Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Money - Your last power in old age!

Someone just sent me this via email.

When we "retire", it is good to keep this in mind.
I do know of those who have made this mistake.

Something to think about.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 3:01 PM
Subject: Money - Your last power in old age!
To: 

Good advice!

Money - Your last power at old age

When parents give away their money too early.....
A thought to ponder for the seniors !
WHEN PARENTS GIVE THEIR MONEY TOO EARLY . . .
(Phil. Star Article by: Letty Jacinto-Lopez )

At their 54th anniversary, my friends made a decision to distribute their
combined assets among their living heirs. Their rationale, Para walang gulo.
(To avoid trouble). They added one proviso: While still alive, income
from these properties will be used to maintain our present lifestyle
inclusive of medical expenses, extravagant trips and unlimited shopping.

That's easy, replied the heirs. The income was substantial to indulge the
old folks with a bonus that the heirs can use in any manner they wanted.

The first year passed without a hitch, but soon the problem surfaced. Each
child used all kinds of tactics to keep the money from his parents. It
reached a point where the poor retirees had to beg for sustenancerobbing
them of the dignity 
they worked hard to uphold.

What went wrong?

Bad decision, said a cautious friend who warned the couple of this scenario.
Children are so unreliable when it comes to inherited money. Money
received, which was not expected and not a direct result of something they
worked for, is not given the same value as money earned with their own
sweat and tears. They lose their sense of propriety; gratitude is tainted
by greed and decency gone. This is compounded by in-laws who can tilt or
convince their respective spouses to throw out good sense and filial
affection like soiled rugs, Honey, they're going to die anyway, so why
waste good money on them?

To avoid falling into this vulnerable, pitiful state,
keep these 10 tips in mind:

How to stay 'safe' at old age:  

1.   Do not retire. If you're over-aged, retire and get all the benefits but find another income-generating job or open a business that will keep you active physically and mentally. Travel and bond with true friends, play a sport, learn a new hobby and volunteer in your community or parish. Don't loaf around. Your spouse will hate you because you've become a sloppy, listless bum with nothing good to say about the household and things that you never bothered about before. Solve crossword puzzles, play Scrabble, write your memoirs, and above all, read ...this will keep you alert and keep Alzheimer's at bay.

2. Live in your own place to enjoy independence, privacy and a solo life.If you move in with your children, your rank or degree of importance is reduced to that of a bed spacer who has no place of honor or, worse, like crumbling furniture merely displayed with no added value. Might you kowtow to conform to their own rules that are not kind, considerate or mindful of you? If you witness your children engaged in a war of will and wits with your grandchildren, whom will you side with? Will they even appreciate your arbitration? Remind your children that silence is not a sign of weakness; you are merely processing data that is taking longer to complete.

3. Hold on to your nest egg, bank deposits and assets. If you want to help your children, do give, but not to the extent that you wipe out your life's earnings, singing heroically not a shirt on my back nor a penny to my name.
Staying solvent and in the black is a good hedge against all kinds of tempests. You will sleep better, you will not be afraid to express your opinion and you will be confident about yourself.

4. Don't believe your children's promise to care for you when you grow old, priorities change. Many children are not guilt-ridden or filled with a sense of moral obligation when the wife and offspring take top billing in their lives. There are still children who would consider it a privilege to show compassion, genuine love and deep concern for their parents but be warned that not all children think alike.

5. Expand your circle of friends to include young ones who will definitely outlive your old BFFs. Keep up with new inventions, trends, music and lifestyle including all the scams and schemes you should guard against.
Remember that when you mix with the young, you also open a fresh avenue to channel your thoughts, experiences and values through so that the lessons you learned are not lost, forgotten or buried with you.

6. Be well groomed and smelling fresh of spring water all the time. There's nothing more depressing than seeing people exhale when you walk by because you reek of baul (camphor chest) or lupa (dirt). Old age or bust, don't look and smell like a corpse when you're not one yet.

7. Do not meddle in the life of your children. If they ask for your counsel, give it, but be ready to accept that they may not take it. Their situations in life cannot be compared to the situations that you experienced in your life. The playing field has changed and they need to develop their own set of survival skills. If you raised them to be street smart, they can handle themselves in tough situations and be able to read people. Champion and encourage their dreams and desires but on their own terms.

