Article for sharing on "10 Sure-Fire Ways to be Happy"

"Old items are as good and precious as new!" This phrase is applicable to many things and situations in our lives. Flipping through some old magazine articles can be of great benefits but how many will do such a thing?? In true life situations, most people are looking forward in grabbing a copy of the latest month magazines or books rather than flipping through some old ones. Every time when I flip through an old magazine or book, I tend to find some interesting articles which is worth sharing. Hope you all love it too!

10 Sure-Fire Ways To Be Happy!

1. TREAT YOURSELF LIKE A CHILD The caring, the attention, the concern that you would give a small child, give that same attention to yourself.
2. CREATE MOMENTS OF HAPPINESS What gives you happiness depends on who you are. Do you enjoy a half hour of exercise? A few minutes of absolute quiet? An evening with a crowd of friends? Create those moments.
3. CLEAR OUT UNHAPPINESS What obstacles to happiness are there in your life? These can weigh you down. Avoid things that make you unhappy. See less of unpleasant people whenever possible.
4. KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL Positive emotions create feelings of happiness. Optimism, hopefulness, curiosity and gratitude are part of the basket of emotions. Every day you can write down in your gratitude journal the things that you are grateful for.
5. SIMPLIFY! We are generally too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. Prioritise and simplify your life to make it stress-free.
6. BE SPONTANEOUS Take the opportunity to enjoy life as it happens. Be curious about life. Be inquisitive. Be amazed.
7. FIND WORK THAT YOU LOVE Find meaningful activities that give you a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment. Look in that direction for your career or your hobby.
8. PRACTISE BEING HAPPY Find activities that'll add a buzz of happiness to boost your mood throughout the week. Hang a funny cartoon on the door. Get a funny book to read. Play with your pet.
9. WHAT ARE YOUR APTITUDES? Examine your abilities and skills. Try out different activities. When your activities have meaning, you will find happiness. Concentrate deep in thought as you seek to understand that some things are, in itself, a pleasure.
10. HAVE A GOOD LAUGH! Going through the motions of a good rollicking laugh for no reason at all can easily chase stress and worries away.
    

Victims of irresponsible drivers on the loose!

Off late, Kuching City have been polluted with irresponsible drivers!! With such drivers on the loose not to mention that the lives of many innocent citizens will be in danger, but the poor lifeless 'Traffic Lights' are also not spared!!

The sight of Traffic Lights being knocked down seems to be something very common for road users. The most pitiful one that I can recall is the one at the junction to the General Hospital, as it seems to happen very often!! "That poor lifeless thing!"

Every time when I saw a Traffic Light being knocked or run-down, I felt sorry for it! Traffic Lights are suppose to guide us with road directions but those 'uncivilized' people are ruining it without any guilt at all!!!!!! I really, really hated those people who behaved in such a manner - polluting the safe environment of Kuching City!!

I sincerely hope that the authorities concerned will play their role in putting an end to such acts so that our city will be a safe and peaceful place for us all to live in.

"May God Protect Us All"

Article for sharing on "Improving your memory" [Part 2]

Ways to improve your memory

• As your brain gets older so your ability to remember things that you have looked at briefly will get worse. When you were young you could probably look at a list of words and remember quite a lot of them. You can't do that as easily when you are older. You need to concentrate more. You will need to make a conscious effort to remember where you parked the car. Look at your car and its surroundings to imprint the view on your memory. Pretend that you are taking a photograph of it -- blink your eye lids as though your eyes were cameras -- and you'll remember it better.

• Normally we remember around 20 per cent of what we read. But if you really concentrate you can remember up to 70 per cent. After reading something that you want to remember, spend 60 seconds thinking about it. Make a mental comment to yourself about what you have read. Rephrase it in your mind. You will find that if you do this, your memory will improve considerably.

• As we get older, we all do things without really thinking about them. We put ourselves onto 'automatic pilot' and fall into a routine. Concentrate really hard and spot the things you do without thinking. And then ask yourself whether or not you could do things better if you thought about them more.

• Try to understand things that you have to remember. You will find things easier to remember if you understand them. And try to remember key facts and words which will help bring into your mind whole sequences of thoughts and facts.

