Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Friday, December 26, 2008

A Happier You

The greatest goal you can set this year is to make peace with your life, no matter your circumstances. These 10 powerful insights from Eckhart Tolle will get you started.
Oneness with All Life by Eckhart Tolle

1. Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom from unhappiness is attainable now, by facing what is rather than making up stories about it.

2. The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral, which always is as it is. There is the situation or the fact, and here are my thoughts about it. Instead of making up stories, stay with the facts. For example, "I am ruined" is a story. It limits you and prevents you from taking effective action. "I have 50 cents left in my bank account" is a fact. Facing facts is always empowering.

3. See if you can catch the voice in your head, perhaps in the very moment it complains about something, and recognize it for what it is: the voice of the ego, no more than a thought. Whenever you notice that voice, you will also realize that you are not the voice, but the one who is aware of it. In fact, you are the awareness that is aware of the voice. In the background, there is the awareness. In the foreground, there is the voice, the thinker. In this way you are becoming free of the ego, free of the unobserved mind.

4. Wherever you look, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence for the reality of time—a rotting apple, your face in the bathroom mirror compared with your face in a photo taken 30 years ago—yet you never find any direct evidence, you never experience time itself. You only ever experience the present moment.

5. Why do anxiety, stress, or negativity arise? Because you turned away from the present moment. And why did you do that? You thought something else was more important. One small error, one misperception, creates a world of suffering.

6. People believe themselves to be dependent on what happens for their happiness. They don't realize that what happens is the most unstable thing in the universe. It changes constantly. They look upon the present moment as either marred by something that has happened and shouldn't have or as deficient because of something that has not happened but should have. And so they miss the deeper perfection that is inherent in life itself, a perfection that lies beyond what is happening or not happening. Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is untouched by time.

7. The more shared past there is in a relationship, the more present you need to be; otherwise, you will be forced to relive the past again and again.

8. Equating the physical body with "I," the body that is destined to grow old, wither, and die, always leads to suffering. To refrain from identifying with the body doesn't mean that you no longer care for it. If it is strong, beautiful, or vigorous, you can appreciate those attributes—while they last. You can also improve the body's condition through nutrition and exercise. If you don't equate the body with who you are, when beauty fades, vigor diminishes, or the body becomes incapacitated, this will not affect your sense of worth or identity in any way. In fact, as the body begins to weaken, the light of consciousness can shine more easily.

9. You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you and allowing that goodness to emerge.

10. If peace is really what you want, then you will choose peace.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Anger management: Explore your anger to gain control

Anger is natural, but it can be destructive when expressed inappropriately. Gauge your anger level and identify your unhealthy expressions of anger.
Do you slam down the phone when faced with endless computerized voice prompts? Have you gotten into a shouting match with a stranger over a parking space at the mall? Ever put your fist through the wall after an argument with your spouse?

This is not anger management at its finest. Although anger is a natural emotion, it may be getting the best of you. Instead of expressing your anger in a healthy and assertive way, you may be expressing it in a hostile, aggressive manner — a manner that could lead to violence and a slew of personal and professional consequences.

Here are some points to consider when assessing whether you express your anger in a healthy or unhealthy manner, and how to get a better grasp of anger management.

Understand your anger
Anger itself isn't bad. Expressed appropriately, anger can be healthy. It can help protect you from dangerous situations, energize you to resolve problems or lead to sociocultural reforms, for instance.

Sure, everyday frustrations, impatience and resentment can all cause your temper to flare. For many people, these are fleeting moments. They're able to take these situations in stride and quickly return to a sense of calm without exploding.

But if your blood boils after minor irritations — such as losing that coveted parking space — or if you're constantly seething, you may need to improve how you're managing anger. Anger that's out of control can be destructive, leading to problems in your relationships, at work, in your enjoyment of life and with your health. You could even be arrested or face other legal problems.

Determine your anger level
So, just how angry are you? This chart is a barometer of sorts. Although it doesn't score your anger, you can use it as a tool to raise your self-awareness about your level of anger.

To use the chart, see if the words on the left describe your behavior or thoughts over the past week. Check the ones that apply to your anger.

Gauge your anger
Words Check if it applies
Angry
Bitter
Rebellious
Spiteful
Deceived
Annoyed
Furious
Resentful
Bad-tempered
Ready to fight
Yelling
Frustrated
Disappointed

If you have several check marks, your anger level is on the high side. Try using anger management tips for several weeks to see if you can more effectively control your anger. You may also want to consult an anger management professional to help you learn to handle anger in a healthier way and to better understand what's behind your anger. Talk to your health care provider about resources, such as counseling or anger management classes.

You can repeat this exercise over time to see if your ability to manage your anger improves.
Examine your anger patterns
Why do you tend to fly off the handle more than others seem to? Anger responses can become habitual. That is, you may respond automatically to a situation that makes you angry, with little pause to think about your reactions. The intensity of your anger may even catch you by surprise.

