Saturday, September 26, 2009

The wonder of Nature 9





WALNUT – BRAIN
THE gnarled folds of a walnut mimic the appearance of a human brain - and provide a clue to the benefits.
Walnuts are the only nuts which contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
They may also help head off dementia. An American study found that walnut extract broke down the protein-based plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at Tufts University in Boston found walnuts reversed some signs of brain ageing in rats.

The wonder of Nature 8





TOMATO – HEART
A TOMATO is red and usually has four chambers, just like our heart.
Tomatoes are also a great source of lycopene, a plant chemical that reduces the risk of heart disease and several cancers.
The Women’s Health Study — an American research programme which tracks the health of 40,000 women — found women with the highest blood levels of lycopene had 30 per cent less heart disease than women who had very little lycopene.
Lab experiments have also shown that lycopene helps counter the effect of unhealthy LDL cholesterol.
One Canadian study, published in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine, said there was “convincing evidence’ that lycopene prevented coronary heart disease.

The wonder of Nature 7




GRAPES – LUNGS
OUR lungs are made up of branches of ever-smaller airways that finish up with tiny bunches of tissue called alveoli.
These structures, which resemble bunches of grapes, allow oxygen to pass from the lungs to the blood stream.
One reason that very premature babies struggle to survive is that these alveoli do not begin to form until week 23 or 24 of pregnancy.
A diet high in fresh fruit, such as grapes, has been shown to reduce the risk of lung cancer and emphysema.
Grape seeds also contain a chemical called proanthocyanidin, which appears to reduce the severity of asthma triggered by allergy.

The wonder of Nature 6




BEANSPROUTS – SPERM
The stir-fry favourite bears an uncanny resemblance to the images we see of ‘swimming’ sperm trying to fertilise an egg. And research from the US suggests they could play an important part in boosting male fertility.
A study at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio showed that to make healthy sperm in large quantities, the body needs a good supply of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that protects cells against damage by harmful molecules called free radicals.
Just half a cup of bean sprouts provides 16 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C for a man.
It’s not just dad but baby too who could benefit.
Bean sprouts are packed with folate, a vitamin that prevents neural tube defects, where the baby is born with a damaged brain or spine.

The wonder of Nature 5




CHEESE – BONES
A nice ‘holey’ cheese, like Emmenthal, is not just good for your bones, it even resembles their internal structure.
And like most cheeses, it is a rich source of calcium, a vital ingredient for strong bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
Together with another mineral called phosphate, it provides the main strength in bones but also helps to ‘power’ muscles.
Getting enough calcium in the diet during childhood is crucial for strong bones.
A study at Columbia University in New York showed teens who increased calcium intake from 800mg a day to 1200mg – equal to an extra two slices of cheddar - boosted their bone density by six per cent.

The wonder of Nature 4




GINGER – STOMACH
Root ginger, commonly sold in supermarkets, often looks just like the stomach.
So it’s interesting that one of its biggest benefits is aiding digestion.
The Chinese have been using it for over 2,000 years to calm the stomach and cure nausea, while it is also a popular remedy for motion sickness.
But the benefits could go much further.
Tests on mice at the University of Minnesota found injecting the chemical that gives ginger its flavour slowed down the growth rate of bowel tumours.

The wonder of Nature 3




Close-up, the tiny green tips on a broccoli head look like hundreds of cancer cells.
Now scientists know this disease-busting veg can play a crucial role in preventing the disease.
Last year, a team of researchers at the US National Cancer Institute found just a weekly serving of broccoli was enough to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 45 per cent.
In Britain , prostate cancer kills one man every hour.

The wonder of Nature 2



BANANA (SMILE) – DEPRESSION
Cheer yourself up and put a smile on your face by eating a banana.
The popular fruit contains a protein called tryptophan.
Once it has been digested, tryptophan then gets converted in a chemical neurotransmitter called serotonin.
This is one of the most important mood-regulating chemicals in the brain and most anti-depressant drugs work by adjusting levels of serotonin production.
Higher levels are associated with better moods.

The wonder of Nature 1


MUSHROOM – EAR
Slice a mushroom in half and it resembles the shape of the human ear.
And guess what? Adding it to your cooking could actually improve your hearing.
That’s because mushrooms are one of the few foods in our diet that contain vitamin D.
This particular vitamin is important for healthy bones, even the tiny ones in the ear that transmit sound to the brain.

Valuable Moral Story

每一件事情,都有轉向的能力

在美國某個城市,有一位先生搭了一部計程車要到某個目的地。

這位乘客上了車,發現這輛車不只是外觀光鮮亮麗而已,這位司機 先生服裝整齊,車內的佈置亦十分典雅,這位乘客相信這應該是段很舒服的行程。

車子一啟動,司機很熱心的問車內的溫度是否適合?又問他要不要聽音樂或是收音機?
這位司機告訴他可以自行選擇喜? w的音樂頻道,就在車內,這位乘客選擇了爵士音樂,浪漫的爵士風不禁讓人為之放鬆。

司機在一個紅綠燈前停了下來,回過頭來告訴乘客,車上有早報及當期的雜誌,前面是一個小冰箱,冰箱中的果汁及可樂如果有需要,也可以自行取用,如果想喝熱咖啡,保溫瓶內有熱咖啡。這些特殊的服務,讓這位上班族大吃一驚,他不禁望了一下這位司機,司機先生愉悅的表情就像車窗外和煦的陽光。