• Clear your brain of trivial information. Use notebooks and diaries to record these. Albert Einstein once said: "Why should I waste brain space remembering my own telephone number? I can look it up if I want to know what it is."

• When you are talking about something you know that you will want to remember, try to concentrate hard on everything around you. Concentrate on the people you are with and the place you are at onto your mental blackboard. When you want to recall the name, simply recreate your blackboard.

• When you are trying to remember something, do your best to recreate the conditions under which you learnt it. Football teams do best when playing at home (even if there isn't a crowd of home supporters) because they find it easier to remember what they've learned while training. Students do better in examinations if they take their tests in the room where they did their learning. So, if you are trying to remember the name of someone you met at a party, then try to remember where you were, what you were doing, what you were wearing, what other people were wearing and what you said to the people you met. Things that you learn are bound together in your mind in time and place. If you can recreate the conditions in which you learned something, then your ability to recall the facts will increase dramatically.

• If you are struggling to remember something, work your way through the alphabet. The first letter of a name or place can often 'trigger' a lost memory.

• If you want to remember something that you have seen or read, try closing your eyes immediately afterwards. This keeps the 'image' on your retina for a little longer, and will make the image easier to recall in the future.

• To make it easier to remember names, try to make up pictures in your mind. For example, to remember the name 'Coleman' think of a main carrying a bag of coal. If you are trying to remember a name like 'Vernon' which doesn't lend itself to a picture, then visualize an imaginary blackboard and then write them in. Try to be aware of smells, sights and sounds. The more information you record, the easier you will find it to remember the event.
  

Article for sharing on "Improving your memory" [Part 1]

How many among friends have talk about the topic on "memory" either when meeting each other or even over the phone???

To be frank, I have had many discussions on this topic with my friends, especially those who are almost the same age or older. It is indeed a scary thing, but it is wise to put the topic into discussion as it gives us more confidence and won't panic off. Through sharing we are likely to understand the situation better and there might be some useful tips along the way. So, don't keep this scary problem to yourself, share it with people around us, talk about it and don't shy away cos' this problem not only happen to you alone but to everyone, except that some deteriorate faster than the others.

Here's an article which I've read recently and would like to share it with everyone, hoping that it will be of great value to all..................so, happy reading!!!

Improving your memory

It is a fact that your memory gets rusty as you get older. But don't panic because there are ways to stop it from deteriorating.

Did you know that the parts of your brain which are responsible for remembering things like dates, recipes, names and addresses, telephone numbers and directions lose up to 100,000 nerve cells a day? Which is why if you're older than 25, then your medium-term memory is slowly getting worse and worse. Teenagers are better able to absorb and remember pages of information than adults. So, unless you're a teenager, your brain is slowly rotting. That's the bad news.

The good news is that just as your medium-term memory is deteriorating so your mental ability to use information is increasing. Your memory may be failing as you age but you are becoming wiser. People under 25 may be able to remember lists of equations and irregular verbs. But the best thinking in any society is done by the over 25s.

Still, there is no doubt that it is inconvenient to have a deteriorating memory. So here are a few ways in which you can improve your memory and disguise the fact that you are getting older.

.......... to be continued

A day full of CHEERS.........

With July 11th as "Cheer Up Day" I really intend to post this blog early in the morning but this Sunday seems to be rather busy and hope I am not too late to do so only now!!

So, here's me sending you all this big and powerful SMILE to fill your day with lots of cheers and happiness..........For those who 'frown' more than 'smile' in their everyday life, why not give it a change from today onwards as frowning will only put more wrinkles on your face where as smiles will enhance our youthful looks. So, which do you prefer??????

A Hassle-Free Day?

How we wish each day can be 'A Hassle-Free Day!' From the moment we wake up in the early morning till the end of another day, things run smoothly; there will be no troubles as we get on along the way; we will meet and get along well with people around us; everything turns out well as expected and many others.........

Instead, many things turn out to be not what we expect! There are times when things start to go wrong early in the morning, such as 'your toast gets burnt' or 'your children forget their school books and you need to turn back'. I believe that many have experienced such a situation before.

I've come across this interesting '10 Tips to a Hassle-Free Day' and would like to share with everyone out there, especially working mothers. I sincerely hope that some of the tips might be of help.

