About Money Matters, Discipline, Effective Interaction, Letting go, Qualitative/Private Times, Eating Right, Humour, Retaining Traditional Values and Leisure

The Importance of Sleep

Hi Singapore Parents

Today, will be sharing the importance of sleep . . .

   

Good rest and sound sleep is very important . . .

If you do not sleep well, the toxins in your body will accumulate… affecting your health and your mood…

One of the main causes to your body is liver damage:

1.            Sleeping too late and waking up too late are the main culprits. . .

2.            Not urinating in the morning.3.            Too much eating.

4.            Skipping breakfast.

5.            Consuming too much medication.

6.            Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food colouring and artificial sweeteners.

7.            Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil used when frying which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired except if the body is very fit.

8.            Consuming overly done foods also add to the burden of liver. Vegetables should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts.  Fried vegetables should be finished in one sitting and do not store.
 

It is good to adopt a healthy daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining that is very important for our body to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals because….

Between 9 - 11pm is the time for eliminating unnecessary/ toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in a un-relaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on her health.

Between 11pm - 1am, the detoxification process is taking place in the liver and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Between 1 - 3am, detoxification process is in the gall and also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Between 3 - 5am, detoxification is in the lungs.  Therefore, there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time.  Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Between 5 - 7am, detoxification is in the colon.  This is time to empty your bowels.

Between 7 - 9am, Absorption of nutrients is in the small intestine.  Breakfast is ideal at this time.  For those who are sick, you can consume food before 6:30am. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. For those who always skip breakfast, it is time to change their habits.   It is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 -10am rather than no meal at all.  Sleeping late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals.

Between 12 midnight to 4am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood.

So parents, cultivate the habit of a good sleep and do so ideally before 11 pm.

Goodness of Papayas

Hi Singapore Parents

Today, going to share with you on the goodness of papayas . . .

  

Prostate cancer was the subject of a study in Australia that looked at 130 prostate cancer patients and 274 hospitalized controls.

Scientists have found that men who consumed the most lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as papaya were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer. In this study, green tea also exerted a powerful anti-cancer effect. When lycopene-rich foods were consumed with green tea, the combination was even more effective, an outcome the researchers credited to their synergy.

(Source: Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007)

 Papaya is a store-house of cancer fighting lycopene

The intense orangey-pink colour of papaya means it is chock full of cancer fighting carotenoids. Not only beta carotene, but lycopene is found in abundance. The construction of lycopene makes it highly reactive toward oxygen and free radicals.

Scientists think this anti-oxidant activity contributes to its effectiveness as a cancer fighting agent. Epidemiological studies have indicated an inverse relationship between lycopene intake and prostate cancer risk. They showed that oral lycopene is highly bio-available, accumulates in prostate tissue and is localized in the nucleus of prostate epithelial cells.

In addition to antioxidant activity, other experiments have indicated that lycopene induces cancer cell death, anti-metastatic activity, and the up-regulation of protective enzymes. Phases I and II studies have established the safety of lycopene supplementation.

(Source: University of Illinois, October 8, 2008)

Isothiocyanates found in papaya restore the cell cycle to eliminate cancer

Organo-sulfur compounds called isothiocyanates are found in papaya. In animal experiments, isothiocyanates protected against cancers of the breast, lung, colon pancreas, prostate and leukemia. They also have the potential to prevent cancer in humans. Isothiocyanates have shown themselves capable of inhibiting both the formation and development of cancer cells through multiple pathways and mechanisms.

(Source: International Journal of Oncology, October, 2008)

Researchers in Japan clarified the mechanisms of action in a type of isothiocyanate found in papaya known as BITC.  It underlies the relationship between cell cycle regulation and appropriate cell death. When cancerous cells die on schedule, they are no longer a problem. The researchers established that BITC exerted cancer cell killing effects that were greater in the proliferating cells than in the quiescent cells. Cancer cells that are proliferating are much more dangerous than cancer cells that are in a state of dormancy.

(Source: Forum of Nutrition, 2009)

Enzymes from papaya digest proteins including those that protect tumors

The fruit and other parts of the papaya tree, also known as the paw paw tree, contain papain and chymopapain.  These are powerful proteolytic enzymes that facilitate chemical reactions in the body. They promote digestion by helping to break down proteins from food into amino acids that can be recombined to produce protein useable by humans. Proteolytic enzymes protect the body from inflammation and help heal burns. They do a good job of digesting unwanted scar tissue both on the skin and under its surface.

