It is bound to happen as we age. I'm referring to osteoarthritis, or OA for short. Our bones are no longer as dense and strong as they used to be, and joint pain is a common complaint, especially in the knees and hips.
I've seen how my 83-year old mother struggles to get in and out of the car, or go up and down the stairs. And I wonder when it'll be my turn to experience the pain and discomfort. I've been told by my lady friends that taking glucosamine and chondroitin helps to build new cartilage for bones and relieves OA. But I try to avoid popping pills into my body, except for a multivitamin supplement that I take whenever I remember to!
The Singapore General Hospital has a website that provides very useful information on OA, including how to prevent it, how to treat it and a list of calcium-rich food which I find most helpful.
There have been many studies done on OA, with the most recent showing that practising taiji may not only reduce OA pain, but also improve joint function as well. Now this is something I can personally vouch for. There was a time when I had difficulty squatting or getting up from a seated position on the floor. Doing taichi (and qigong) exercises have helped tremendously in putting back some of that youthful spring in my bones!
Do check out this video for some simple taichi-qigong exercises that you can practise if you are a beginner.
Related videos:
Tai Chi & Qigong: Protect Your Knees
Six Healing Sounds
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
ACTIVITIES A-PLENTY FOR SENIORS IN SINGAPORE
(All newspaper clippings from The Straits Times.)
Boredom would be the least of your complaints if you are a senior citizen residing in Singapore. The Minister in charge of Ageing Issues, Mr Lim Boon Heng, is taking the lead by urging voluntary welfare organizations to do more to take care of the growing elderly population. The government, through its implementation arm - Council for Third Age - is going full steam to promote active ageing. Never a week goes by without an event organized specially for the senior citizens.
Some that deserve mention:
The Senior Citizens Water Carnival 2009: 200 senior citizens aged above 50 participated in the event organized by the Sembawang SC Executive Committee.
Care and Share 2009: More than 5000 needy elderly folks were treated to a 7-course dinner with lucky draws, a magic show and performances by local celebrities. Organized by Hope Community Service Centre.
Belly Dancing Classes every Monday evening at Bishan Dance Studio for retirees and cancer survivors.
50+ Active Agers Awards 2009: Now in its third year, the award recognizes senior citizens who are role models of active ageing.
Upcoming events:
"Ageing and Resilience" - organized by Chinese Women's Association on 28 Nov 2009 at Sheraton Towers Hotel. Registration fee: S$10.Silver Infocomm Day: 28 Nov & 12 Dec, 8.30am-3.30pm; 29 Nov & 13 Dec, 1pm-5pm. FREE! Topics include Introduction toWindows 7, social networking & microblogging with Twitter, healthcare technologies, etc. For more about IT for Seniors, click here.
I wish our Malaysian senior citizens clubs had more going than the usual line-dancing, karaoke sessions and the occasional trips.
FOR ALL MY MIDDLE-AGED GIRLFRIENDS
I received this early today and thought I should share it with my blog visitors. I was amused and cheered by it and I'm sure many baby boomers, particularly the ladies, would feel the same too. Recently, in a large city in France, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"
A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.
To Whom It May Concern,
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia.
Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.
Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT? Therefore, they don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?
The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.
P.S. We are in an age when the media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies.
So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!¨
Saturday, November 7, 2009
ACCEPT OUR RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
Sunday mornings used to find me teaching bible classes in church. That seemed like a lifetime ago. I left because I found it difficult to embrace any religion, Christianity included, that is divisive - that guarantees salvation for their disciples and followers, but eternal hell and condemnation for all others. Sounds like Islam too, doesn't it? I often wonder if all the religious strife in the world today is the result of man's (mis)interpretation of the holy books.
I am reminded of a National Day speech given by Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong where he spoke about the risks of religious fervour in a multi-racial society. What he says is applicable to the Malaysian context too. After all, both countries had a shared history for many years. I reproduce excerpts below taken from the Straits Times. Click here for the full text. Also embedded here is a video clip of the speech. Highly recommended viewing.
"SO WHAT are these risks? Let me just highlight three of them.
Aggressive preaching - proselytisation. You push your own religion on others, you cause nuisance and offence. You have read in the papers recently about a couple who surreptitiously distributed Christian tracts which were offensive of other faiths, not just of non-Christians but even of Catholics. They were charged and sentenced to jail.