Are your days rife with problems? Do you dread going to work? Well, it is time to take control. Don't be defeated before you leave your house. Start making preparations for a successful day from the moment you are awake. Be organised and stay on top of things.

1. Psyching yourself up positively can work wonders for you. When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself that you are going to have a fantastic day.
2. Make it a point to have a good healthy breakfast. While you are eating, think about the plans for the evening so that you know how your day will end.
3. Dress for success. Have you noticed that what you have on can actually affect your mood? When you pay attention to your clothes and know you look your best, you are boosting your self-confidence several notches up. Look good and feel good.
   
4. Before you leave for the office, look through your planner or organiser. What are your appointments for the day? Do you have to take anything to the office? What is happening in the evening?
5. At the office, put on a smile. A smile costs you nothing but can get you plenty. Wish your colleagues a cherry "Good Morning!" This should not be difficult once you are determined to have a good day.
6. The first thing you should do is make a list - People to call (write phone numbers next to each name); Paperwork to clear & Appointments to make. Then, as you act on each item on the list, tick it off or make notes next to it if necessary.
7. Grab a sandwich and fruits for lunch. Drink plenty of water during the day. Make a personal call. Read that magazine or book that you haven't found time to. Do a crossword puzzle to improve your vocabulary.
8. If you had to go out of the office during the day, freshen up when you get in. This will perk you up for the rest of the day.
9. Before quitting time, plan for the next day. Work from the list you drew up in the morning. What could not be completed or dealt with should be put aside for the next day.
10. When you leave the office, leave an organised desk and your work problems behind.
    

Article for sharing on "Chronic Fatigue" [Part 6]

From my personal point of view...........

During the time of our fathers and fore fathers, situations are not as hectic and challenging as today! Young children for example, only needs a year of kindergarten then off to Primary 1, and some even go straight to primary school without entering kindergarten. Students with Primary 6 education can even get a job. Completed Form 5 is considered well educated and can get good job opportunities. Education is free during the old days, except some private schools with manageable fees.

Today, it's a total change with a very wide gape of differences!! Young children are sent to pre-schools, nurseries or so called Child Care Centers. Some fortunate ones (so to speak) are enrolled for tuitions even before entering primary school. Children today not only need to concentrate on their school studies but also need to indulge in other outside school activities such as music, dance, swimming, sports, extra new techniques of Arithmetics, for example, and a long list of other activities. Competitions are steep even from the starting of their early school years and it goes on and on........ that is when they enter secondary schools, college and university years and straight on to their career years.

If we take a good real look and analyse the whole situation, we can't deny that stress are being built up since when they are at a young tender age. It looks like there is not much of a choice, its either they pick up from their young age or being left totally behind!!!

Thinking of the coming up new generation people in this modern 'Solid Hard World' really brings me chills from the tip of my ear to the tip of my toe! Its really a scary thought!!

That seems to be the reason why many people today suffer from Chronic Fatigue! For those who cannot manage their situations well, it is damaging to their health. We need to be sensitive to our body's limitations, and if there comes a point that our body says 'ENOUGH' we really need to put a halt for a while, take a break, relax or indulge in something which can help our body and mind get tune back to our own momentum.

Many people today tends to compete, they want to be above all people in everything that they do and even things that they want to have. It is a good thing to be competitive, but if it is outside our own means and far beyond our reach, then it will end up with a 'hard fall!' This is even more disastrous! Personally I believe in "live life within our own means." Don't compare to others or else life would be more miserable!! Just live our own life well, manage it well, as long as we are healthy, happy and well blessed with things that we need, be thankful and contented.

"A healthy body and soul come from an unencumbered mind and body"
~ Yonber Delecto ~

"Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open"
~ B.K.S. Iyengar ~

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity"
~ World Health Organisation, 1948 ~

Hello to the 2nd half of Year 2010.......

Time is indeed precious and it really waits for no man! Without realising, we are now in the 2nd half of Year 2010.......... Wow!! we are already in the 3rd day of July and I would like to take this golden opportunity to welcome you all to the last six months of this precious year.........

I pray for God's abundance blessings upon each and everyone of us and with His guidance and protection may we all stay safe, healthy, successful, prosperous & happy!! Do take special care of yourself my dear online pals..........