Alone

It has been said that each of us is ultimately alone. I prefer to think of now and there as the only ultimate, but what is probably meant is that our moments alone seem somehow truer, more real. The word ‘God’ only begins to have meaning for me in a discussion. I don’t think religion is an attainable subject for the intellect. I can only believe when I am not talking about it.

I need solitude like I need food and rest, and like eating and resting, solitude is most satisfying when it fits the rhythm of my needs. A regularly schedule aloneness does not nourish me.

Solitude is nearly a misnomer. To me, being alone means togetherness – the re-coming-together of me and nature, of me and being; the reuniting of me with all. For me, solitude especially means putting the parts of me back together – the unifying of myself whereby I see once again that the little things are little and the big things are big.

I believe that solitude is a profound and needed act of self-love and self-appreciation.

White and Shout Wipes

Ahhh… we all do love white. It’s the symbol of cleanliness, purity and goodness. I have loads of Indian cotton and linen shirts and pants; off white as well as pure white.

But my main problem is staining. Whenever I wear white shirt or white pant, that is the day I choose to ‘stain’ my clothing. From curry to noodle soup, sandwich to fruits, ‘tong shui’ to nescafe, somehow it got to be on my ‘white day’! If any of you do your own laundry, you can imagine how difficult it is to wash away any old stain without using any bleaching component, not to mention soaking it overnight and worst of all, hand wash. Honestly I am not keen at all.

A Johnson product called ‘Shout Wipes (Instant Stain Remover)’ came to my rescue. Its amazing and I always have a few in my bag; individually packed, a box consists of 12 wrapped pouches. Easy to use - apply Shout Wipes starting at the outside of the stain working towards the center, if possible place dry towel (tissue paper will do) under the stain while treating to remove excess moisture by blotting with it. Don’t go out without your Shout, thats what written on the box.

Checked it out at www. SHOUTITOUT.com. I have not seen the product in our supermarket, normally Jamie (one of my practitioner) would replenish my stock whenever he’s back to San Francisco.

My Papa

When my papa was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease in 2004, I felt resentful, then angry, then nothing at all.

Resentful because he’s making a demand on me I can’t fulfill (I can’t quickly fix things up); he’s using up my precious time; he’s making a messy situation. Then I felt angry because I think I shouldn’t be resentful when someone is sick. Then I resign myself and my emotions shut down altogether. But in the middle of this I pause long enough to look inside myself, I find that these negative feelings seem to be going on, on the surface and that deeper within me are more positive, loving feelings.

He passed away peacefully on June 3rd, 2006 at 86.

Looking back I am glad that I’ve told him how much I love him when he’s alive, when he still remembers me as his daughter, apple to his eyes. I guess that’s why I didn’t cried much when he passed away, neither regret nor anger were inside me, only love.

Male or Female?

Male or Female? You might not have known this...but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are some examples:

FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in...but you can see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off...it takes a while to warm them up again. They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed...but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong Buttons.

TIRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.

HOT AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object... Because to get them to go anywhere...you have to light a fire under their butt.

SPONGES: These are female...because they are soft.....squeezable and retain water.

WEB PAGES: Female...because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

TRAINS: Definitely male... Because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.

EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because...over time...all the weight shifts to the bottom.

HAMMERS: Male... Because in the last 5000 years.....they've hardly changed at all...and are occasionally handy to have around.

THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male.but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it.and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push...he just keeps trying.....

New Law: With the high rate of attacks on women in secluded parking lots...especially during evening hours...the Edinburgh City Council has established a 'Women Only' parking lot at the Tesco shopping center. Even the parking attendants are exclusively female so that a comfortable and safe environment is created for patrons. Above is the first picture available of this world-first women-only parking lot in Edinburgh !

Thanks Karen A.

Toothache? Anybody?

A toothache hurts a lot. It hurts when you smile, frown, eat, drink or not doing anything and its killing me since last week.

The dentist told me that I had a very good set of teeth and with proper care it will last me this life time! Riiiiinng…. an alarm in my head. What? Wait a minute. Proper care? What am I doing all these years? Brush my teeth after each meal; never go to bed without flossing, what have I done wrong? I feel like kicking myself for not paying attention to the dental nurses when I was in secondary school on how to brush the teeth properly.

Take your fingernail and scrape it gently across the inside of one of your teeth. Now look at your finger. See the white stuff under your fingernail? That’s plaque, my dear.

Plaque is a sticky film of living and dead bacteria grows on your teeth. When plaque isn’t removed, it can harden – 50% within 48 hrs, becoming rock hard after just 12 days and commonly known as tartar.

You can’t remove tartar, ‘it’s much stronger that elephant glue’ and requires professional help. But good news is that you can remove plaque and by getting plaque off your teeth, you’ll prevent a lot tartar. Removing tartar is easy, so wipe your finger off and read on.

Brush, brush, brush. Think of your toothbrush as your sword and plaque as the enemy. What you want to do in this case is rub the bad guy away.

Friction of a toothbrush disrupts the bacterial plaque growth on the teeth – as long as you do it correctly and most people don’t (that people including me as well).

Up and down or back and forth isn’t correct. Open the mouth slightly - 1st step is upper teeth, start from the gum all the way down, lower teeth all the way up from the gum. 2nd step very gently wiggle your brush in small circle, covering 1 or 2 teeth at a time, downward for upper teeth and downward for lower teeth. 3rd step only brush back and forth, remember gently. Lastly inside out of the teeth!

Buy a brush that fits. Think small when choose your toothbrush. You want to reach all sides of your teeth, including those at the very back of your mouth, a giant brush won’t.

The white colour toothbrush is being recommended by my dentist compared to my existing, blue colour.

Choose soft, rounded bristles. Soft nylon bristles are easier on tooth enamel but as tough on plaque. Sculpted bristles are often sharp and may slice into your gums.

Floss it right. Whoa, don’t snap the floss up and down, in and out of your gums if you were popping the plaque to death. You’re whipping your gum tissue too. Slow down and take your time.

Try baking soda. Baking soda is an old standby that really works. Dip your brush directly into the box or mix a tablespoon of baking soda to a pinch of salt in a cup.

Try Listerine. Listerine has been shown to be effective in reducing the plaque when used alone or used to supplement regular toothbrushing.

Make sugarless gum your last bite. When you can’t brush after a meal, pop a stick of gum and chew your way to cleaner teeth, about 20 minutes. As you chew, your saliva will wash your teeth and neutralize the acid in the plaque before it attacks your teeth. Moving the gum around your mouth may also dislodge food stuck between your teeth.

Go swish, swish, swish. After every meal, especially when you can’t carry a toothbrush, dash to the bathroom and swish a mouthful of water around those teeth. One good swish will remove debris and may save you from spinach-in-the-teeth embarrassment