8. Do not use old age as your shield and justification for turning grumpy. There's nothing more annoying than an arrogant, old fool. Welcome each day as another chance to be kind and forgiving, to yourself and to others.

9. Listen to what others may say. Do not throw your weight around just because you are a septuagenarian or a nonagenarian. You are not a depository of knowledge. Even if the roles have been reversed, make growing old a fun-filled, pleasant experience for you and your brood.

10. Pray always and focus on your eternal life. You will definitely leave everything behind, a final journey detached from burden and care. Be more accepting that, sooner, not later, you will croak. Prepare your swan song with a humble and contrite heart. If you believe in a merciful and loving God, there is no need to strut like a star. Nobody is.
 
 
     Money - Your last power in old age !

===.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Lullaby ~ Aida Nikolaychuk

Wow! The judges could NOT believe she was actually singing so they demanded she sing acappella... and she proved she was the voice.

Got to check the spelling of her name.

Wikipedia has it as...
Aida Nikolaychuk

But other place on the internet has it as...
Aida Nikolaichuk

Her cover of the song was better than the original

Original
Lullaby ~ Original by Polina Gagarina
колыбельная ~ Original by полина гагарина

===.
Video 1

Aida Nikolaychuk - Lullaby (English subtitles)


Uploaded on 27 Feb 2012
for subtitles press the button:)
AIDA HAS WON X-FACTOR-3!

Aida in Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aidatit
Aida in Vkontakte (visits this site more often):http://vk.com/pabloaida
Official Page in Vkontakte (Join us!): http://vk.com/aidanikolaychuk
Offficial Group n Vkontakte (Join us!):http://vk.com/nikolaychukaida
Official site: www.aidasinger.com

LULLABY

Look into my heart
And say goodbye to winter
Wind blows but you warm me
Heaven moans, but spring is for us now

Ask clouds for
Present white dreams to us
Night is flowing and we're following it
(Flowing) in world of mysterious lights

Dispel melancholy that's inside of me
I'm anxious

Ask clouds for
Present white dreams to us
Night is flowing and we're following it
(Flowing) in world of mysterious lights

===.
Video 2

The X Factor 2 Ukraine - Aida Nikolaichuk - Колыбельная



Comments:

360turnaround1 3 weeks ago
Ill use my russian skills to translate for everyone: the judges didnt believe she was actually singing, they thought it was prerecorded and autotuned, thats why they asked her to sing again without the music

TheLoneWolf247 . 1 week ago
singer is: "полина гагарина" (Polina Gagarina)
song: "колыбельная" (Lulaby)

===.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Korean Song ~ Davichi ~ It's Because I Miss You Today

===.
[Single] Davichi (다비치) - It's Because I Miss You Today (오늘따라 보고싶어서 그래)
http://youtu.be/KuG1ylM-zzs

Published on 3 Jul 2013
다비치 -- 여름날의 추억 (Memories of Summer)
Release Date: 2013.07.04
Genre: Ballad
Language: Korean

Track List:
01. 오늘따라 보고싶어서 그래 (It's Because I Miss You Today)



===.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Pix ~ Wound of Post Op Colon Cancer

I'll be posting some of my Wound (post op colon cancer). The pictures may be gruesome to some so I'm leaving them as small as possible. If you want to see the bigger picture, just double click on it to enlarge.

Latest image will be at the top.

To read of my time in the Hospital, click 'HERE'.

===.
2013 Sep 29, Thu (Night)

Took off my dressing for the last time. 1st Day of Dressing was 2013 Jul 27 (Sat) so this wound-dressing-journey has been 2 Months and 2 Days.

This is total freedom, not only for me, but also for my nurse daughter who had to make time from her busy social life to do my dressing.

From here on, I'll be going without dressing so there'll probably be no more pictures posted.

Wound has healed so well that any pictures taken now will be categorized as "nude" and "obscene".

Thanks for looking at all these ugly photos.

===.
Wound Pix ~ 2013 Sep 26, 0035hrs, Thu

===.
2013 Sep 23, Mon (Morning)
No photo. Dressing done in TTSH after Appointment with Doctor (Oncologist).