But there are less extreme cases too which can cause problems. We hear, from time to time, complaints about groups trying to convert very ill patients in our hospitals, who don't want to be converted, and who don't want to have the private difficult moments in their lives intruded upon.
Intolerance is another problem - not respecting the beliefs of others or not accommodating others who belong to different religions. You think of this one group versus another group, but sometimes it happens within the same family.
Sometimes we have parents from traditional religions whose children have converted. The parents have asked to be buried according to traditional rites and their children stay away from the funeral or the wake. It's very sad. From a traditional point of view, it's the ultimate unfilial act but it does happen occasionally.
Exclusiveness is a third problem - segregating into separate exclusive circles, not integrating with other faiths. That means you mix with your own people. You'll end up as separate communities.
FOUR BASIC RULES
WE can never take our racial and religious harmony for granted. We must observe some basic principles to keep it the way it is.
First, all groups have to exercise tolerance and restraint. Christians cannot expect this to be a Christian society, Muslims cannot expect this to be a Muslim society. Ditto the Buddhists, the Hindus and the other groups. Many faiths share this island. Each has different teachings, different practices. Rules which only apply to one group cannot become laws which are enforced on everyone. So Muslims don't drink alcohol but alcohol is not banned. Ditto gambling, which many religions disapprove of, but gambling is not banned. All have to adopt 'live and let live' as our principle.
Secondly, we have to keep religion separate from politics. The People's Action Party reminds our candidates, don't bring all the friends from your own religious group. Don't mobilise your church or your temple or your mosque to campaign for you. Bring a multi-racial, multi-religious group of supporters. When you are elected, represent the interest of all your constituents, not just your religious group in Parliament. Speak for all your constituents.
Thirdly, the Government has to remain secular. The Government's authority comes from the people. The laws are passed by Parliament which is elected by the people. They don't come from a sacred book. The Government has to be neutral, fair. We are not against religion. We uphold sound moral values. We hold the ring so that all groups can practise their faiths freely without colliding. That's the way Singapore has to be.
You may ask: Does this mean that religious groups have no views, cannot have views on national issues? Or that religious individuals cannot participate in politics? Obviously not.
Religious groups are free to propagate their teachings on social and moral issues. And obviously many Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists participate in politics. In Parliament, we have people of all faiths. In the Cabinet too. People who have a religion will often have views which are informed by their religious beliefs. It's natural because it's part of you, it's part of your personality.
But you must accept that other groups may have different views informed by different beliefs and you have to accept that and respect that. The public debate cannot be on whose religion is right and whose religion is wrong. It has to be on secular, rational considerations of public interest - what makes sense for Singapore.
The final requirement for us to live peacefully together is to maintain our common space that all Singaporeans share. It has to be neutral and secular because that's the only way all of us can feel at home in Singapore and at ease.
COMMON SPACES
Sharing meals. We have different food requirements. Muslims need halal food. Hindus don't eat beef. Buddhists sometimes are vegetarian. So if we must serve everybody food which is halal, no beef and vegetarian, I think we will have a problem. We will never eat meals together. So there will be halal food on one side, vegetarian food for those who need it, no beef for those who don't eat beef. Let's share a meal together, acknowledging that we are not the same. Don't discourage people from interacting. Don't make it difficult for us to be one people.
Our schools are another example of common space where all races and religions interact. Even in mission schools run by religious groups, the Ministry of Education has set clear rules, so students of all faiths will feel comfortable. You might ask: Why not allow mission schools to introduce prayers or Bible studies as compulsory parts of the school activity or as part of school assembly? Why not? Then why not let those who are not Christian, or don't want a Christian environment, go to a government school or go to a Buddhist school? Well, if they do that, we'll have Christians in Christian schools, Buddhists in Buddhist schools, Muslims in schools with only Muslim children and so on. I think that is not good for Singapore. Therefore, we have rules to keep all our schools secular and the religious groups understand and accept this.
Another example of common space - work. The office environment should be one which all groups feel comfortable with. Staff have to be confident that they will get equal treatment even if they belong to a different faith from their managers - especially in government departments, but in the private sector too. I think it can be done because even religious community service organisations often have people who don't belong to that religion working comfortably and happily together. This is one very important aspect of our meritocratic society.
