Meaningful Living

Studies show that the odds of saving a goal in a penalty kick in soccer is about 17.4%. Why is the odds so low? Experts also suggest that the best strategy for the goal keeper is to stay central during the penalty kick. Then why, do we almost always see goal keepers diving left or right side when the shooter kicks? Many goal keepers, when interviewed, said that they dived one side because (1) if they guess the direction correctly, that would increase the chance of saving the goal; (2) if they did not save the goal, no one will blame them for "doing nothing". Point (2) above, is an example of the concept of "Perception is Reality".  No matter how good a goal keeper is, if the fans perceive him to do nothing and hence lost the goal, then that becomes a reality, that "he did nothing and hence lost the goal".  The fear of this perception can lead one to choose a less strategic option, as in this case. Another example : You have some very good products in your ...

Recently I have episodes of pain in one of my toe joints.  Saw the doctor and had blood test done.  It could be the start of gout, although the blood test showed that my uric acid level is normal. I did some research on gout, and want to share it here.  Let's start with Purine.  It is a substance that our body produces, as well as can be obtained from food we eat.  Our digestive system breaks down purine into uric acid.  But when we consume high levels of purine, uric acid will build up and form crystals.  These crystals reside in the joint areas, and cause pain.  This leads to Gout and other health problems like diabetes and kidney stones.  Gout is common in people between 30 and 50 years old, but older people can start getting it too. The joint pain is easily treatable in my case, with NSAID (Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs like Diclofenac) or with Colchicine, and an application cream called Diclogel. High purine foods to avoid, or no...