===.
2013 Sep 20, Fri (Night)


===.
2013 Sep 18, Wed
~ at Night just before Sleep

===.
.
.
2013 Sep 14, Sat
~ at Night just before Sleep 
~ BEFORE Dressing
.
.
2013 Sep 14, Sat
~ at Night just before Sleep
~ AFTER Dressing
.
.
===.
2013 Sep 11, 0149hrs, Wed

===.
2013 Sep 07, 1020hrs, Sat


===.
Posted by Welcome at 12:33 PMon Thursday, September 05, 2013
.
Recent Photo ~ 2013 Sep 04, 2226hrs, Wed

Just 2 Days Before ~ 2013 Sep 02, 0039hrs, Mon

.
===.
2013 Sep 04, 2226hrs, Wed

===.
2013 Sep 02, 0039hrs, Monday

===.
2013-08-30, 0001hrs, Fri ~ 2nd pix

2013-08-30, 0001hrs, Fri ~ 1st pix

===.
2013-08-27, 1440hrs, Tue

===.
2013-08-24, 0950hrs, Sat

===.
2013-08-21, 1045hrs, Wed

===.
Above ~ START of Dressing Every 3 days once
Below ~ END of Dressing on Every Other Day
From now on, above, all will only have the date.

===.
2013-08-19, 0930hrs, Mon

===.
2013-08-17, 1200hrs, Sat


===.
Above ~ START of Dressing on Every Other Day
Below ~ END of Daily Dressing
From now on, above, all will only have the date.

===.
20th Day of Dressing ~ 2013-08-15, Thu

Note:
The Doctor told us from now that we do NOT have to dress the wound every day. This week, dressing will be on every other day. And, next week, dressing will be once in every 3 days. Hence, there will be less photos uploaded. He sited that cleaning the wound too regularly while dressing would hamper the healing process as well.

Comparison Pix
(Then, in end-Jul and now, in mid-Aug -- about 2 and the half weeks.)

Dressing Pix

===.
19th Day of Dressing ~ 2013-08-14, Wed

===.
18th Day of Dressing ~ 2013-08-13, Tue

===.
17th Day of Dressing ~ 2013-08-12, Mon

2013-08-12, 0845hrs, Mon

===.
16th Day of Dressing ~ 2013-08-11, Sun

2013-08-11, 745hrs, Sun ~ ebs's hp

2013-08-11, 745hrs, Sun ~ pfl's hp

===.
15th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 10, Sat

2013 Aug 10, Sat, 1400hrs

===.
14th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 09, Fri

No Pix today.

===.
13th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 08, Thu

No Pix today.

===.
12th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 07, Wed

2013 Aug 07, Wed, 1030hrs

===.
11th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 06, Tue

Sorry. No Pix today. We did the dressing, BUT forgot to take the photo. 
We're slacking. I hope this will remind us to 'buck up' from tomorrow onwards.

===.
10th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 05, Mon

2013 Aug 05, Mon, 1130am

===.
9th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 04, Sun

There were 2 dressings today due to overflow.

2nd Dressing
2013 Aug 04, 2330hrs, Sun

1st Dressing
2013 Aug 04, 0740hrs, Sun

===.
8th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 03, Sat

2013 Aug 03, 0930hrs, Sat

===.
7th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 02, Fri

1100hrs

===.
6th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Aug 01, Thu

1030hrs

===.
5th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Jul 31, Wed

0900hrs

===.
4th Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Jul 30, Tue

0900hrs

===.
3rd Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Jul 29, Mon

1030hrs ~ After cleaning

1000hrs ~ Prior to wound cleaning

===.
2nd Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Jul 28, Sun
~ 2nd dressing of the day

We are a little worried of the oozing and redness in the center and right, hence these 2nd load of pixs today. 

1800hrs ~ just before dressing

1930hrs ~ dressing removed, before cleaning
The cotton in the gaping wound on the left we did not remove since it was still good from the first dressing.

2000hrs ~ dressing removed, before cleaning

===.
2nd Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Jul 28, 0730hrs, Sun
~ 1st dressing of the day

0730hrs

0730hrs

===.
1st Day of Dressing ~ 2013 Jul 27, 1000hrs, Sat

Head is on the right and Legs are on the left. Picture shot from the left of body.

