The Green Drink

I have started my veggie juice therapy. It was fun to make the beverage. I also shared it with Shella who seemed skeptical at first, but she later said it was delicious. She was also glad that I didn't mess up the kitchen.

I also had bread toast using olive oil. The only unhealthy thing was I sprinkled salt on my toast. Can't resist that. I love salt.

I know my aunts in Penang love me, or they wouldn't have shared the veggie therapy with me. 

It baffles me when I come across Buddhist practitioners who are conceited. It is a fundamental darkness that they may not be aware of. They have ingrained perceptions and are judgemental of others. All of the Buddha's teachings about tolerance, forgiveness, acceptance, unconditional love all seem to "fly out of the window" when they are with people who clash with their views and way of life.

The fault of others are easy to see but not thy own, or that of those they love. 

It doesn't really matter whether you are spiritually inclined or you're a devout religious practitioner, if you have flaws like conceit, prejudice, hatred or greed, and you keep nurturing it instead of being aware and conquering those flaws, then all the effort of your practice is just going down the drain.

I sound so preachy today. It must be the side effect of the green drink.

The Miracle Drink

Updated. Thanks to Ah Tin for pointing it out to me that the 6th veggie is indeed  Kailan (Chinese kale) and not white spinach. I have checked with my aunt. The error is regretted.

Original Post

I took down the last post because I really wanted to write about "sloth" but decided that it was not for me to judge. You don't really know the other person's position or circumstances to pass any judgement because you're not caught in that situation.

So, I'll just share a fruit + vegetable juice recipe which was given to me earlier today. My aunt gave it to me because she knows I have some health issues. She said I need to steadfastly consume this "miracle drink" daily to see the results.

Just blend all these together and bottoms up every morning.

   

+ WHITE SPINACH (which I can't find a picture of and don't really know what it is).

Met some of my aunts today because my 79-year-old uncle had succumbed to lung failure. He passed away on Wesak Day but I just knew about it last night. Maybe I was fated to attend his funeral this Saturday before I return to JB. His wife is 89. I didn't get to talk to her because she was sleeping.

The passing of my uncle was not as unsettling as the sight of the clutter in the house. But it really is none of my business. Even if I wanted to help the family I also don't know how.

So ...

Concentrate on the juice recipe. Can someone tell me what is white spinach?

(Note: This post was not written to attack anyone. What I saw bothered me but there's not much I can do here).

Happy Go Lucky

I walked out of the dental clinic this afternoon with a bounce in my steps. My mood was light and happy. I was scared stiff minutes before the dental check-up.  But the dental surgeon has a very gentle touch. I would recommend her service to anyone.

The clinic is at Jalan Padi 2 in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Baru.

Having your teeth checked once or twice a year is a necessity.   Sometimes we just scare ourselves silly.

It really can be a pleasant experience having a dental check-up.

 I also got this beautiful scarf as a gift today.  And one more highlight of this Saturday, I got to savour "bee hoon goreng kampung".  I really hope I can cook this dish someday.

Another day to count my blessings!

Get Tested, Get Treated

Went for a visual field test.  I have ocular hypertension. Normal eye pressure ranges from 10 to 21 mmHg. My eye pressure is more than 21 mmHg.

After I received the bad news I went out out to celebrate with a simple meal, my favourite ---- ayam penyet and avocado chocolate juice.  

I'm celebrating because at least it was detected early.  Early detection can prevent further complications.

Be cool, guys. Just be cool.  

Lemon, oh Lemon

Today I tried another traditional homemade remedy for cough after a fellow blogger gave me this tip.

WestGirl says the simple remedy for dry heaty cough is drinking warm water with lemon juice.  She says I can add a teaspoon of Manuka honey if I like. 

And like the garlic with honey mixture which I tried yesterday, this one is also  dazzingly delicious. I'm going to have another glass after my dinner.

Here's a link to the benefits of drinking warm lemon water.