一會,司機先生對乘客說:「前面路段可能會塞車,這個時候高速公路反而不會塞車,我們走高速公路好嗎?」在乘客同意後,這位司機又體貼的說:「我是一個無所不聊的人,如果您想聊天,除了政治及宗教外,我什麼都可以聊。如果您想休息或看風景,那我就會靜靜的開車,不打擾您了。」

從一上車到此刻,這位常搭計程車的乘客就充滿了驚奇,他也不禁問這位前方的駕駛:「你是從什麼時候開始這種服務方式的?」

這位專業的司機說:「從我覺醒的那一刻開始。」
司機繼續說道那段覺醒的過程,他一直一如往常,經常抱怨工作辛苦,人生沒有意義,但在不經意裡,他聽到廣播節目裡正在談一些人生的態度,大意是你相信什麼,就會得到什麼,如果你覺得日子不順心,那麼所有發生的都會讓你覺得倒楣;相反的,如果今天你覺得是個幸運的一天,那麼今天每次所碰到的人,都可能是你的貴人。所以我相信,人要快樂,就要停止抱怨,要讓自己改變。

就從那一刻開始,我創造了一種新的生活方式,第一步我把車子內內外外整理乾淨,再來裝一支專線電話,印幾盒高級的名片,我下定決心,要善待每一位乘客。

目的地到了,司機下了車,繞到後面幫乘客開車門,並遞上剛剛說過的名片,說聲:「希望下次有機會再為你服務。」
結果,這位計程車司機的生意沒有受到不景氣的影響,他很少會空車在這個城市裡兜轉,他的客人總是會事先預定好他的車,他的改變,不只是創造了更好的收入,而且更從工作中得到自尊。

這個故事,可以讓我們得到一些啟示。
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一、每一個人其實都想過更好的生活,但卻不希望改變自己,然而天下沒有白吃的午餐,一分耕耘就會有一分收獲,如果你希望擁有大成就,你就必須具備一個像贏家的思考態度或行為規範。

二、改變的力量可能來自於權威,像是透過罰則來建立騎機車要戴安全帽的習慣,然而這種方式只能治標,不能治本。
另一種力量來自道德,是內在慈悲的綻放,是推己及人的情懷,是己所不欲、勿施於人的覺醒。當一個人真的了解抽煙會影響他人健康,而那種為他人著想的改變,就是道德的力量。

三、你可以選擇你要的人生。
抱怨只會讓事情更混沌,你可以選擇早晚抱怨別人,也可以在覺醒後力圖振作,它不一定是推翻過去所有的生活步調,它可以是一個當下念頭的轉換,或是一個行為的修正。不放縱自己的言行,讓自己的善言善行慢慢變成良好的習慣,而人的機運也將慢慢改變。

四、現在開始,永不嫌遲。
一個好的故事可以純欣賞,但也可能成為改變一個人的契機,知道自己要改善的地方,並且致力去完成它,才是真正有勇氣的人,而成功總是屬於那些堅持到底的人。

現在,你可以反省一下現在的生活,為了要有更美好的生活,有哪些思考與行為上的習慣是要改變的呢?立即去做吧!所有的改變都是從這一刻開始的。

不放縱自己的言行,讓自己的善言善行慢慢變成良好的習慣,而人的機運也將慢慢改變,樂觀的心靈富翁,觀念影響性格,性格影響命運!我們對事物的看法,會在無形中慢慢影響我們的行為,進而影響到整個人生。

記得有一次搭朋友的車到某基金會談公務,途中他忽然將車停在路邊,然後跟我說前面不遠處有一家蚵仔麵線很有名,我們一起去吃。坐下來才吃沒多久,發現到友人的車子被拖吊車拖吊著,拖吊車因為停紅燈而剛好停在我們不遠的前面。我下意識的趕緊站了起來想追出去,這才發現到身邊的友人竟然無動於衷的繼續吃著他的麵線。他當然不是沒看到車子被拖吊,他對我說:「還是坐下來吃麵線吧,反正車子都被吊了,跑出去也無濟於事,不要連吃碗麵線的幸福也被放棄了。」

> 前面有陰影,你看到的是晦暗,還是背後一直跟著的陽光?
> 外面吹著風,你是無奈的撥弄亂髮,還是將風箏放上高高的藍天?
> 天空下著雨,你是抱怨地上的泥濘,還是等待雨後的七色彩虹?
> 漆黑的夜裡,你是縮在屋中一角,還是走出屋外仰望星星?
> 一個人的時候,你是覺得孤單寂寞,還是找到心靈的寧靜角落?
> 你要當一個樂觀的心靈富翁,還是沮喪的心靈乞丐?
> 朋友,觀念與看法,真的很重要,想想看你夠樂觀嗎?

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Bali Trip 1st day - Uluwatu

Arrived KL on Sunday, Parents, Tracy and me group a tour to Bali and having good experience. No rushing, have our own MPV with driver (but the driver not much introduce the attraction).
Visit Uluwatu: nice view but pressure tourism point, because disturb by monkeys, it grab anything that its can - classes, scarf, hat, cap, hairpin etc. Tracy lost her camera cap, pitty her!