Marital Bliss

Today mark the anniversary of my umpteen years of marriage. It was a wonderful feeling celebrating this special milestone together. Received a lovely bouquet of flowers from my soulmate. It came as a surprise!

What makes a good marriage? Of course, it takes hard work, respect and lots of love. Marriages are believed to be made in heaven. It is a life journey. In a husband and wife relationship, giving and taking should start from day one and should be mutual. Trust, patience & understanding, making decisions together, mutual encouragement and support and good communication are superb ingredients of a successful marriage.

Now that a milestone has been crossed, looking forward to moving to another and many many more to come.

Bouquet of flowers from my soulmate

Wrong Targets

It was a case of mistaken identity for two petrol station owners. These two petrol station owners are calling on the public not to boycott their stations. Rumoured SMSes and e-mails were sent out by unscrupulous people yesterday asking the people to stop buying petrol from the Green Lane Shell station beside McDonald's and the Shell station in Island Glades in front of Gembira Parade, alleging that the businesses belong to Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail. One of the owners claimed that he never knew who Ahmad was until the media highlighted his alleged racist remarks.

Anyway, Umno has suspended Datuk Ahmad Ismail as Bukit Bendera chief and stripped him of his membership rights for 3 years for making insulting remarks which were deemed offensive by the Chinese community. He may have little choice but to accept punishment, though he continued to express his defiance.

It's Never Too Late....To Save

My grandmother's idea of financial planning was to stash a small emergency fund in a milo tin under the bed. Things have really changed. It doesn't seem like that any more, our world is growing in leaps and bounds.

These days, finances are out of control for most families. The financial plan of the day seems to be borrow, borrow, and then borrow more money! A substantial increase in consumer debt through credit card is a good indicator that our spending is out of control.

To start a plan, you'll need to first take control of your money. Your income must be sufficient to meet your expenses. If not, you have two options, increase income or reduce expenses. You'll most likely find it more practical to get your spending under control first. Tracking your money is a crucial step in planning your budget and finances.

Then, set financial goals for future plans. If you have children, you may need to plan for college. And, it's never too early to make plans for your retirement. Work these goals into your budget as if they were monthly expenses. Commit to pay yourself every month in planning for your future goals. Build an emergency savings so you will have something to fall back on when unexpected events arise.

Personal finance planning is all about you. It's about you and your family's individual needs, dreams, and security. Do you believe in the saying: "It's never too late"?

Dental Phobia

Dental phobia is common among children and adults who have this paralyzing fear of seeking dental care. Many a time, I tried to make excuses not to seek regular dental care due to anxiety and fear. Seeing the needle and syringe for anesthesia, hearing the noise of the dentist drill and the embarassment that the dentist will say you have the worst mouth they have ever seen make matters worse?

It's been ages since I last visited the dentist but for the recent past six weeks, I had been visiting the dentist for various reasons. Can't contain my joy when I finally completed my dental treatment today. Woohoo!

Week 1 - Scaling
Week 2 - Tooth extraction
Week 3 - Another deep scaling and deep filling of wisdom tooth

Week 4 - Root canal treatment

Week 5 - Continue with root canal treatment

Week 6 - Opt for filling instead of crowning after root canal treatment

Fortunately, modern dentistry has many new, wonderful products and procedures that make dental visit a pleasant experience, combined with a qualified and compassionate dentist you can successfully conquer the fears. Trust me, dental neurosis is a thing of the past. I'm glad I managed to convince two of family members to visit their long overdue dental care & check up.

THANKFUL

We have a reason to be thankful....

for the blessings that come our way.

Once Upon A Time .....

Once upon a time, there was a close-knit family made of siblings, Goldie Lock, Red Riding Hood, Popeye Sailorman & Jack Beanstock, their spouses and children. They, very often, found time to gather around for every family event and it was the envy of the neighbourhood. But one day, heart failure became a personal experience of pain, grief and tears. Suddenly, one fine day, the siblings lost their father whom they so respected and loved. From that day forward, life looked very different through the eyes of the family.

