perceived beauty of soft smooth complexion, fades but the inner beauty which we have come to appreciate remains and the person, external as well as internal, is just as attractive as ever. Perhaps, even more so.

I believe each and everyone of us have his/her own beauty, his or her own attractiveness. Each of us should sit down somewhere and discover oneself to known our goodness and love oneself more. In so doing, we bring out all that is good and find that others appreciate the goodness we have too.

So let us write down the beautiful qualities we possess and cultivate them; let them grow and enrich the world with them. In so doing, we enrich ourselves.

What a beautiful world it would be!

Unpredictability in life can be beneficial.

I had an appointment to meet someone this morning. It was an old friend whom I had seen only the day before and he was healthy although paralysed from the chest down to his feet. However, an hour before the time of appointment his wife telephoned me to inform that he was warded in a hospital in another state as a result of a bloated stamach and fever the night before.

So, I was unable to see him today. My plans for the day had to be changed. Instead, I used the time allocated to him, to go to the bank as well as the library to study information on cancer. I read of a doctor who found some patients able to fight their own cancer cells. He believed it was due to the immune system. From here on, this doctor, Dr. Steven Rosenberg set out to find out if immunotherapy and ,later, gene therapy could succeed as he had seen many cases where surgery, chemotheraphy and radiation had failed to help cancer patients recover from cancer. His first successes came in 1984 when he found that the tumour of a patient had shrunk. Was this a new solution to cancer treatment? Although it was hoped that the answer could be positive, that doctor found that it was still too early and so was cautious in his optimism. Interesting! It has given me a new direction to explore for cancer cures.

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the combination of chemotherapy, T cells and high-dose IL-2 was shown to be effective even in patients who had previously failed high-dose IL-2 treatment. IL-2 is the name of the genes created by Dr. Steven Rosenberg.

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'it was not the first time that gene therapy was used in cancer. Tumor cells modified with a gene for immune growth factors such as GM-CSF, had been used many years previously and continue to be used as an effective form of gene therapy and immunotherapy for cancer.'

If life had not been unpredictable and the extra time afforded me to dig for knowledge in another place, I would not have read about the above doctor. So, unpredictability of each day in life can be interesting and adventurous. We can be given a different path to travel and discover new things. And each time I read something new, I realise that there is so much more to know, so much more to live for and so important to live life to the full.

Learning can be fun

A bird can be a child's pet.
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Children learn from books and personal experiences, discoveries and inventions, if any. In fact, just about everybody learn the same way.

When we learn from books we are learning the experiences and knowledge of other people; knowledge gained from research and discoveries as well as experiences. With the knowledge from other people, from that which is known, we may venture into the unknown, into new discoveries, research and inventions.

Learning can also be active or passive. Passively, we read and gather knowledge from others. We can also take an active role and make observations, do some kind of research or experiment and thus make discoveries that may not have been made by others before our time.

As we can see learning is important to the progress of mankind. As such, we ought to encourage learning. Of course, active learning through participation or our own observation and even through play is certainly more enjoyable than passive learning.

Initially, children should be encouraged to learn joyfully through active learning. Once a child is interested in the joys of learning, it would be easy to have them eager to learn even more. Once their hunger for knowledge is insatiable, parents need very little effort to get them to learn everything there is to know in this world.

Acquiring an interest in a hobby or a pet is a good way to start. It is easy and sometimes it does not require great expenses. Once a child is interested in the subject of his/her hobby or pet, the child would obviously, with a little encouragement, want to know more. Depending upon the age and the reading level, parents can make the knowledge required available. If the child have not yet started reading, the parent can keep the interest burning and help provide the knowledge through visiting places where such an interest can be found, where the people there can talk to you and your child about the matter concerned.

If the child has acquired the ability to read and understand books, then books on the subject concerned could be obtained and made available to the child. If you feed his/her interest consistently, the interest can gather momentum and soon we have a child who is knowledgeable on his/her hobby, pet or interest.