Research has shown that the physical and mental health of people is highly dependent on their ability to produce proteins they can use effectively. However, as people age, they produce less of the enzymes needed to effectively digest proteins from food and free needed amino acids. They are left with excessive amounts of undigested protein which can lead to overgrowth of unwanted bacteria in the intestinal tract and a lack of available amino acids.

 Papaya was the only studied food found to halt breast cancer

Scientists studied 14 plant foods commonly consumed in Mexico to determine their ability to halt breast cancer cell growth. These included avocado, black sapote, guava, mango, prickly pear cactus (nopal), pineapple, grapes, tomato, and papaya. They also evaluated beta-carotene, total plant phenolics, and gallic acid contents and antioxidant capacity. They found that only papaya had a significant effect on stopping breast cancer cell growth.

(Source: International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, May)

Eating papaya after a meal promotes digestion, and helps prevent bloating, gas production, and indigestion.

It is quite helpful after antibiotic use to replenish friendly intestinal bacteria that were the casualties in the war against the unwanted bacteria. When the intestinal tract is well populated with friendly bacteria, the immune system is strengthened. It can then better protect against flu and cancer.

Being a proteolytic enzyme, papain is able to destroy intestinal parasites that are composed mostly of protein. To rid the body of intestinal parasites, half a cup of papaya juice can be alternated each hour for twelve consecutive hours with the same amount of cucumber or green bean juice.

Papaya contains fibrin, another useful compound not readily found in the plant kingdom. Fibrin reduces the risk of blood clots and improves the quality of blood cells, optimizing the ability of blood to flow through the circulatory system. Fibrin is also important in preventing strokes. Proteolytic enzymes containing fibrin are a good idea for long plane rides to minimize the potential of blood clots in the legs. People who sit at a desk all day might want to use proteolytic enzymes too.

Proteolytic enzymes are able to digest and destroy the defense shields of viruses, tumours, allergens, yeasts, and various forms of fungus. Once the shield is destroyed, tumours and invading organisms are extremely vulnerable and easily taken care of by the immune system.

Undigested proteins can penetrate the gut and wind up in the bloodstream where they are treated by the immune system as invaders. If too many undigested proteins are floating around, the immune system becomes overburdened and unable to attend to the other tasks it was meant to do. Proteolytic enzymes can digest these rogue proteins, freeing up the immune system.

So Singapore parents, do include a slice of papaya every day in your diet.  Papaya juice will be great too. 

Inspiring One-Liners . . .

Hi Singapore parents

As we celebrate Father’s Day today, below are some inspiring one-liners that I would like to share . . .

1.         If time does not wait for you, just remove the battery from the clock and ENJOY LIFE!              

2.                  Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is like expecting the lion not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. Think about it.

             

3.                  Beauty is measured by outer appearance and what clothes we wear.  Rather, it is what we are inside. So, try going out naked tomorrow and see the admiration!

           

 

4.                  Do not walk as if you rule the world.  Walk as if you do not care who rules the world! That’s called ATTITUTE!  Keep on rocking!

             

5.                  Every lady hopes that her daughter will marry a better man than she did.  She is convinced that her son will never find a wife as good as his father did!

            

 

6.                  He was a good man. He never smoked, never drank and had no affair. When he died, the insurance company refused the claim. They said he who never lived cannot die!

          

 

7.                  There are so many options for suicide: Poison, sleeping pills, hanging, jumping from a building and lying on train tracks.  Yet we choose MARRIAGE - slow sure!

            

 

8.                  Only 20 percent boys have brains, the rest have girlfriends! 

             

9.                  All desirable things in life are illegal, banned, expensive or married to someone else!

            

 

10.             Drinking is our biggest enemy (by Jawaharlal Nehru)We should learn to love our enemies (by Mahatma Gandhi)

So which one do we follow and choose???

 

11.             10% of road accidents are due to drunken driving.  That means it a logical statement that 90% of accidents are due to driving without drinking!!

            

 

So parents, hope the above one-liners have inspired you in some ways . . .

