Below or under

What immediately come into your mind if you were asked to ponder on what topic to write or talk about with the world BELOW.

With me as someone who promoted the HBO TV Series working in that line (though I didn’t follow it then and still haven’t watched it now) BELOW just made me think immediately of ‘6 feet under’.

Funnily enough, the series was titled ‘6 feet UNDER‘ and not BELOW. Either way, they mean the same thing to me. I probably thought of this immediately as I went through the most terrible and saddest year ever 2019 losing three loved ones from Dec 2018 to Oct 2019.  One good thing about it is they are no longer suffering but are angels in heaven (I want to believe that).

In happier times, I would probably be writing about 42 below.

If you’re from New Zealand, you will know and if not, that’s really pure vodka from New Zealand.

If you had been good during lockdown, do enjoy a sip of 42BELOW.

Is there a God?

I was brought up in a Buddhist family that practice ancestors worship, prayed in temples and set up altars during Chinese New Year to pray to the Kitchen God or Moon cake festival to pray to the Moon.

Neil Armstrong landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.  I was seven years old and as far as I remembered, we continued to ‘worshipped’ the moon till I was in my early teens.

I studied in a mission school and became a Christian (Anglican) against my family’s wishes. I was devoted then, memorized many verses in the bible. Growing up, life was good. As a teenager, I cried to my God and shared with Him my puppy loves. Nothing major happened.  My grandmother and then my uncle died. I was sad but I just accepted that old people die and that was what the song said

‘This world is not my home, I’m just passing through’.

When I was an adult, married with three children, life was still good. My children’s father and myself were divorced, not because of a third party. It was because we both put our career first and drifted apart. When that happened, I fell in love with a married man. I would have given my life to him as I never knew what love was until I met this man. He was a coward.  In times like those, there was still a God I cried to.  I moved on and migrated to another country.

In the midst of loneliness, God was still around. I overcame loneliness by doing things on my own and became such a strong and confident woman.

We were happy but 2019 was a turning point for me and then my whole family.  I was made redundant in July followed by a few bad events. The big blow was my middle daughter got sick in September and died in October. I prayed like I never prayed before and yet God still took her.

She passed away so suddenly and peacefully.  Today, as we are on our day two of lockdown from Covid19, I miss my daughter more than ever.  I am beginning to reflect and think.

Why did God allow my daughter to be sick?
Why did God allow her to die so young?

As we always say that everything happens for a reason.  The saying is easy but understanding this statement is so hard indeed.

As I ponder, reflect and think, I still do not know if there is a God up there. I want to think of my daughter as an angel in heaven but if there is no God, is there a place we call heaven?

“Dear God, please be real, be here for me and for the world fighting Covid19.
Let our loved ones who died live as beautiful angels in heaven. 
Castaway Covid19, take away our anxieties and bring back our happiness. 
We know You can do this because You care for us and You will protect us.  Amen”

 

What is DNA?

I thought I will blog a summary of what DNA is about in layman’s term.

Being an avid follower of Korean drama series, most storylines are about children growing up in orphanage and parents wanting to find their lost child through DNA tests.

Most plots would have episodes of someone trying to steal a toothbrush or a strand of hair or a mug or cup that the child drank from and sent to the lab and then waited impatiently for the DNA test result.

The suspense and the thrill is to scroll down to the bottom of the test report to see if there is a probability of 99.8999% that Ms XXX and Mr XXXX are biologically father and child.

Below is a sample of a DNA Test Report.

What exactly is DNA?

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is a molecule that contains the instructions an organism needs to develop, live and reproduce. These instructions are found inside every cell, and are passed down from parents to their children.

Similar to the way the order of letters in the alphabet can be used to form a word, the order of nitrogen bases in a DNA sequence forms genes, which in the language of the cell.

DNA is in each cell in the organism and tells cells what proteins to make. Mostly, these proteins are enzymes. DNA is inherited by children from their parents. This is why children share traits with their parents, such as skin, hair and eye color.

Well, I am still confused about DNA but nevertheless, there is nothing vague about inheritance of genes from parents.

Simply explained, the DNA in a person is a combination of the DNA from each of their parents.

 

 

Life strategy – Know yourself

Life is full of surprises, some good, some bad.

As a child, you learn and observe in a totally dependable relationship.

As you grow older, you start to have your own mind over things.

You develop as an individual.

Some grow up and live by chance while others live by choice.

You can either be the pilot of your own life or you let other people or situations take control.

In good times, it is sweet to go with the flow.

In bad times, when you have no strategy, no plans, no directions, life is a mess.

Knowing who you are and knowing what you want out of life gets you out of the rut.

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.

– Lao Tzu

 

 

 

 

A demon and an angel

She has been battling depression for over a decade.
No one other than her doctor knows of her sickness.
She suffers emotional loneliness and agony, not so much physical pain.

Wearing an invisible veil, she walks around with a smile on her face.
Day in and day out.

In dark hours, she did things intentionally to harm herself.
Going to a bar and drink till she was no longer sober
Feeding the slot machines when she no longer see the value of money.

Suffering insomnia too …………….
One night, she did something she had never ever done before.
She physically destroyed her dearest possession to punish herself.

Life goes on.
Often you see her smile, she hardly cries.
Day in and day out.

She knows she is a demon when inside the window.
Outside the window, many see her as an angel.

This story is in the present tense as our demon and angel is battling within to find herself.

