Chinese New Year 2025 Year of the Snake

Keep With Tradition, or is it Alright to Modify Some?

Jan 18, 2025

*Lantern stickers in place of actual lanterns*

2024 had been a drought year insofar as writing was concerned. Attribute it to a lack of energy and time maybe, but not excuses as they had been scarce for many reasons. But perhaps the involuntary writing hiatus had been beneficial after all, having given pause to a tired mind and a tired body. 2024 had been an intensely busy year. It remains to be seen how 2025 will develop!

We are now seemingly, suddenly sprung into 2025 with the dragon scurrying off for the snake.

With Christmas still fresh followed by the brand new 2025 year, it all is a bit of a crush and a rush trying to prepare for CNY 2025. A breather will be welcome, not that any presents itself. There is no rest for the wicked! Does anyone else feel this way? There had been occasions like this in the past when the festivals lined up closely but we were younger then and coped better!

The thing about the CNY differentiating it from the numerous other celebrations is its countless accompanying cultural practices. Not to mention the innumerable superstitions connected with it. Yikes! Mandatory spring cleaning makes sense after an arduous winter, especially for residents of the four seasons. Though it may be less punishing for others without winters, ‘spring cleaning’ still involves a deeper clean. Maybe the home gets a good scrubbing and overhaul once a year only and that is just as well compared to none! A good practice of a thorough clean-up (no question about it), ought to be kept and even encouraged.

But stocking up on food in abundance? Up to a point that is also a good idea. Understandably in days of poverty in old China, having ample supplies of food ensured survival. Spring festival which is what the CNY celebration celebrates, is a token of having survived the harsh winters preceding the arrival of spring and all that it signified. It is good luck for surviving harsh winters. Not such a big deal nowadays with piped electricity and modern comforts like available supermarket food and warm clothing. People forget in the old days it was a big deal to survive uncertain times when warmth and food were not necessarily guaranteed. It is a time of rebirth and new growth as winter exits and spring heralds an end to deadly cold and the return of migratory and hibernating life. But the environment has changed in China with a new prosperity borne out of industry and perseverance. What piques me is while we memorialize and even revere tradition, some of them can be updated or modified to reflect changed, and continuing changing times without discarding it in totality. View it instead as modifying tradition if discarding it feels disloyal. Today much mindless food wastage occurs whereas many parts of the world experience famine and food shortage. It is blasphemous indiscriminately throwing edible food away whether it arises from not being mindful or prudent when preparing food or from any other cause. It takes conscious thinking to avoid over-preparing to avoid surplus unconsumed food. But food thrift can be taught and it can be learned. It is how we create good, meaningful new traditions. Previous generations believed that stockpiling food (having overabundance) during the new year signified more than just survival. It also ‘promised’ prosperity. Analogous to this is the fat child representing food sufficiency as opposed to the lean child depicting malnourishment or poverty. The fat child signaled wealth and the lean one, a lack of it. That is no longer true today and, humorously, lean is now considered more desirable than chubbiness. Nevertheless, it still takes time to accept a mindset change over even such a single ‘simple’ idea. Resistance has a way of adhering and holding sway over one’s thinking and still rules the day when one is called to change or modify one’s practices. Mind-boggling? Overeating during CNY is common practice and believe me, it has nothing to do with any promises of wealth! When the lopsidedness of food shortage against surplus is capable of being evened out and the surplus is used to help the needy, the world will be a better and happier place than what it is now. By way of illustration, kudos go to Ukraine for sending 500 tonnes of wheat flour to starving Syrians as part of their humanitarian “Grain from Ukraine” initiative to help and support them, not forgetting Ukraine itself is in dire need of humanitarian relief! Some businesses such as hotels and large organizations show their compassionate side by hosting special celebratory meals for the underprivileged such as orphans and senior citizens from old folks’ homes during festive occasions. On a smaller personal scale, one can, by cutting back on lavish meals, also donate food or meals to the underprivileged.

An addendum to overstocking up is the gifting of CNY gifts to friends and relatives. Perhaps, in lighter vein, old people could be exempted from this tradition. Numerous trips to buy goods and hauling them back home and having to package them up with labels who they are for have become onerous for many senior folks. It is not an exercise for the faint hearted anymore particularly if the number of recipients is large. No one wants to talk about this openly for fear of being judged stingy! Exempt the seniors who have carried the traditions over the long years and pass the baton to the fitter younger ones. Let them fittingly play a less strenuous role. Mandarin oranges are traditional gifts partly because they ripen at this time of year and mainly because their ‘gold’ color is associated with wealth and prosperity. The traditional crate of mandarin oranges can be quite heavy and several crates can equal a gym workout and lower backache! I have finally surrendered the idea of scuttling from shop to shop to buy merchandise and will happily resolve to make my gifting simpler. Additionally, it is timely to move away from giving a plethora of sugary biscuits and cookies (displayed at every corner one turns) that contribute to obesity, ill health, and medical and hospital bills. See it as ingenious marketing targeted at encouraging one to overspend. Despite CNY being celebrated once a year, it is nonetheless frightful to be surrounded by an overwhelming and excessive amount of confectionary and ‘empty calories’. Sugar afficionados, don’t shoot me down! Give healthier items like fruits, nuts and seeds. Your body and health will thank you!