How do you express your anger? Consider these questions to assess your anger responses:

Do you express anger in a way that overwhelms you and others?
Do you get angry more often than most people you know?
Do you get angrier than is necessary?
Do you use threatening language or gestures?
Do you get angry enough to hit, throw or kick things, people or animals?
Do you seethe for hours?
Do you hide angry feelings from others or try to suppress your feelings?
Do you use alcohol or drugs to calm your rage?
Do you experience physical reactions such as muscle tension or a racing heart when you get angry?
Does expressing your anger usually leave you feeling better about yourself and the person who angered you?
Identify the ways you express anger to help you determine if you need to change how you respond to upsetting situations. You may react too aggressively or even too passively. In either case, you can learn new methods to replace old, unhealthy habits. If your level of anger is high or you tend to express anger in an unhealthy way, make plans to deal with your anger.

Aim for constructive expressions of your anger
Anger management is not about stopping you from expressing your anger entirely. It's OK to feel angry. In fact, trying to suppress or deny your anger can lead to a host of physical complaints, such as headaches, depression, stress, and sleeping or eating difficulties. It can also lead you to erupt into violent behavior if your anger has been simmering without an outlet.

The key, though, is to express your anger in an assertive, controlled way. Managing anger effectively can benefit you and those around you. Your health may improve, you'll feel better about yourself, and strained relationships may heal when you control your anger.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

Charles Schultz Philosophy



The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through,and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.



How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. They are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.



Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.



Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Have you SMILED today?

你今天笑了嗎?

It is done by moving the corners of your mouth upwards.
把嘴角往上翹起來

Let me show you HOW ...
來!我示範給你看




Thursday, December 18, 2008

Some interesting pictures....

Town of Koh Pannyi, Phand Nga bay, Thailand

Waste from the copper mine at Chuquicamata, Chile.
Road interrupted by a sand dune, Nile Valley, Egypt

Village on stilts in Tongkil, Samales Islands, Philippines.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

10 tips for better sleep

If you're having trouble sleeping, change your sleep habits for a better night's rest.
Feeling crabby lately? It could be you aren't getting enough sleep. Work, household responsibilities and child care can make sleep difficult to come by. Factor in other unexpected challenges such as financial worries, layoffs, relationship issues or an illness, and quality sleep may be even more elusive.

You may not be able to control or eliminate all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, but you can create an environment and adopt habits that encourage a more restful night. Try these suggestions if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep:

Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body's sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep better at night.

Don't eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Eat a light dinner about two hours before sleeping. If you're prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can make your heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed. Too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night for trips to the bathroom.

Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening. These are stimulants that can keep you awake. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and smoking in bed is dangerous. Avoid caffeine for eight hours before your planned bedtime. Your body doesn't store caffeine, but it takes many hours to eliminate the stimulant and its effects. And although often believed to be a sedative, alcohol actually disrupts sleep.

Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. Don't exercise within three hours of your bedtime, however. Exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.

Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. Use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan, a humidifier or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.

Sleep primarily at night. Daytime naps may steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to about a half-hour and make it during midafternoon. If you work nights, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight, which adjusts the body's internal clock, doesn't interrupt your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking up, leave the window coverings open and let the sunlight help wake you up.

Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow. Features of a good bed are subjective and differ for each person. But make sure you have a bed that's comfortable. If you share your bed, make sure there's enough room for two. Children and pets are often disruptive, so you may need to set limits on how often they sleep in bed with you.

Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.

Go to bed when you're tired and turn out the lights. If you don't fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you're tired. Don't agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.

Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Check with your doctor before taking any sleep medications. He or she can make sure the pills won't interact with your other medications or with an existing medical condition. Your doctor can also help you determine the best dosage. If you do take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit, and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills.

If you're having problems sleeping more than three times a week for a month's time, see your doctor. You could have a sleep disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Identifying and treating the cause of your sleep disturbance can help get you back on the road to a good night's sleep.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Strategies for Tough Times: Five Steps to Secure Your Financial Future

Read the newspapers, turn on the radio or television, and you'll get overwhelming evidence of something you probably already know: Times are tough. Unemployment is rising. Debt is rising. Credit is difficult to come by.In all sorts of tough times is to control the things you can control. You'll be surprised how much of a difference—both financially and emotionally—a few small moves will make.

Step 1: Build a Cushion
Having an emergency fund to fall back on is going to help you sleep at night during the best of times, and in a shaky economy, it can be a real lifesaver, particularly if you lose your job. About three to six months of living expenses for a two-income family, and closer to six if you're single or your spouse doesn't work outside the home. In a downturn, you want to shoot for six no matter what your situation, particularly if you work in an industry that's likely to be hit hard—think financial services, real estate or retail.

If that sounds like a lot of money, remember that we're talking about bare minimum living expenses here. If you're laid off, your spending is going to come to a screeching halt, meaning your emergency fund doesn't have to hold enough to cover your current lifestyle if it involves dining out every weekend, a daily affairs to the coffee shop and a movie shows always on Saturdays. You just need to have enough to float the necessities: gas, bill payments and food.

So where do you stash the cash? An emergency fund is all about liquidity, so you want to put it where you can get to it easily, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't earn some interest. Check out money market or high-interest savings accounts.

