Twitter in Plain English

For those who would like to know what TWITTER is all about, and why it's the current big thing with both celebrities and ordinary folks like you and me.

You can follow SeniorsAloud on Twitter.

THE POWER OF A NAME - WARREN BUFFET

The WSJ article that drove me green with envy! Click on the image to enlarge.

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing through the Wall Street Journal when I came across an article that filled me with absolute envy for a certain Ms Li Guilian, 63, of Dalian, China. Well, it wasn't so much that she got a warm hug from the world's richest man - Warren Buffet, but the free publicity and the billions of yuan that hug would generate for her clothing company Dayang Group.

Left: Buffet and Ms Li (Photo: China Daily).

Apparently Buffet has fallen in love with Trands suits since he first wore them in 2007. He was quoted as saying "They're comfortable and people tell me they look good. I went 78 years before I got a compliment on my appearance."

Buffet says he has no stake in Dayang which owns the Trands label, but with Dayang stocks soaring 70%, who knows he may have second thoughts. He had his business partner, Charlie Munger, and Bill Gates wearing Trands too at the Berkshire Hathaway 2009 shareholders meeting in Nebraska in May.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet in their Trands suit. (Photo: Daily Mail)

Now if only someone with huge name power would give me a hug, my blog traffic would go up 70%. That would translate into....hmmm....millions of ringgit of sponsorship for the programmes I have in mind for senior citizens. And SeniorsAloud would be a superbrand name.....

Well, a woman can dream and hope, can't she?

LIVE BLOOD ANALYSIS - A SCAM?

The front page of the Star on 5 Oct 2009. Click on the image to enlarge.

I'm glad the Star exposed the Live Blood Analysis (LBA) scam on the front page yesterday. I know many people (yours truly among them) who have been duped into buying expensive supplements based on the results of their LBA.

Apparently, thousands of gullible folks have fallen victim to this scam for the past TEN years!

I remember three years ago, I was offered a free LBA by a wellness centre at an up-market shopping mall. They took a drop of my blood for analysis. Within minutes the results showed that I had what seemed to me like 1001 health problems! I was made to feel like my body was going to die on me soon unless I took their miracle supplements.

Not wanting to die a premature death, I paid RM400 for two tins of a nutritional beverage. After a week drinking the powder stuff, I was constipated! When I complained, I was told that it was my body reacting to the side effects, and that it was 'normal'. After another week of no-show from my bowels, I threw away the rest of the stuff and swore never again to be swayed by anyone promoting wonder drugs.

But don't believe what I say. This is only my personal experience. We all react differently to health supplements as our body and state of health are different. I am sure there are genuine supplements out there that do what they are supposed to do. You'll need all the luck to find them. To each his own, or as they say, one man's poison is another man's cure.

Related Articles:

~ Live Blood Cell Analysis:Another Gimmick to Sell You Something

~ Intrigued by the spectacular claims made for Live Blood Analysis? Don't be. It doesn't work.

TIPS FOR THE SEXUALLY ACTIVE OVER 50'S...

Did you know that October 1 is designated International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) by the United Nations? Well, as in previous years, that day came and went without anyone here being the wiser for it. The theme for 2009 is: "Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of Older Persons: Towards a Society for All Ages".

Instead of the usual round of forums, talks and exhibitions to mark the occasion, the City Council of Manchester, UK, launched a 47-page illustrated booklet targeted at the 50+ offering advice on how to spice up their marriage life or look for new love after divorce.

There are chapters devoted to issues like dealing with the changes our bodies undergo with age, the dangers of sexually transmitted infections and how to get back in the dating game. There are also tips on how to use a condom, discover our erotic side and combat impotency problems.

The expressed objective of the booklet is to address the problem of increasing numbers of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) amongst the over-50s. I don't think this is the case in Malaysia or Singapore where middle-aged couples are quite conservative when it comes to their sex life, that is, if they have one!

Well, if those hormones are still raging within, have fun! Just be careful you don't pull a muscle, break a bone or overstrain your heart!

negaraku? terang bulan

Rudy van Daim and his band came out with this number in 1963. I was in Form 4 then. I remember singing "Negara Ku" at every school assembly. Nothing like this upbeat version, I can tell you!

OUR 'NEGARA KU' AND INDONESIA'S 'TERANG BULAN' - THE SAME?

No wonder Indonesia is claiming the tune for our national anthem as theirs! Listen to "Terang Bulan" and you be the judge.

DO ANTI-AGEING PRODUCTS REALLY WORK?

Two nights ago I was at a Toastmasters meeting where the theme was “Fountain of Youth”. It got me reflecting on how obsessed people are about looking young and beautiful. This unhealthy obsession has driven celebrities and ordinary folk alike into spending huge sums of money on anti-ageing products, and surgery.

Today, the anti-ageing industry is a multibillion-dollar business. Step into any pharmacy or departmental store, and you will see a confusing array of age-defying supplements, creams and what-have-yous. But really, do any of these actually work?

Most of the surveys done on this subject have turned up little evidence to prove the effectiveness of anti-ageing products. Indeed, Anita Roddick, the late founder of The Body Shop famously said the cosmetics industry was peddling "a scandalous lie" in claiming that anti-ageing creams can stop wrinkles.

Sometimes all it takes to look great is a bit of grooming, make-up and a warm smile.

At the end of the day, anti ageing products tend to only work on the earliest and mildest signs of ageing. They may prevent and erase fine lines but they can't turn back the clock and make you look 20 if you are 50.

Furthermore, all dermatologists agree that our rate of ageing depends mostly on our lifestyle. So, rather than look for miracle creams, adopt the following regime:
1. Eat a balanced, healthy diet,
2. Stay out of the sun and use sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15,
3. Drink plenty of water.
4. Don’t smoke and keep away from smoky places and
5. Exercise regularly.

Boring…but effective!

Ageing is a natural process that everyone goes through, even a former Mr Universe. Guys are more concerned about youthful manhood than youthful looks, right?

Don’t be taken in by pictures of youthful looking ‘older’ women or men in glossy magazines. These pictures have been cleverly air-brushed to make the models look fabulous. Either that or the models are actually in their early 30s! The litmus test is to pick a model who is 60+ but looks 30+, and is a regular user of the brand of anti-ageing cream advertised.

Twiggy, 60. What a difference air-brushing makes! (Photo: Daily Mail)

I’d rather put my money and my faith in moisturizers. They are cheap, easily available and guaranteed effective. Want to get rid of wrinkles? Just learn to relax and smile more often. Worries and stress add lines to your face. That’s the simple truth.

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”

~ Sophia Loren