Meaningful Living

Germs is the generic term for Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi and Protozoa. Bacteria : Single-celled organism (without nucleus) that can be good or harmful to us. An example of a good bacteria is the Probiotics (L. Casei Shirota in Yakult and L. Acidophilus/L. Casei in Vitagen).  Examples of harmful bacteria include E. Coli (contaminated food and water, human feces), Salmonella (contaminated fruits and vegetables, raw eggs).  In general antibiotics are effective against bacteria.   Viruses : These require a living host to multiply.  Antibiotics has no effect on them.  There are highly deadly viruses like Ebola and Rabies.  Others include the recent Covid-19, Smallpox and Influenza.  There are some viruses that are beneficial to the Earth though, through symbiotic relationships with other organisms or by eliminating bacteria.   Fungi : They are a group of organisms known as Eukaryote.  Examples include mushrooms, Molds and Yeasts. ...

About half of Singapore's elderly experience knee-related problems, but there is a rising trend that the younger ones are effected by this too, as lifestyles become more active. Common knee problems: Osteoarthritis : the most common knee problem in the elderly, generally due to wear and tear of the knee joint.  The main causes include insufficient intake of Calcium, overweight (which bears more load on the knee joints), over active lifestyle. Rheumatism  Gout Due to past injuries In many cases, surgery like Total Knee Replacement (TKR) may be the best option.  This involves removing the knee joint and replacing it with a metal joint and plastic liner.  The success rate of this operation is very high.  However, this artificial joint lasts for between 10 and 15 years.  Hence, patients younger than 70 years old or so are not advised to perform this operation, as the current Life Expectancy of Singaporeans is 83 years.  Otherwise, the person may need a se...

I am not an expert in investment matters. Listed here are just some basic information for the general public, to the best of my knowledge.  For quick reference only.  I do not encourage investing what we cannot afford to lose. Types Work   Returns   Risks Cryptocurrencies High High High Stocks / Shares High High High Unit Trusts Low High High Bonds Low Medium Medium Endowment Low Low Low Savings Nil Negative Nil CPF (Singapore) Nil High Nil Work     : The amount of research, monitoring, follow-up required. Returns : The amount of probable profit as a percentage of what was invested. Risks      ...

We have all noticed how some people frantically press the lift button again and again (or the traffic crossing button), especially when the lifts are moving very slowly, or when the traffic crossing lights don't change immediately.  I believe their assumption usually is, there must be some connection issue, despite the call light being lit.  “Something must have failed somewhere, so I need to press a few more times, to ensure that the system gets the signal.”  It just like, some would press the door-close button a few times after they entered the lift. Do the doors close faster that way? The above usually happens in fast-paced societies, where many are inpatient.  When we do that, it stresses us, or vice versa, the stress that we are having causes us to do that. What I am proposing is: Understand that the lifts or pedestrian crossing lights don't move or change faster because we hit it more times; Take it easy, wherever we are going.  There is no need to...

Working in an area that we are passionate in, is likely to bring joy and satisfaction, barring any negative factors, and sometimes, can lead to something big and rewarding, like what is happening to Jian Wei.   Jian Wei was not my student though, but I got to work with him on some design projects for the society when he was still studying (he was one of my friends' student).  He loves designing, and anything related to designing.  Seeing his success makes me feel good too. Watch the following link for an NYP interview with him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzdPnIuNkqk So, have you figured out your passion yet? [picture above taken from YouTube]

Sweet potato is much healthier than normal potatoes, when boiled . It has a low Glycemic Index (low GI means it turns into sugar slower than normal potato in our body), and loads of nutrients.  [Note: When baked , the GI of sweet potato will be very high though.]  Here's a simple dessert recipe we can do at home:  Sweet Potato Soup Ingredients (for 2 persons): 1.  Two small sweet potatoes (colour of the skin does not matter) 2.  A few slices of ginger 3. About 50g of rock sugar (reduce this if you want to swap sweetness for even healthier version) Steps: 1. Cut sweet potatoes into small chunks, wash. 2. Put sweet potatoes, ginger and two/three cups of water into a pot. Bring to boil. 3. Add the rock sugar.  Lower the heat and let everything simmer for another eight minutes or so.  Use a chopstick/fork to test the sweet potato.  It should be easy to poke but not turn mushy. 4. Turn the heat off.  Leave to cool for a while, and enjoy. In the p...

A example of a typical conversation with teenagers (via texting): Me : Have you spoken with your parents regarding the school outing tomorrow?  Have they given you the entrance fees for the outing?  Is it convenient for them to talk to me now? Teen : No. OK. Maybe I should have asked question by question.  But when one gets a single-word answer like that, we may wonder which of the questions asked was that answer for. From my experience, the answer is for the question that was asked last.  Which means, in the above example, the parents are not convenient to talk to me now. My advice to young people: It is important to respond in such a way that others need not ask the same questions again, or need a few rounds of clarifications.  If there are three questions, there should be three responses.  That, to me, is an efficient conversation . We can: Look at the messages (if texting) while replying, to ensure we answer all queries, before we click send; Ensure tha...

  While saving the Earth does not seem like something close to the heart for many,  I advocate doing it because it is the right thing to do. Even if we feel that global warming is a conspiracy theory, the thought of endless garbage being dumped into the sea and landfills just does not feel right.  Very soon the consequences will come back to bite us, or our descendants.  Example: eating fish that have been contaminated with plastic wastes, or encroaching into some animals' natural habitat because we need more land (and resulting in more viruses jumping onto human being). The obvious things that are happening on this planet: Rising temperatures in many parts of the world; Rising sea levels, partly as a result of rising temperatures and melting ice sheets.  Some cities are already going below sea level, like Jakarta, Manila, Venice; More viruses appearing and mutating. Some things that are not so obvious: Forests being cleared for commercial purposes, resulting in...