Of course, as the child grows the interest can change. That is good as it will lead the child to new pastures and new knowledge. In time, the knowledge gathered in this manner will be substantial. Besides knowledge, his vocabulary will be enlarged and the language proficiency will grow.

As we can we, learning with joy in this manner can lead a child to better language proficiency and lots of knowledge. So, to all parents with young children, do try it and watch the results with satisfaction.

Unity is power.

Who works as a group at all times? Who gangs together all the time when they set out on a task? From the word 'gang' we get gangsters. That's right! Gangsters. These people do whatever they want through the gang because they understand very well the power of the gang.

To gang together is to unite. Gangsters understand that as an individual they are unable to terrorise society. But when they group together and approach one or two persons or even an ununited group, they are powerful enough to put terror into the hearts of ordinary people.

However, should anybody use unity to fight them, they can become the losers, especially when the other united group is larger than theirs.

On Wednesday, the 4th of November, 2009, I read in theStar online about two robbers who died while trying to escape from people at the Selayang Wet Market. They made the mistake of robbing someone the people had a liking for, a regular customer. The two robbers and some accomplices tried to run when these people gave chase. Unfortunately for them, two of them were cornered and assaulted, thus killed in the process.

As we can see, unity is the way to overcome or defeat evil forces. Although it is not right to kill those two robbers, they asked for such a fate through using weapons. I believe those people at that wet market had no intention to kill but to show those robbers that they too had the power to safeguard the people in their place. In the process of protecting someone, the injury caused was a little too much.

Their unity is a good thing. It shows very clearly that people in society must be united at all times in protecting each and every member of their society in order to ensure their own safety.

In a country, unity is also important. It is a power even politicians will fear. If people who are oppressed or not treated fairly were to be united at the ballot box, then the government of the day has to be fair to every citizen and not just the majority or a certain race. The power is there. The only thing we have to ensure such power is always in our hands is to discourage greed. At election time, some people choose unwisely for a few reasons. One of them is greed. They, their organisation or their community is given some extra allocations and donations, and such people forget the bigger goal or the more important good that their act has thrown away.

Sometimes it is their ego. A minister comes to the community leader's house, gives his children things and his pride becomes the fall of the community. When greed and ego become obstacles in the path of unity, many will become weaker and the greater goal is lost.

Therefore, people, to be strong, must learn to unite as a group and fight injustice, corruption and all kinds of evil in this world.

My admiration for one of the greatest motivators of our time: Jerry Traylor.

Do you know anything about cerebral palsy? It is a permanent disorder of the development of movement and posture resulting in activity limitation. There is no known cure for cerebral palsy. So a cerebral palsy patient can only be treated to prevent possible complications arising from such a disorder.

We would have thought that someone with such a weakness would not be able to be active. He would not have been able to do what most normal children could in the field of physical performance. Well, perhaps, he could still develop some other talents with certain parts of his brain and his voice. But, we could not have imagined that a person with cerebral palsy could have performed physical deeds most of us would have been incapable of although we have normal healthy bodies.

Today, I wish to write on such a man, a man who had to spend some years from the age of six to the age of fourteen in a hospital for surgeries and to learn how to use crutches, yet eventually performing incredible physical acts and noble deeds few had any courage or inclination for.

According to Jerry Traylor, the beautiful act of caring holds great significance in his life. Not only were his parents caring. He tells of the numerous cares he had received in so many ways. Besides the love shown by his mother, Marilyn, his father, Tom, his three sisters, Janet, Judy and Debra in so many ways, there was so much love, care and encouragement from others such as casual acquaintances, good friends, educators and professional healthcare providers. His appreciation for their love, care and encouragement was the motivation that drove him to not fail in their expectations; to be able to do whatever he could with whatever he had. And the effort put in by him was tremendous and so admirable.

The obstacles were many. The obstacles which he overcame were so many and so painful, his success in overcoming them was so incredible that it arouses such overwhelming admiration for him in me. I just had to write about him so that more people can be the richer from having known that such a man exists and from benefitting from his deeds and inspiration.