THIS is an unusually serious and heavy subject for a National Day Rally. Normally, you talk about babies, hongbaos, bonuses. No bonuses tonight but a bonus lecture on a serious subject. We discussed this in Cabinet at length and decided that I should talk about this. I crafted the points carefully, circulated them many times. Different presentations in Mandarin, Malay and English, because different groups have different concerns, but a consistent message so that there's no misunderstanding.
I also invited the religious leaders to come and spend the evening with us tonight. They can help us to help their flocks understand our limitations, to guide them to practise their faiths, taking into account the context of our society. Please teach them accommodation, which is what all faiths teach. I look forward to all the religious groups continuing to do a lot of good work for Singapore for many years to come.
So let us rejoice in our harmony but let us never forget what being a Singaporean means. It's not just tolerating other groups but opening our hearts to all our fellow citizens.
OUR FUTURE
IF WE stay cohesive, then we can overcome our economic challenges and continue to grow. This is how we've transformed Singapore over the last half century - solving problems together, growing together, improving our lives. From the Singapore River to Marina Bay, we've totally transformed Singapore over the last half century. 1959 was a moment of great change but nobody at the Padang in June 1959 imagined the change in today's Singapore. We will continue to improve our lives, provided we work together and remain a harmonious and a cohesive society so that in another 50 years, we would have built another Singapore, which is equally unimaginable today.
The key is to stay united through rain or shine. To live peacefully together, we need good sense and tolerance on all sides, and a willingness to give and take. Otherwise, whatever the rules there will be no end of possible causes of friction."
I am reminded of a National Day speech given by Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong where he spoke about the risks of religious fervour in a multi-racial society. What he says is applicable to the Malaysian context too. After all, both countries had a shared history for many years. I reproduce excerpts below taken from the Straits Times. Click here for the full text. Also embedded here is a video clip of the speech. Highly recommended viewing.
"SO WHAT are these risks? Let me just highlight three of them.
Aggressive preaching - proselytisation. You push your own religion on others, you cause nuisance and offence. You have read in the papers recently about a couple who surreptitiously distributed Christian tracts which were offensive of other faiths, not just of non-Christians but even of Catholics. They were charged and sentenced to jail.
But there are less extreme cases too which can cause problems. We hear, from time to time, complaints about groups trying to convert very ill patients in our hospitals, who don't want to be converted, and who don't want to have the private difficult moments in their lives intruded upon.
Intolerance is another problem - not respecting the beliefs of others or not accommodating others who belong to different religions. You think of this one group versus another group, but sometimes it happens within the same family.
Sometimes we have parents from traditional religions whose children have converted. The parents have asked to be buried according to traditional rites and their children stay away from the funeral or the wake. It's very sad. From a traditional point of view, it's the ultimate unfilial act but it does happen occasionally.
Exclusiveness is a third problem - segregating into separate exclusive circles, not integrating with other faiths. That means you mix with your own people. You'll end up as separate communities.
FOUR BASIC RULES
WE can never take our racial and religious harmony for granted. We must observe some basic principles to keep it the way it is.
First, all groups have to exercise tolerance and restraint. Christians cannot expect this to be a Christian society, Muslims cannot expect this to be a Muslim society. Ditto the Buddhists, the Hindus and the other groups. Many faiths share this island. Each has different teachings, different practices. Rules which only apply to one group cannot become laws which are enforced on everyone. So Muslims don't drink alcohol but alcohol is not banned. Ditto gambling, which many religions disapprove of, but gambling is not banned. All have to adopt 'live and let live' as our principle.
Secondly, we have to keep religion separate from politics. The People's Action Party reminds our candidates, don't bring all the friends from your own religious group. Don't mobilise your church or your temple or your mosque to campaign for you. Bring a multi-racial, multi-religious group of supporters. When you are elected, represent the interest of all your constituents, not just your religious group in Parliament. Speak for all your constituents.
Thirdly, the Government has to remain secular. The Government's authority comes from the people. The laws are passed by Parliament which is elected by the people. They don't come from a sacred book. The Government has to be neutral, fair. We are not against religion. We uphold sound moral values. We hold the ring so that all groups can practise their faiths freely without colliding. That's the way Singapore has to be.
You may ask: Does this mean that religious groups have no views, cannot have views on national issues? Or that religious individuals cannot participate in politics? Obviously not.
Religious groups are free to propagate their teachings on social and moral issues. And obviously many Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists participate in politics. In Parliament, we have people of all faiths. In the Cabinet too. People who have a religion will often have views which are informed by their religious beliefs. It's natural because it's part of you, it's part of your personality.