The siblings who were once so close-knit began to disintegrate unintentionally and often left for extended periods of time with very little communications. Sometimes, family breakups happen after long periods of unhappiness. At other times, they happen suddenly and it is hard to understand why. Family relationships change as a result of the split and there is often a lot of adjusting to do. Everyone in the family has a duty to make siblings' relationship works but sadly, nobody feels the need to do so.

Soon, another heartbreaking news came, this time the siblings lost their mother to cancer, the crackline was even more apparent than before. The relationship among the siblings was getting more distant. Psychologists believed, siblings often grow closer than they might in a happier environment, offering each other solace and protection. But disappointedly, this is not always the case. If anything, it is sisters who are likely to draw together to ensure a united family, while brothers resist forming tighter bonds.

Just wonder any of the siblings would initiate to bring the whole family to where they once belong. It will certainly brings back many many fond memories of the past.

Buffet for Gastritis & Reflux-Related Patients

For those who have reflux and gastritis problems, don't eat all you can in a buffet. Just pick your favourites. I know it's difficult to resist the temptation of foods.

Gastritis & Reflux-Related Problems

Many of us may have symptoms relating to gastritis but very commonly ended up seeking treatment as some other unrelated illness. Gastritis is an inflammation or irritation of the stomach lining. A peptic ulcer is an open sore in the lining of the esophagus, stomach or duodenum. The most common causes of both these conditions is infection with bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.

A close friend of mine told me she suffered anxiety, depression, pressure, tension, insomnia, etc, etc. Her discomfort and gastric pain went unnoticed until she was recently admitted to hospital for treatment of anxiety. Doctor at the hospital told her to loosen up and relax because in some cases the symptoms arise from an anxiety neurosis. She was then prescribed muscle relaxant tablets with a dose of Maalox to combat the acidity effect of the drug. However, her agony did not just go away as she felt hunger pains, blurred visions and body weakening.

Having been through gastritis pains and reflux, I can certainly share some of my experiences with those who have similar illness. Definitely, the indications of body weakness, hunger pain, giddiness, diarrhoea, vomitting, poor appetite signify some kind of stomach gastric irritations. However, anxiety, depression and insomnia can further aggravate the situation.

It took me more than one and a half years to overcome gastritis and reflux problems. My consultant gastroenterologist doctor had prescribed drugs like Prevacid, Controloc, Losec and Parriet which act as proton pump inhibitor, Zantac as H2 blocker and both these actions help to stop acid secretion. Gaviscon, Maalox, act as antacid. Motilum to combat stomach wind.

Gastritis and most reflux-related problems can be overcome without medication if you are prepared to embark upon a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.

1. Because reflux is more likely to occur when you are lying down, allow at least three hours to pass between your evening meal and bedtime. During this interval, you may drink water but nothing else.

2. Modify the character of your evening meal. If possible, make your noon meal your heavy meal, so that you will be content with a lighter evening meal. Avoid fried or other fatty foods, because fat stimulates the stomach to secrete acid and digestive enzymes.

3. Caffeine, tea, chocolate and mint are the main culprits. Avoid fatty and fried foods. Some doctors suggest avoiding acidic foods, such as tomato sauce and orange juice. Alcohol is also a no-no.

4. Give up smoking if you are a smoker.

5. Do not wear tight-fitting clothes.

Now let's say you do all of these things, and yet you still are dependent on medication to avoid heartburn.

The usual recommendation is that you should be on Prevacid (lansoprazole) or Prilosec (omeprazole), medications that do an excellent job of blocking stomach acid production. Prevacid (twice a day) works well for me. Take Gaviscon as and when necessary.

To all those out there who are having gastritis and reflux-related problems, I hope the above information may be useful.

Life's Journey

Life is a long, long journey. Choose your life route wisely as there's no turning back in life. Transforming to adulthood is an important change of state - Success or Failure starts here. We go through many phases in life and as we moved along gradually, our goals and priorities changes. So, it's ok to dream big, just like Michael Phelps did.