One of the obstacles Jerry had to overcome is quite common, existing even in the lives of healthy normal people. When he was young, he compared his disability with others and it was painful to think that he could be missing so much in life through cerebral palsy. It was always the urge to compare with others. When we compare and we come out the loser, we feel so much smaller and so pained. The poor compares with the rich. The weak compares with the strong. The disabled compares with the abled. And the list goes on.

For Jerry, he turned his weaknesses into strengths. It is no wonder that one of my great teachers, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale whom I have told you about in my earlier post, in his radio broadcast, The American Character had this to say about Jerry, “"Building a career as a motivational speaker, Jerry Traylor has prepared himself by becoming a motivational doer: That way he is more convincing when he tells people what it takes to achieve difficult goals for they know he has achieved many." And through his motivational speeches.Jerry has reached out to every corner of society to help people discover their own potential.

Jerry was just as human as any other person but the difference is that he overcame his pain with the understanding that all of us are unique individuals, each with different talents and each with a different mission in life. With that understanding, he found his mission of spreading the word of God, the mission of giving care and inspiration to everyone and the mission of showing others that there are still things that can be done with whatever God has given us. That is one truly noble vision turning into his mission. And I know everyone who has known him will rise above every problem to reach for their own stars just as he had. What an incredible person you are, Jerry Traylor.

And do you know what this incredible man did? After so many surgeries, he attempted to walk with crutches. The first few faltering steps he took lead to a fall. The caring ones got him up onto his feet and from then on he walked, ran, jumped and danced to become one of the greatest inspirational motivators of our time.

Fantastic and unimaginable that he did not only walk but “run a mile in nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds”. Forget the time but how many of us had run a mile? Well, this man not only ran a mile, he jogged across America, covering 3,528 miles from San Francisco to New York City and ran 35 full-length marathons. And to top it all, he climbed and ran up Pikes Peak, covering 14, 000 feet! Wow! What a man! Fit, strong and healthy, I may be but those are some of the things I have yet to try. How about you? And he did it all with those crutches.

We would have thought those would have been sufficient to make him outstanding in any crowd. Well, he did much, much more. Can we ever imagine a man with crutches skiing,….. skiing? …yes, skiing down the Colorado mountains. Unbelievable! Fantastic!

As though those feats were not enough, he demostrated his own courage by parachuting from 12,500 feet, jumping out from an airplane. We must ask ourselves: Since Jerry with his crutches can do it, why not us?

To spread his message of care and love, his message of utilizing whatever God has bestowed upon us, he even wrote a book, 'Live CAREfully' which is a glimpse into his life. It contains stories of how caring can mold and change lives. It tells how others have caringly put him on the road to his mission to inspire.

We are all astonished by his determination to perform, the iron-will to succeed and his success in becoming the most wonderful inspiration to all mankind.

In his journey to be the incredible great motivator that he is, he has brought out the goodness in many. One of them is the remarkable Thomas K. Fenton, the Vice President of the Fenton Art Glass Company who took the initiative to contact Jerry and wrote to the Rotary Club as well as actively making Jerry’s run across America a reality. This is one of the men whom Jerry praised despite his own greatness. There have been many, many other lives Jerry Traylor must have touched and enriched.

(Blogger’s note: Go the the internet and search for Jerry Traylor to read in even more detail about this incredible man, Jerry Traylor. )

To buy his book or organize a talk for him, the contact number is:
TELEPHONE (480) 837-9408
FAX (480) 837-4564
E-mail Jerry at: givetalk@aol.co

Even the best laid plan can go wrong. Isn't that life?

There was that day I looked forward to an outing with a very special. beautiful friend. The night before I went to bed early and set my alarm for 5,45am. I woke up athe second the alarm went off, stretched happily and jumped out of bed. A good bath, breakfast and a quick change of clothes got me ready to move out. Then, all of a sudden, the sound of the torrent of water poured from the sky and dashed my hopes of meeting that special friend.