But you must accept that other groups may have different views informed by different beliefs and you have to accept that and respect that. The public debate cannot be on whose religion is right and whose religion is wrong. It has to be on secular, rational considerations of public interest - what makes sense for Singapore.
The final requirement for us to live peacefully together is to maintain our common space that all Singaporeans share. It has to be neutral and secular because that's the only way all of us can feel at home in Singapore and at ease.
COMMON SPACES
Sharing meals. We have different food requirements. Muslims need halal food. Hindus don't eat beef. Buddhists sometimes are vegetarian. So if we must serve everybody food which is halal, no beef and vegetarian, I think we will have a problem. We will never eat meals together. So there will be halal food on one side, vegetarian food for those who need it, no beef for those who don't eat beef. Let's share a meal together, acknowledging that we are not the same. Don't discourage people from interacting. Don't make it difficult for us to be one people.
Our schools are another example of common space where all races and religions interact. Even in mission schools run by religious groups, the Ministry of Education has set clear rules, so students of all faiths will feel comfortable. You might ask: Why not allow mission schools to introduce prayers or Bible studies as compulsory parts of the school activity or as part of school assembly? Why not? Then why not let those who are not Christian, or don't want a Christian environment, go to a government school or go to a Buddhist school? Well, if they do that, we'll have Christians in Christian schools, Buddhists in Buddhist schools, Muslims in schools with only Muslim children and so on. I think that is not good for Singapore. Therefore, we have rules to keep all our schools secular and the religious groups understand and accept this.
Another example of common space - work. The office environment should be one which all groups feel comfortable with. Staff have to be confident that they will get equal treatment even if they belong to a different faith from their managers - especially in government departments, but in the private sector too. I think it can be done because even religious community service organisations often have people who don't belong to that religion working comfortably and happily together. This is one very important aspect of our meritocratic society.
THIS is an unusually serious and heavy subject for a National Day Rally. Normally, you talk about babies, hongbaos, bonuses. No bonuses tonight but a bonus lecture on a serious subject. We discussed this in Cabinet at length and decided that I should talk about this. I crafted the points carefully, circulated them many times. Different presentations in Mandarin, Malay and English, because different groups have different concerns, but a consistent message so that there's no misunderstanding.
I also invited the religious leaders to come and spend the evening with us tonight. They can help us to help their flocks understand our limitations, to guide them to practise their faiths, taking into account the context of our society. Please teach them accommodation, which is what all faiths teach. I look forward to all the religious groups continuing to do a lot of good work for Singapore for many years to come.
So let us rejoice in our harmony but let us never forget what being a Singaporean means. It's not just tolerating other groups but opening our hearts to all our fellow citizens.
OUR FUTURE
IF WE stay cohesive, then we can overcome our economic challenges and continue to grow. This is how we've transformed Singapore over the last half century - solving problems together, growing together, improving our lives. From the Singapore River to Marina Bay, we've totally transformed Singapore over the last half century. 1959 was a moment of great change but nobody at the Padang in June 1959 imagined the change in today's Singapore. We will continue to improve our lives, provided we work together and remain a harmonious and a cohesive society so that in another 50 years, we would have built another Singapore, which is equally unimaginable today.
The key is to stay united through rain or shine. To live peacefully together, we need good sense and tolerance on all sides, and a willingness to give and take. Otherwise, whatever the rules there will be no end of possible causes of friction."
Thursday, November 5, 2009
A CHANCE TO OWN BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY STOCKS
Yesterday was the last day to submit applications for Maxis IPO shares for retail investors. Trading on the KLSE starts 19 November. If you missed the deadline, here's another investment opportunity for your retirement funds.
Warren Buffet is offering a 50-for-1 split Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares at US$65.30 a share. This is a price that's definitely more affordable to ordinary investors, and gives them a chance to own stocks in a bluer-than-blue company. Berkshire Class B shares closed Monday at US$3265 on the NYSE.
If you are interested to read more, and have money to spare, click here.
To view a slideshow of the company's biggest stock holdings, click on the link below.
Footnote: As with all investments or purchases, do your homework before you part with your money.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
SO WHAT'S NEW, AUDITOR-GENERAL?
Click on the image to enlarge.
