Sweet Miracles

I have been inspired to read up on self healing recently and been borrowing/buying books on holistic healing and the like. Almost to the end of this book The Healer Within which is surprisingly reader-friendly and good. What i like about its contents, which include step-by-step instructions for different techniques that are grouped in the 4 main categories: self-massage, breathing, gentle movement and meditation, is that it’s very practical and extremely easy to do. And it doesn’t say you need to do it for long periods of time that needs to be scheduled on top of already busy schedules. Instead, the author encourages daily short practices, and the great thing is that many of the techniques taught can be multi-tasked with “empty” periods in our lives e.g. waiting on the phone, at a traffic light, travelling.

Well, why the sudden interest in health and healing. For one, it’s just me – being a typical Virgo, i’m quite the health freak, which prob comes to no surprise for those who know me or follow my blog. Another reason, just as important, is that i’m determined to support Mr Gua Gua in improving his health. He has been getting poor health reports from western and chinese doctors for years, mostly due to work stress (and which i think is due to his own attitudes and beliefs), and he has made it a long-standing “joke” (funny to him, not to me) that he will not live past 50.

I used to get really annoyed whenever he said such things. But recently, i have become motivated to help him extend his lifespan. In fact, as a teenager, i have been told by a street monk in China that i will prolong my husband’s life by 30 years. And i’m quite determined to see this coming true!

Hence, i have recently started Mr Gua Gua on his very own Usana diet by making him daily breakfasts of Usana multivitamins and omega-oils as well as a cup of Fibergy so that at least he gets a nutritious start to the day. He does complain and all *roll eyes* but i think he secretly enjoys it…anyway, whether or not he enjoys it or seriously hates it, he has no choice in this matter.

I have also tried making fruit juices for a short period of time, but i’m KIV-ing that for the time being until we finally get our juicer, which is supposed to be better for retaining the enzymes and vitamins in fruits/vegs. My plan is to use mostly organic fruits/vegs for juicing purposes. Some may find it extreme but i think if i am going to spend so much time and effort in juicing, i might as well make sure i use the best ingredients to get optimal results. Of cos, it wld be a bonus if little boy would take the juices as well, but strange enough, he didn’t really enjoy the juices i made for him – just a few sips and that’s it. And they were very sweet juices. Maybe he didn’t like the bits of skin, cos i was using a blender, or it was too sweet. Anyhow, little boy’s diet is nutritious enough and he has plenty of time to start liking juices, and i believe he will soon learn to like them if he sees us drinking juices everyday.

For the past 2 nights, i have also started Mr Gua Gua on a little exercise routine that i put together using the techniques in the book. Actually i wanted to use the routine for myself, and figured i might as well get Mr Gua Gua to join me. Again, he complained and complained, and it was only a 10-min simple stretching exercise (which according to the writer, can bring great benefit if practised daily long enough). And again, i really think he secretly enjoys it. Haha… oh well, perhaps i’m deluding myself, but AGAIN, he really has no choice cos i wld bug him like crazy till his butt leaves the chair. It’s been really nice doing it together… i have been dreaming of us attending some fitness or recreational class together (like ballroom dancing!), and i guess this is somewhat a start. And it’s free!

As simple as the routine may be, it’s really good! I feel totally energised and perky afterwards. The wonders of simple stretching for the mind!

What i also learnt from the book and really liked was self-massage. While pictures of the hand/foot/ear are provided with indications of which point is linked to which part of the body (and these stuff always bored me to death), the writer gave a simple instruction – just massage whereever feels sore. That’s great advice, cos it’s so simple, and it makes so much sense. Plus you can do it whenever you have your hands free (or your feet for that matter). All you need to do is to do a general massage of your hand/foot/ear and take note of the sore points and then give those points extra attention after that.

Perhaps a part of me is also trying to empower myself with all this information so i could teach/guide little boy as he grows older. It was mentioned in the book that lifelong habits are developed during the 1st 7 formative years of a child’s life, and if children were taught to practice these techniques regularly, it would have a profound effect on their health as well as their attitudes towards self-healing vs dependence on drugs, doctors, etc.