The Goodness of Sweet Potatoes

Hi

Singapore parents

Hope this article will enlighten you.

  

Did you know that SWEET POTATO (kamote) far exceeds the nutrition and health values of rice? Here are the benefits of substituting rice with kamote:

1.    Sweet potato is more filling and suppresses hunger pangs longer. It is also cheaper than rice.

2.    Unlike rice, it is easy to grow. It grows in backyards with or without fertilizers. Local government executives can provide their poor communities with idle government land for planting kamote which the entire community can share.

3.    Unlike rice which needs to be eaten with a dish, Sweet Potato tastes good and can be eaten by itself. Thus, substituting rice with sweet potato saves money for other needs.

4.    Rice cannot match the nutritional values of potato. As rice converts to sugar in the body, the Philippines registers it as a top producer of diabetics in the world.  The poor tends to load up on rice and less on the dish which are more expensive. That makes them vulnerable to diabetes, an ailment known in developed countries as a rich man’s disease.

5.    The nutritional values of a 3 oz. baked sweet potato are: calories 90, fat 0 g, saturated fat 0 g, cholesterol 0 mg, carbohydrate 21 g, protein 2 g, dietary fiber 3 g, sodium 36 mg, vitamin A 19,218 IU, folic acid 6 micrograms, pantothenic acid 1 mg, vitamin B6 <1 mg, vitamin C 20 mg, vitamin E 1 mg, calcium 38 mg, manganese 1 mg, carotenoids 11,552 mcg, potassium 475 mg and magnesium 45 mg.  Compare that to a 100 g serving of white rice with: calories 361 kcal, water 10.2 g, total fat 0.8 g, dietary fiber 0.6 g, calcium 8 mg, phosphorous 87 mg, potassium 111 mg, sodium 31 mg, vitamin B1 0.07 mg, vitamin B2 0.02 mg, niacin 1.8 g, protein 6 g and carbohydrates 82 g.

6.    Too much rice consumption can make you sick, but sweet potato (kamote) can bring you to health and keep away some health problems. These have been proven medically.  In a medical documentary I watched recently on KBS World (the South Korean TV Network), I was awed by the results of the research the Koreans conducted on the nutritional and medicinal benefits of kamote (which they refer to as sweet potato). In that Korean medical documentary I watched (which I followed through the English subtitles), they presented the research findings on people with established health problems who were placed on a kamote/sweet potato diet.

Believe it or not – Sweet Potato (kamote) lowers hypertension, bad cholesterol and even blood sugar when eaten as SUBSTITUTE TO RICE! The purple sweet potato (kamote) is particularly effective for lowering hypertension.

Not only that, the Korean medical documentary credits the sweet potato (kamote) as high fiber and is one of the best foods that one can eat to prevent cancer!

For those who are only impressed by US doctors, read this: the North Carolina Stroke Association, American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association have all endorsed the sweet potato for its disease prevention and healing qualities. The Americans, the South Koreans – both progressive nations – have raised the kamote to a high pedestal. Many of them even call the sweet Potato a “super food that heals.”

So parents, so much for the goodness of sweet potatoes.  For recipe of sweet potato porridge, you may click onto http://www.juneparenting.com/2007/03/06/sweet-potato-porridge/.

The Story of The Wooden Bowl

Hi Singapore Parents

Today, would like to share with you the following story:

After reading, you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. ‘We must do something about father,’ said the son. ‘I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.’

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, ‘What are you making?’ Just as sweetly, the boy responded, ‘Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ‘ The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, Neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:

  • A rainy day
  • The elderly
  • Lost luggage
  • Tangled Christmas tree lights

      

I’ve learned that:
  • making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life..’

  • life sometimes gives you a second chance.

  • you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands.

  • You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

  • if you pursue happiness, it will elude you but if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

  • whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

  • even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

  • every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

  • people love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

  • I still have a lot to learn

So parents, do share with your loved ones and family members the moral of this story . . .

I believe . . .

Hi Singapore parentsToday, would like to share the following, author unknown.

 

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.
A Death Certificate shows that we died.

Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat.  Relax and read this slowly.

I Believe that . . . just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.
And just because they don’t argue, tt doesn’t mean they do love each other.
 We don’t have to change friends if  we understand that friends change.

No matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.
 

True friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.  Same goes for true love.

You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life. 

It’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

You should always leave loved ones with  loving words.  It may be the last time you see them.

You can keep going long after you think you can’t.

We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

Either you control your attitude or it controls you.

Heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

My best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

Sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with  how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

It isn’t always enough, to be forgiven by others.  Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.  

No matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are b, we are responsible for who we become.

You shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret.  It could change your life forever. 

People can look at the exact same ting and see something totally different.  

Your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

Even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help. 

Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

The people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

You should send this to all of the people that you believe in. I just did. 

‘The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; tey just make the most of everything they have.’

 

So parents, do share with your loved ones who BELIEVE in you.

Heart of Gratitude

Hi Singapore Parents

Today, would like to share with you the following story:

  

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.  He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”

I wrote: “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

 

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…

And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

 

So parents, share the above story with your family and friends.  Enjoy your day with a heart of gratitude.

 

Life Expectancy Calculator

Hi Singapore Parents

A friend sent this to me.  It’s amazing.  It will either scare you or elate you.

For me, my virtual age went down about 15 years and life expectancy increased by 15 years.

So parents, if you want to know whether you have or a shorter or longer life expectancy,  click on the link below and try it out.


http://www.sonnyradio.com/realage3.swf

Just be honest and happy trying.

Life after divorce

     It has been 6 months since I ended my marriage of 27 years last August 2009.  Life has been wonderful to me and there are 2 kinds of reactions that I get:The one from my “in-laws” is hostile.  I am barred from all family gatherings from his side.  Nonetheless, my 2 sister-in-laws (ex-brother-in-laws’ wives) are still in touch with me.  Occasionally, we will go for meals and catch-up on what is happening.

My own family has been very supportive, especially my children.  They are sensitive kids and I really want to thank them for helping me through this period.  My stand is that he is still their father and he is welcome to join any family functions where the children are involved.  Other than my children’s birthdays and mine, he has avoided other functions involving my other family members.

For my mum, accepting the separation initially was a pain to her.  She has since accepted the fact and seeing me cheerful again was a consolation to her.   My own siblings had been supportive in their silent ways, respecting my decision.

For the past one year, close friends who knew about my relationship challenge have been giving me moral support.  I really appreciate the time they had taken to accommodate me when I was down.

The painful decision took me one year to deliberate after weighing the pros and cons.  Without financial, emotional and physical support from your spouse and still burden with taking care of 4 children, the strain was too much to bear.  I broke down in Dec 2008 where I left home for 2 nights, just to think things over.  We went through 2 rounds of counseling with the situation remaining status quo.  That’s when I make the decision . . .

And what have I been doing these past 6 months . . .

  • I was involved in the Parenting Conference held on 23 Jan 2010 where preparation started way back in Sep 2009.  The event was supported by 2 government bodies.  We had more than 10 sponsors and the team of 7 really worked our heart out.
  • In Nov 2009, I was offered a job in a bookstore and started worked in Dec 2009.  After 2 months’ probation, my boss confirmed my appointment.  This is the third month and I am still negotiating for more pay to compensate for the amount of time I spend in the company.  Very positive environment and I kind of like it.
  • In Dec 2009, I also took on the role of co-ordinator with a secondary school.  Something new to me but I am one person who enjoys learning new things.

Life is short and I still look on to every day as a new day.  Every one has a choice how they want to live and I have chosen mine.  The years ahead may get lonelier when my children start they own families.  Well, who knows . . . I may find a second Mr Right.  Ha ha . . .

Greetings for a new year

Hi Singapore parents

Time flies – here’s a new beginning of another year and a new decade 2010.

 

May you a wonderful new month and a happy new year.    

Don’t work too hard but work smart.  May your boss appreciate you and say !

Take care of yourself.    Pamper yourself and buy some beautiful.

Don’t worry because   will come from above.   May you also purchase or change a house and a car.

     
May the days ahead be busy but easy working, relax and go holiday around the world.   It’s important to have good health, therefore at more
 and less carbos,

Do remember to exercise at least once a week.    Don’t fight with your sweetheart, and be generous to say : “I  you.”

So parents, Wish all of you the best!