1000hrs

1000hrs

===.
Above ~ START of Daily Dressing

===.
https://picasaweb.google.com/home
===.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Colon Cancer ~ Back Home Again

I'm back home today, Friday, July 26, 2013.

This timeline is to detail where I've been these past 4 weeks (2013 Jul, 01 to 26) from my discovery of the cancer to the surgery op and then back home. Chemortherapy will probably be in another Blog entry.

===.
Week 1

01 Jul 2013, Mon
The 1st Consultation. Doctor's Appointment for Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy.
In the morning, went to see Specialist for Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy. This is our first consultation so I only had to do the scan. The Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy was scheduled for the coming Frinday. Doctor called me back saying scan does not look good and he wants me to go in Tuesday, to do the Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy instead of our planned Friday. I agreed with him . He said no need to diet and to just do the Bowel Prep that night and see him the next day.

02 Jul 2013, Tue
Doctor's Appointment for Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy.
I checked in to TTSH in the morning. Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy was not as bad as I had always imagined. Results confirmed that there was a growth in my Colon. Whether it was Cancer or not, it still had to be removed. I was warned to look out for the undesirable effects of Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy. One of which was 'perforation'. If this happens, I was to admit myself to hospital via A&E. I was given the next 2 days MC.

03 Jul 2013, Wed
Gastroscopy & Colonoscopy, the day after.
The whole day went fine until just before dinner when I felt that there were some pain. After dinner at Nasi Lemak Kukus with the whole family (father, mother, daughter and son), I decided to check in to TTSH A&E. The night Doctor decided that it was  better to play "Kia Su" and admitted me. The wait for a bed at a ward went right through till morming.

04 Jul 2013, Thu ~ Hospitalized at TTSH Class C-Ward for tests.
05 Jul 2013, Fri ~ Further Tests for Lump in Adrenal Gland
06 Jul 2013, Sat ~ Discharged from TTSH.

07 Jul 2013, Sun ~ Church as usual.

===.
Week 2

08 Jul 2013, Mon
MC this week beginning Jul 8, Mon. During the course of this week, I travelled to and from TTSH for more tests. The tests were more to find out if the Cancer had spread to the other parts of my body. Two main concerns were, the Adrenal Gland and my Back Bone as I was always complaining of nagging backache.

11 Jul 2013, Thu
Daughter's trip to London. Sent Daughter to airport. Reached there around 9 pm. Had dinner at Quiznoz at T1 Arrival. Some days earlier, daughter asked should she cancel her trip to London -- me, knowing that I will still have other people in the family to rely on, and this is a trip of a lifetime ... and besides, I expect to still be around for her help at the later part of this Colon Cancer journey of mine -- and I said, "no need lah". Anyway, in her absense.... her Ward-6A, Nurse colleagues were on hand to pop-in throughout my the whole stay in TTSH.

14 Jul 2013, Sun ~ Church as usual.

===.
Week 3

15 Jul 2013, Mon
Bowel Prep Day for tomorrow's Surgery to take out 4 cm of my Colon.

16 Jul 2013, Tue
Surgery Day for Colon Cancer. Operating Theatre and High-D. All I did was sleep and sleep during Surgery and the same thereafter in the High-Dependency Ward (High-D)

17 Jul 2013, Wed
High-D/Ward B2
Met 2 Physio Therapist in High-D. They showed me that I could stand up and walk a little with their help.

18 Jul 2013, Thu
Ward B2
Yay! My son, will be able to visit me more often now.
However, this Ward-B2 is very hot. There was no aircon... but I knew that. Class C had no aircon and I felt fine with that. There was a huge ceiling fan right above my legs, but I was perspiring on the bedsheets. I was so uncomfortable, and angry that I stood up and walked on my own. This was the beginning of my many battles. Another battle, I was also angry that my movements were hampered by tubes to Morphine, Drip, Cathetha & Drain. Even turning the bed around so that the ceiling-fan was right above me, though bettter, was still... very, very hot. I was told that if I am able to NOT use the morphine, I could loose 2 of those tubes, the Morphine and the Cathetha... another battle to conquer.