Today, I was planning to write about one person who would certainly be an inspiration for all of us. Unfortunately, since nine o'clock in the morning, the electricity in my area was cut off and there was no opportunity to write anything much till seven-thirty, after my dinner.

As we can see, things are sometimes beyond our control. It happens. Some are happy happenings while others can be sad.

There was a time when a girl friend and I were getting closer and closer. Then, some unforseen incident happened and that was the end of our beautiful relationship. That incident was really sad as she was such a wonderful person. I often wonder how that could have happened. Eventually, I had no alternative but to put it down as fate. It must have been our fate for the sudden change to take place.

So, I have accepted the fact that change can happen and we have to accept it. It is part of our life. We can plan. We can dream of a future but that dream may not meterialise due to circumstances beyond our reckoning. It just happens and before we could make any remedy, things have changed and will never be the same again.

Whatever it is, where there is life there is always hope, there is always a chance that things may happen to bring us our dreams. Therefore, life is always precious and we should live our present time to its fullest as that is the only way to ensure that the future will be even better, with dreams that may come and hopes that may arise.

Knowing that things can change, there is the element of chance and opportunity for what we may not think is possible. There is that sense of adventure into the unknown, a time for surprises and new experiences.

Thus, regardless of how plans may go haywire, regardless of the changes that may come, life is worth the living. And armed with the best health possible, I look forward to all possibilities. That is how we should live life.

Knowledge alone does not a good teacher make.

Being a good, if not excellent teacher, is one of the most important things in life. In the first few posts I wrote, I have already said that everybody, especially those who are parents, is a teacher. A parent is the first teacher to his/her children.

Some parents fail because they never know how to be a good teacher to their children.
"I always tell them not to do it. They never listen," the parent would exclaim.
Of course they never listen because the parent was not teaching. The parent was demanding that the children obey. Who wants to obey demands? Would you? Certainly not! Nobody would willingly obey demands. Under threat, the children would put on a show of obedience. It is only that, nothing more.

Teaching has not taken place until something has been learned. You may have the child write down the knowledge, copy the mathematical examples but unless the child can understand the knowledge and is able to apply it, the child has not learned. Thus, if child has not understood the usage of past tense verbs, know that their forms change with difference tenses and applied them in sentence making, he could not be said to have learned it well. Similarly, a child who can only copy mathematical examples but did not understand how it is worked out, so cannot use the knowledge to solve mathematical problems, cannot be considered having learned what was taught. How we get the children to understand the knowledge well enough so as to apply it in usage is the technique or method.

Similarly, a child who does not understand why he cannot draw on the walls of his home when everyone has been buying him crayons and pencils, encouraging him/her to draw on pieces of paper. The child needs explanations to understand why that is not allowed. Not: Don't you dare draw on my wall! The voice is threatening. But when the threat is no longer around, and there is no more paper, why not draw on the available wall?

Of course, teaching through explanation can be long and tedious but children need to understand.

Some think that knowledge is all it takes to be a good teacher. If that is so, many parents would fail as most of them do not gather sufficient knowledge of children before childbirth. It is not so much the knowledge but the love and the desire to teach well.

Knowledge where children are concerned is actually a lot of common sense. Then again, common sense is not common at times. No fear for we ourselves have been children and when in doubt there are always the elders in the family or the community to turn to for the few times when we are in doubt. So long as parents bring up their children with love and patience, listening to them and understanding their needs, making sure they are always safe and teaching them by talking politely and teaching about the world with the right language usage, everything ought to turn out fine.

Remember that our children learn through imitation. Shout and scream at them most of the time and that is what they would do to us. Use vulgar language often and that would be what they do too. Spit and throw rubbish anywhere we like and that would be exactly what they would imitate. Ride the motorcycle around without any respect for the law and order and that would be how the children regard the law. Be cruel, vicious and selfish and those are the things they would learn. We teach them that! How can we expect anything different? What do we expect?