Another recent “awakening” is on doing a part to take care of our environment. We have been sporadically saving our plastics and i will take them to the recyling bins at Kallang MRT on the way to work since there aren’t any at our place. It is a little tiresome and i started to wonder if plastics are really recyclable (or do they just take them to a place to dispose properly), so i did a little internet research, and found out to my relief, that most plastics DO get recycled, and my efforts didn’t go to waste. Then i found this govt website on cutting waste, not just environmentally but also other kinds of wastages e.g. manpower in other areas in life. Anyone could post a suggestion on how to cut waste and the personnel from the respective department would respond. I was genuinely surprised and impressed by the responses that i have read. Most of them were thoughtful and informative, and i felt that the personnel really put in effort in addressing the poster’s concerns and suggestions. One even had follow-up action done as well, in response to a poster’s specific request regarding the place where he lived, so the respective Town Council was informed and action was taken to correct the situation.

I was so impressed by this website that i forwarded to a few mailing lists. Not sure if this website is well known, but for people who want to do more than just complain, perhaps this is a good place to start. Here it is, if you have a suggestion of your own to make. http://app.mof. gov.sg/cutwaste/ suggestion. asp

Well, the first suggestion i made was to have more recycling bins, at least one more in my area! Have always wondered how come recycling bins seem so rare, when the govt is asking pple to RRR. I hear that in overseas, there are recycling bins in every neighbourhood? Well, if they really want to encourage pple to RRR, at least they should try to increase the accessibility to recycling bins right? Of cos, more manpower wld be needed to collect the wastes, but i wonder if that’s such a serious problem.

Anywayz, all these are just small efforts on my part but i do feel good that i’m at least doing my own small part in caring for the environment. Every bit counts! Another quick and easy way to do a small part in making the world a better place is to visit The Hunger Site at www.thehungersite.com. I recently realised that it actually has sub-websites as well, for breast cancer, child health, literacy, rainforest and animal rescue – all causes worth supporting. So i just spend another couple more minutes or less each day to click on the other tabs, and if it’s a working day, i do the same in the office too. One click prob does only that little, but in a year, i’m sure it’s a sizeable amt. Try it too… it’s free and you are making a real difference!

A little update on little boy for all you little boy lovers out there. He’s still eating well and i’m so proud to see his arms getting thicker! Hopefully the days of the scrawny arms are gone. His good appetite has also encouraged me to experiment with new foods and flavours. So far, i have put the following to make his porridge taste better:

Stocks: groundnut plant (with roots and leaves attached… VERY fragrant when boiled), radish, and of cos, chicken and fish bones

Ingredients blended and fried before adding the porridge: japanese button mushroom (another favourite), shitake mushroom , ikan bilis, and the staples which i use daily and really adds flavour to the porridge – yellow onion and garlic. Latter 2 are also immunity-boosting so i’m glad little boy enjoys the stronger flavours.

Other new ingredients that i add to cooked porridge: grilled yellow pepper (thanks to recipe from www.parentingjoy.com, i tried this out and little boy LOVES it cos of the yummy sweetness… even Mr Gua Gua looked almost tempted to try ), peas, baked eggplant (easy enough to make, just bake and  then scrap the flesh out), and a recent one, tofu, which surprisingly little boy likes. Planning to try chinese seaweed soon cos i let little boy try it from my own food and he seems to like it. If any of you have suggestions for new ingredients to add to the porridge, i’ll be happy to try!

I also bought this new organic seasoning mix ($7 per pack, but can prob last a long time)that contains bonita flakes, nutritional yeast, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, and lecithin (all super foods), and i added ikan bilis powder as well as seaweed kelp powder to boost it a little more. It’s got a nice saltiness to it, and i  season little boy’s porridge with it daily. I also added it to my miso soup breakfast this morning (Mr Gua Gua’s  clever idea, to use up all the excess rice we have in the fridge) and it’s really good, esp the sesame seeds. Well, this power seasoning mix makes me feel more reassured that little boy is getting the essential nutrients for his developing body.

So call me an extreme health nut, but i think if the 3 of us have good health as a result, and need not see doctors anymore, then it’s definitely worth all the time and money and obsession (i don’t deny!). Aside from knowledge, i think the most impt investment we can make in our life is in health. Why bother spending money on other pursuits if we don’t have the healthy body and mind to enjoy them?

Well, hope my sharing inspires at least some of you to take better care of your health.