19 Jul 2013, Fri
Ward B2/B1
# Ward B2 ~ In the morning they had to take away my Morphine and Catheter. 2 tubes down, with 2 tubes to go. I was moved to B1 at my request. # Ward B1 ~ Now at B1, in the middle of the night, I was shivering with my teeth chattering. But I welcomed the cold feeling; it was a significant shift from the hot I was feeling earlier. Another reason why I liked it was, I felt that my insides were shaking up in a good way. I could feel the gas starting to form and was rewarded at the end when the fever broke with loud rip, and along too came a little stain. Adult-Dipers are now necessary for me.

20 Jul 2013, Sat
Ward B1
Doctors up the antibiotics via drips because the previous night high-fever was due to me developing a Lung Infection… Pnemonia… probably the Hopital induced type for lying too long in bed.

21 Jul 2013, Sun
Passing Lots of Gas and Motion. Got my first bath from a nurse in TTSH. Although there were a lot of miracles along the way… this, is my favorite. I was told I was going to get my Drainage Tube out today. I was happy, but a little scared because I was told it was very painful. I prayed for no pain... then I prayed that if there must be pain, help me bear it. The nurse came and as she pulled it out... I felt nothing at all. I was told, nobody has experienced this yet. I looked upwards and said thanks. It was a Sunday too.

===.
Week 4

22 Jul 2013, Mon
My daughter (a nurse) comes back from London and proceeds to give me a bath every morning from Mon to Thu, all of them right after her Night Shift in another Ward.

23 Jul 2013, Tue
Fever keeps spiking during the night. During the day, the Physiotherapist teaches me to get out of bed on my own. This will be one of my tickets out of here.

24 Jul 2013, Wed
The urge to pass motion is more often, like 6 times per day. I've got to find a way to manage this.

25 Jul 2013, Thu
Visit from CEO TTSH. This was a surprise for everyone, even for the nurse that was dressing my wound... she was doing a fantastic job but when she saw him, she just froze and stopped what she was doing. When the CEO asked her "How's his wound?" she just stood there suspended in time... poor girl.

26 Jul 2013, Fri
Back home again.
This is the day I will go home. At 3:30am this morning, I just found a method that I can use to "cebok" whenever I "kagak" in the condition that I am in. There will be other challenges along the way, but now… it is clearer that I'm going to get better.

Warning. The pictures are gruesome for most, but if you're up to it....
click HERE for pictures of the surgical wound uploaded daily as it heals.
http://enterarena.blogspot.sg/2013/07/pix-wound-of-post-op-colon-cancer.html

Next... my Chemo Stage... wait for it.

===.
===.
By the way... in...

2011 Oct 12 at 0945 hrs ~ Colon Cancer

I saw a Colon Cancer Check List, found in TTSH Toilet which said that Colon Cancer is one of the commonest cancers in Singapore. I made a note on my To Do List, "Time for a check". I had always wanted to do this since my Dad had Colon Cancer but never got round to it.

It took 2 years to actually do the much needed Cancer check... so to those you have yet to do it... DO IT NOW!

===.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Dinner ~ New Ubin Seafood ~ 27 Sin Ming Road

===.
What: Dinner
Where: New Ubin Seafood, 27 Sin Ming Road
When: at 07:30 pm, 2013 Jul 10, Wednesday

What we had clock-wise from top left: 
(= what I enjoyed or what I liked.)

1 ~ Black Peppered Chicken (wow! it came boneless) ~ .

2 ~ Salted Egg Crab (2 crabs) ~ .

3 ~ Bean-curd with crab meat

4 ~ Chili Crab (1 crab) ~ .

5 ~ Vegetables (Kai Lan or Nai Pai)

6 ~ Yam with Chicken, Loofah & White Onions.


===.

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

GMAIL Max File Limit

I just tried to attach a file that is 55,720 KB in size.
This is what I got.


===.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

G2000 Mannequin at Bishan J8 (2013 Jul)

===.
I thought I saw someone familiar. 
G2000 Mannequin at Bishan Junction 8 (2013 Jul).

 

===.

Food Machine

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, Jul 1, 2013 at 8:54 PM
Subject: Food Machine

Hmm... I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks.

Found this machine just 3 floors below my office at the ground floor.

Picture taken a few weeks ago.


===.