It's shocking the level of corruption that exists in this country. According to the Corruption Perception Index issued by Transparency International, Malaysia has been dropping in the rankings since 2001.
It's the same sad story year in year out. And I'm shedding tears of anger.
Scene 1:
The Auditor-General's report reveals shocking mismanagement and misappropriation of funds.
Scene 2:
The public demands action to be taken against the perpetrators.
Scene 3
The Anti-Corruption Agency or ACA (now the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission or MACC) swings into action and nabs a few small fish. The big fish are swept under the carpet.
Scene 4:
The PM promises more stringent checks and balances, and prudent spending.
Scene 5:
The whole episode is soon forgotten and life goes on, obladi oblada, till the next year when the same script is played out again.
Consider some of the revelations in the AG's 2008 report:
~ RM42,320 for an old model laptop
~ RM1,050 for a swivel chair
~ RM224 for a set of 4 screwdrivers
~ RM5,700 for a car jack
~ RM8,254 for a digital camera
~ RM418,145 of welfare aid paid to non-existing people
~ RM2.08m for unnecessary computer software
~ RM28billion at least in total losses a year due to overcharging for various contracts and procurements.
What I find appalling is that someone somewhere must have signed and approved each of these inflated amounts knowing full well that it is a crime to do so. How are these scumbags able to get away scot free?
When I read in the papers today that the MACC had charged six people for false claims and fraud against the government, I was thinking "Here we go again...". Obviously, these are the fall guys. (Click on the image to enlarge.)And it's not only these vultures who are sucking the treasury dry, student loan defaulters are doing the same. Many of them are now holding high positions and drawing fat salaries. But they have no qualms about not repaying their debt even though their names have been published in the print media.
To date, 780,000 borrowers have not repaid their study loans amounting to RM3.26 billion. If this snowballs, by 2020 the National Higher Education Corporation is expected to have a deficit of RM48 billion!!!
Omigosh! Someone get me a defibrillator!
How can these people sleep at night? How can they look at themselves in the mirror? We certainly have a lot of ugly Malaysians who tarnish the good name of our country. SHAME ON THEM!
Monday, November 2, 2009
CELEBRATING MENOPAUSE
Not many people know about the Malaysian Menopause Society (MMS) which has been around since 1997. The society recently underwent a much-needed image makeover. As a life member since its early years, I can say the transformation is total and for the better - from the MMS website to the Berita Menopos Magazine. The recent surge of MMS events bear testimony that current MMS president Dr Ho Choon Moy and her team are doing the right things to rejuvenate the society and give women (and their men) a good reason to sign up as members.
MMS President Dr Ho Choon Moy urging the women to take action as cervical cancer is preventable.
Long queues at the bone density test counter.
Top: D'Happy Senior Citizens Club members looking pleased with the good response to their membership drive. Above: Brisk sales at the Remifemin booth.
Top: D'Happy Senior Citizens Club members looking pleased with the good response to their membership drive. Above: Brisk sales at the Remifemin booth.
Top: Dr Ong Hean Choon Bottom: Dr Liew Fah Onn
Dr Andy Low (click on the images to enlarge).
Dr Chin Chee Howe (click on the images to enlarge)
It's a good thing doctors have a sense of humour! (Click on the images to enlarge.)
MMS celebrated World Menopause Day (WMD) last Sunday 1 Nov 2009 with a series of talks on the theme "TRANSFORMATION - Up & Down, In & Out". Traditionally, WMD falls on 18 October every year. Event organizer Dr Liew Fah Onn must be congratulated on a job well done judging from the overwhelming response. Besides the talks by medical specialists, there was an exhibition of health and wellness products, a lucky draw and a fashion show with models selected from MMS members. I had a taste of catwalk modelling in a similar MMS event in 2007, and I can tell you it was FUN!
MMS members turned models for a day.The only downside happened after the event, when the attendees were invited to high-tea. It was embarrassing to see quite a number of the ladies rushing for the food like they had just survived a week-long hunger strike.
Young and beautiful. The new 50s: sisters Lim Ai Mee and Alice LimMMS' s next event is the Fellowship Nite 2009 this Saturday 7 Nov, 7.30pm at Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, PJ. Tickets: RM20 for members, RM55 for non-members, spouses, friends. Interested? Call Mrs Jagjeet at 012-200 5276. I'm looking forward to an evening of fun, food and entertainment.
See you there.
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