Here, let me digress a little., I remember how much I wanted to be successful in love and marriage in my early twenties. I read everything there was about love, successful marriage and child upbringing. Seeing me armed with all that knowledge, God played a trick on me with two lost loves and no prospect of ever getting married even at the age of twenty-eight when almost every friend of mine had already settled down to family life. Fortunately, God relented by sending me my wife when I was almost thirty. And my first child came when I was forty years old. Well, sometimes things just do not go the way you want.

Okay, back to being a good teacher. In teaching, the most important thing is technique. You may have the knowledge or the know-how but if your teaching technique is ineffective, the children would not be able to understand, remember and apply what is taught. Yes, whatever technique is used, it must be EFFECTIVE.

In my thirty-six years of teaching English, art and craft, and gymnastics, I found that the right technique or method for the type of children and the subject makes the difference.

You see, there are so many individuals in our world. Our approach towards them, be they adults or children must suit them to be effective.

There are the slower ones who find comprehension of things a little slow. With them, we have to be slower. There has to be a lot of repetitions and examples before understanding sinks in. There must be patience. Since such children are slow, learning is a bit tedious. To avoid the mind from slipping off elsewhere, there must be some short amusing or interesting digressions. Concentration for some people may be short.

Yes, concentration on serious matters may be short. That is one reason, when faced with such children, I sometimes throw away the syllabus; something the principle would never agree. I had to tell the principle that I would be responsible for my own action if any inspector were to appear. After all, we are always told to go from the known to the unknown which is logical and correct. How can teachers be expected to teach children to write complex sentences when they cannot even write correct simple sentences.

In different classes and subjects, we should use different appropraite methods. In literature, for example, I use a lot of actions, movements and drama to illustrate the story.Too many explanations with meanings can interfere with the flow of the story.

Well, there are just too many types of children and methods to go into; it would take one whole book to go into them thoroughly.

To acquire knowledge is fairly easy. How do we acquire these technigues or methods? To have effective techniques or methods is important as it would be the difference between a lousy, average, good or great teacher. To be good at them, we have to be flexible, ever willing to learn and borrow from others, to learn and imitate others, be critical of our own methods and be prepared to change our attitudes and methods where and when suitable. This applies to all teachers, no matter whom or where we teach, be it our own children in our own homes, pupils in a school, workers in our factories or members in our societies and communities.

There are certain methods which we are good at and suitable for certain circumstances or people. However, we have our weaknesses too in certain matters and if we are lucky enough to find someone who have a better method, there is nothing wrong in learning from the person. In fact, I always consider it to my credit that I am not too old to be unable to learn. It also takes a strong character to face criticism and use such criticism to improve where necessary. Do not scold the messenger for sending you knowledge of your faults. Take courage to overcome the faults and, as I have said in a previous post, become an even better person. Yes, change for the better.

I have often told friends that only the dead cannot learn or change for the better. The living is constantly learning and changing, for better or for worse; hopefully for the better, of course.

experiences, knowledge, people, teaching, understanding

Don't answer the phone while it is being charged. It could be your last act!

Two weeks ago, i received an email in which I read how a person was electrocuted when his handphone exploded. He had burnt fingers and died from the electricity which flowed from the phone through his body. The electricity came through the charger. He was charging his handphone when it rang. He picked up the phone to answer the caller and that was the last of him.

I want this information to be available to everyone as almost everybody has a handphone nowadays. The above victim died not because of stupidity. Neither was it carelessness. It was just an automatic response to the ringing of the phone. I know for I did do such a thing while my phone was being charged. Without a thought of the possible consequences, i took up the phone and talked for quite some time. Fortunately, nothing untoward happened. I was lucky but if i were to tempt fate once too often, I could also be in the statistic of those who were electrocuted through the use of the handphone while it was being charged.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Let us tell our loved ones, our relatives and our friends about what can possibly happen. On my part, I forwarded that email to all my friends. As there was some written condition that the email could not be copied, I did not copied the whole story here for all of you.

Well, things can be useful but such things can be dangerous too in certain circumstances and for the handphone the usage of it during its being charged is one of them.

Take care and be safe.