ETA & ETD

All flight schedules are tentative.

Estimated Time of Arrival

Estimated Time of Departure

All good if no delays due to

technical or whatsoever reason.

All passengers are always waiting

to board or to depart ………..

 

 

Night eating disorder

Are you or do you know anyone who is into repetitive night time eating even though he or she is not hungry?

I know of a close one who raided the pantry for snacks at night and more lately into full meals like leftovers or instant noodles.

Perhaps this is due to the fact that (let’s call this person S) S suffers from insomnia and depression.  S is a beautiful and kind person.  Unless you are close friends with S, you would not have guessed what goes on in S’s life.

This bothers me and I did a little research and found that S has SRED.

SRED as savage as it sounds is more than binge eating.

It is also important to distinguish between sleep-related eating disorder, (SRED) a disorder which has received a significant amount of media attention, and night eating syndrome. People with SRED eat while sleepwalking, or while in a twilight state between sleep and being awake. People with SRED are not aware of what they’re doing, and often they may wake up to discover dishes or food  in their bed, and have no memory of eating at all. A high percentage of these patients typically use prescription sleeping medications.  By contrast, those with night eating syndrome are fully awake and aware of what they are consuming–with no memory deficits or lack of recall for their nightly eating rituals.

One theory is that night eating syndrome involves a disruption in the hormones that regulate sleep, appetite, and mood–specifically, an alteration or disruption in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.  It is possible that night eating syndrome may be a form of “self-medication”, since a large proportion of snacking late at night generally involves carbohydrate-rich or “comfort” type foods.

S is conscious to his/her eating disorder but S makes no effort to dieting or healthy eating.  S told me that food is his/her source of comfort and is something he/she looks forward to every night.  S uses food to combat his/her feeling of loneliness, depression or other negativity in his/her life which seems to appear only at night.  In the day time, S goes to work like everyone else and S is friendly and seems to be surrounded by friends (or acquaintances).

I see S as a beautiful person, his/her regular eating during meal times is gentle (no over eating) yet S’s SRED in the dread of the night is a concern that other people do not know about.  Only S and others in the same household can see the other side of S.  S may be crying out for help but is help available to someone who has depression, someone who pops sleeping pills nightly to get a good night’s sleep and someone who has SRED (Sleep-related Eating Disorder) ?

Are you really what you eat?

If the notion that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food, then perhaps S can feed his/her SRED with brain food.

We need different foods at certain times of our lives – for example, a pre-schooler and an elderly woman have vastly different food requirements because the youngster is growing and very active, while the ageing process causes us to slow down.

If you really have to snack, snack it right !

Let’s pray that S and those in the same situation will overcome their eating disorder.

Only temporary

Temporary
often conjures up feelings of instability or uncertainty.

Something to be avoided.

Temporary
can take you out of your comfort zone,
where you have to be more aware of your surroundings,
other people, and your actions.

Life is no longer on auto-pilot.

Temporary is not comfortable to many people,
but a healthy dose, helps you to appreciate who you are,
what you have, and what is missing in your life.

Fear not of any bitter situation for they are only temporary.

Don’t let any setbacks bring you down,
they are supposed to build you up !

Live life to the full, pursue your dreams.

Contributed by guest blogger, B.Silcock

Landscape – Face Value

Landscape

are like things perceived at face value.

Something visible

though what looks good outside

may not necessarily be good inside.

Petronas Twin Towers @ Kuala Lumpur

Lonelines led to Cuddle Parties

I was at my local café yesterday.  While sipping my caramel latte and waiting for my brunch of ‘Singapore Laksa’, I read an article in the Woman’s Weekly.

As I was alone, the topic I was reading hit on me.  Did I mind being alone that moment?  Probably not, as it was a Thursday and most people I hang out with were out working so I took my own sweet time doing what I wanted to do.  It was nobody’s business.

Back to the article titled The Loneliness Generation said “We used to live in a society and now we live in an economy”. 

I thought that was really true.  I tried to connect people in so many ways.  I run a Meet Up group for my local area and am a Lead in the Neighbourly (an online application where neighbours connect).  Neighbourhood Day is next weekend and I tried to organize a Bash but there were no interest.

Indeed loneliness is increasingly common in our modern society.  Many of us are loath to admit it.  Most pretty much do nothing about it.  We just can’t seem to help ourselves.  We long for a stronger sense of community and yet we prize individualism.

As I read more into that article, it mentioned about “Cuddle Party” or “Puppy Piles”.  I have never heard of it but this is happing in the United States and beyond.

Cuddle parties are described by organizers as “workshop/social-events” that give adults an opportunity to “give and receive welcomed affectionate touch in a no-expectation, friendly setting, according to your needs, desires, interests, and boundaries.” Cuddle parties are described as nonsexual events and commonly kissing is not allowed.

A cuddle party is a group experience, while the one-on-one analog is a cuddlebuddy relationship.  They may be referred to as a “puppy pile party” or “Contact Comfort Gathering”.

It doesn’t sound like my kind of thing.  In New Zealand, we do not pay to cuddle.  Sometimes strolling in the city streets, I came across girls wearing a big cupboard sign hung over their neck saying “Free Hugs” or “Embrace Me”.  I guess the society needs that.

Longing for some cuddles?  Sleep with a teddy bear or a pet.

via Daily Prompt, Help – Free Hugs, Embrace Me, Cuddle Party, Puppy Piles