Step 2: Pay Down Debt
Getting rid of credit card and other high-interest debts during an economic downturn is your best investment. So how do you do it? You have to find wiggle room in your budget by looking at where your money is going and brainstorming ways to cut back. For the next two weeks, track every single cents that leaves your wallet, every swipe of your debit card. You'll be surprised at how much of your spending is discretionary—a teh tarih here, a movie there. Once you see how the little things add up, you'll have an easier time throwing that cash toward your debts, where it can really have an impact on your balance sheet.

And if you think you've cut back on everything you can, remember that other, bigger items can be adjusted as well. Maybe this year, you pick a family vacation spot that's within driving distance rather than having to shell out for pricey plane tickets.

Step 3: Rebalance Your Portfolio
The easiest way to do this is with target-date retirement funds. These guys take most of the work off your shoulders and are offered by most major investment firms. So what are they? In a nutshell, you pick the fund that will mature closest to when you anticipate retiring—so if you're 35 years old, you want to select a fund with a target date of 2030.Then, it will rebalance itself over time, so you're investing aggressively in more stocks, less bonds while you're young, and as you age, the balance shifts to more bonds, less stocks.

If you want a little more control, a general formula for balancing your portfolio is to subtract your age from 100. The resulting number is the percentage of your money that you should have in stocks. One other thing: Don't try to time the market. History tells us that this never works, and the best strategy is just letting your money ride. If you start making moves, there's a good chance you'll end up selling low and buying high, which is the opposite of what you want. The market always rebounds, so sit tight.

Step 4: Keep Your Job
It's not quite that easy. But you can take a few steps to ensure that the odds are in your favor. When companies look to cut costs and, subsequently, people, they look at who's generating the most revenue. Are you having a positive impact on the company's bottom line? Be sure that you're working on important projects, and ask your boss if you can take on additional responsibilities. The key is to seem indispensable.

When all else fails, it doesn't hurt to have a headhunter at your fingertips in case so you can take action quickly in case things go wrong. And networking, always key to getting and keeping a good job, is even more important now. Show up to events, join an association—the idea is to keep your name and face fresh in the minds of decision makers.

Step 5: Work on Your Credit Score
What constitutes a good score has actually gone up, so you have to work a little harder to stay at the top of the class. Things like shopping for credit and high levels of debt all work against you, so keep them to a minimum.

Also, a good score means easy access to cash if you need it, and in these times, everyone should have a home equity line of credit in their back pocket in case of an emergency.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Stranger on the plane

A stranger was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the stranger
turned to her and said, ' let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you
strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.'

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly
and said to the stranger, 'What would you like to talk about?'

'Oh, I don't know,' said the stranger. 'How about nuclear power or global financial crisis?' and he smiled.

'OK, ' she said. 'Those could be interesting topics.'

'But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a
cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass, am I right?' asked the young
girl. 'Correct, spot on,' said the stranger. The little girl continued, 'Yet a
deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse
produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?'

The stranger, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it
and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.'

To which the little girl replies, 'Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear power & global financial crisis when you don't know shit? '

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Healthy tips


INSTANT NOODLES

instant noodle lovers,
Make sure you break for at least 3 days! after one session of instant noodles before you eat your next packet! Please read the info shared to me by a doctor. My family stopped eating instant noodles more than 5 years ago after hearing about the wax coating the noodles - the wax is not just in the Styrofoam containers but it coats the noodles. This is why the instant noodles do not stick to each other when cooking.

If one were to examine the ordinary Chinese yellow noodles in the market, one will notice that, in their uncooked state the noodles are oily. This layer of oil prevents the noodles from sticking together.

Wanton noodles in their uncooked state have been dusted with flour to prevent them sticking together. When the hawker cooks the noodles, notice he cooks them in hot water and then rinses them in cold water before cooking them in hot water again. This process is repeated several times before the noodles are ready to be served. The cooking and rinsing process prevents noodles from stickin! g together.

The hawker then 'lowers the noodles in oil and sau ce to prevent the noodles from sticking if they are to be served dry. Cooking instructions for spaghetti require oil or butter to be added in the water when boiling the spaghetti to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Otherwise, one gets a big clump of spaghetti!

There was an SBC (now TCS) actor some years ago, who at a busy time of his career had no time to cook, resorted to eating instant noodles everyday. He got cancer later on. His doctor told him about the wax in instant noodles. The doctor told him that our body will need up to 2 days to clear the wax. There was also an SIA steward who after moving out from his mother's house into his own house, did not cook but ate instant noodles almost every meal. He had cancer, and has since died from it.





Nowadays the instant noodles are referred as ' cancer noodles '.


SATAY LOVERS (BARBECUE)

If you all eat Satay, don't ever forget to eat the cucumber, because eating Satay together with carbon after barbequing can cause cancer.
But we have a cure for that... Cucumber should be eaten after we eat the Satay because Satay has carcinogen (a cancer causing element) but cucumber is anti-carcinogenic. So don't forget to eat the cucumber the next time you have Satay's.


PRAWNS (SUGPO) & VIT C

DO NOT eat shrimp / prawn if you have just taken VITAMIN C pills!!
This will cause you to DIE in ARSENIC (As) toxication within HOURS!!

Sunday, December 7, 2008