ENGLISH VERSION and MANDARIN VERSION of Lemon Tree

A Spoonful of Honey with Garlic

As cough syrup makes me feel drowsy, I decided to try something traditional.  It was my friend Mary who suggested trying the garlic with honey mixture to cure my cough.  This morning Nona Shella prepared it for me.

Shella pounded four cloves of garlic, before squeezing the juice out.

That's Mary at the centre of the pic flanked by Shella (left) and the crazy cougher yours truly.

It was "sedap gila" (yummilicious) --- the garlic honey mixture --- way better than cough syrup.  It warms the throat as the mixture goes down.  Hmm.

Garlic, a herb commonly used to season the cooking oil when frying or in soups, is known to treat a wide range of ailment.  Among them, bronchitis, hypertension, liver disorders, flatulence, colic and fever.  It is also used to prevent cancer.

Christmas Three

with Lynn Mazlina A. Majid and Mary Victoria Dass.

Many thanks to Mary, her mom and the rest of the wonderful Dass family for the kind hospitality in their home yesterday.  We were there with Taufik Salimin, and we all enjoyed the delicious meal prepared by Mary's Mom.

Need to rest now.  Selamat Malam.

Heart and Mind

I did an electrocardiography (ECG) for the first time.  I was then referred by the clinic to go for a stress test at a specialist hospital.  I went for ECG after experiencing discomfort in the chest for three consecutive nights.

So I spent the entire day at the hospital today.  First, it was the urine and blood test, then X-Ray, followed by the treadmill test.  

The treadmill test was the most fun.  The friendly nurse placed electrodes on my body, namely around the chest area.  The sticky patches were attached to an ECG monitor that showed the electrical activity of my heart rate as the treadmill's speed and incline changes every 3 minutes or so.

It started out slow, then got faster.  But I am happy to say that I completed the 10-minute test without much of a problem.

The nurse told me that I can also go for an electrocardiogram if I want as that would be even more accurate than the treadmill test.

After all the test results were out, the consultant cardiologist and physician Dr Yap Sau Peng looked at them and said my heart is ok.  The discomfort is probably due to other things. 

It could be my inability to not sweat the small stuff.  When I broke the news to my housemate that I had been referred for a stress test, I thought she'd be sympathetic.  She was angry instead.  After hearing her out, I think she has a point.  

I need to practise detachment. I need to think: "It's none of my business." And not take things personally.  I need to laugh more.

"'How people treat you is their karma, how you react to it is yours".  - Wayne Dyer.

Let me end this post by saying Thank You to each and everyone who cared enough to send their kind thoughts and wishes.  

Thank you so much. 

And the entire tests and consultation costs Ringgit Malaysia RM675. Peace of mind. Good night.

Please love your eyes

 

This is an image of a normal eye captured by a fundus camera, which can see what the naked eye can't.  Eye screening can detect eye disorders such as diabetic retinopathy, cataract, macular degeneration, retina detachment and glaucoma.

 

This is an image of an eye that has diabetic retinopathy.  

  

This is the fundus camera.  Taking a picture of the interior of the eye is painless and takes only a few seconds.  The optometrist will then be able to know your eye condition by looking at the image.

Macular degeneration normally occurs in the elderly, while retina detachment can take place when you play rough contact sport. Those who have a high degree of short-sightedness are also susceptible to retina detachment, as the higher the degree the more elongated your eyeball becomes and that stretches and thins the retina.

While cataract can be easily corrected by surgery, glaucoma is the most common silent killer of vision that cannot be rectified.  One will not be aware that one has glaucoma until the cells in the eyes start to die, resulting in tunnel vision.

Early detection can help to monitor the condition.  Taking health supplements for the eye would be a better option than eye drops, which may cause side effects.

 Stressing out the eye from staring at the computer screen or mobile phone screen and not getting proper rest and sleep will affect vision.

Our eyesight is one of our five senses.  Please take good care of it.

There are many things one can do besides staring at the mobile phone screen and computer screen.  Among them gardening, baking, watercolour painting, line dancing, yoga

and stretching exercises, but do not even try the epic split unless you're a trained professional.