A further note on giving gifts. It is not a case of loving a person more through heavier gifting. Gifting is a joy. Give also according to means and not be pressured to give beyond one’s financial or other means. It is, after all, symbolic of gifting good luck and prosperity more than anything else. It is not about outdoing others. The comfort of growing older, and hopefully wiser, is to be able to attune oneself with one’s physical and financial capabilities instead of going on blindly as may have been done before. Appreciate the concepts of gifting but do not be compelled to compete with others or give in to expectations from others regards your gift. Do not let the recipient’s ‘disappointment’ affect you excessively, do remember a gift is a gift, it is not an entitlement. Lessen the stresses of undue expectations.

The family reunion however remains the cornerstone of CNY celebrations. This is the one of the main aspects of festivities that is esteemed and essential to the spirit of the festival. Children and relatives hurry back from abroad to especially reconnect during this auspicious moment to catch up with their parents, family, relatives and friends to start the new year. On the personal front, see who has survived and who has not! In the old days when life was harder, food scarcity, harsh winters, sickness and difficult conditions, and natural calamities presented real challenges to survival and well-being. It is just as well to check on aging family members and relatives. On the working front, it is a time of rest for many sectors of industry. The 15-day celebration (that is how long CNY is celebrated), is ample time for rekindling family and friendship ties. It is a time and occasion to forgive and forget old spats, if not wholly, then perhaps partially!

Considering the significance and importance of the reunion dinner, much care and thought goes into its preparation. Food being highly symbolic of values like happiness, longevity, abundance, and good luck, is lovingly prepared and the reunion dinner is very much looked forward to in terms of enjoyment and merriment. Accordingly dishes for the reunion dinner will include food representing these values; chicken for good luck, fish for abundance, uncut noodles for longevity, rice balls for unity, dumplings ( gold ingot-shaped) for prosperity, and green leafy vegetables for wealth. On that account, much effort is made to include these good luck food items. While it is applaudable to continue this tradition of home-cooked meals, modern life stresses have moved some of the home-cooked reunion dinners to commercial food outlets for those without capacity to prepare meals at home. Why not prepare simpler meals as an alternative? In my growing up years numerous aunts got together to prepare the reunion dinner. Those were the days of the extended family. They were usually noisy affairs with much bantering and chattering that made wonderful memories for life.

On a personal level, in a recent conversation with my friend Hong Peng, I mentioned being unable to source large prawns for my reunion dinner at the wet market on the last few visits. She pointed out prawns are a ‘must have’. It translates to laughter. So, I forced myself out of my warm cozy bed to go early to the market to look for ‘laughter’ and happily found it. Talk about being rewarded for effort. I hauled back enough ‘laughter’ for two reunion meals, feeling pleased as Punch.

*Up the lanterns at the market. Festivity in the air contributes to CNY ambiance.*

Another big-time observance of tradition is not sweeping on New Year’s first day. Sweeping and throwing dirt out is associated with throwing away good luck! While good for laughs, this is not such a big deal unless the house is badly dirtied after the big cleanup (remember the arduous spring cleaning?) preceding the new year, or the belief of impending doom befalling one doing so cannot be shaken off and bedevils one the entire year following, making for a cursed year. A house unswept for a day is nothing to sweat or agonize over yet if an accidental dirtying occurs (spilling or breaking items), will sweeping invoke feelings of uneasiness? How about sweeping and clearing up the mess and keeping the litter inside the house for disposal the next day? Does it count as keeping the good luck in? By the time the new year rolls in, I imagine one is just happy to sit back and forget about doing any more work of whatever nature! If called to clean up just remind the caller of the required abstinence insofar as using the broom is called for! Hide the broom, hide the broom! By any means!

Having put in the hard work of house cleaning, it is timely to proceed to decorating the home, definitely a more enjoyable aspect of the celebration. All things good and wonderful can be used for this. Be that as it may, traditional decorations of flowers and fruit plants such as peonies, real or fake, and lime and decorative bamboo plants trump other decorations, being preferred for their symbolic significance. Decorative red paper cut outs are hugely popular and often stuck at doorways and windows inviting good fortune. Red lanterns are hung, or a modern interpretation of them are commercial stickers featuring lantern designs. The swath of red cloth called Chai Kee is strung over doorways. These signify good luck and are a means of attracting and welcoming good luck and prosperity.

Many other observances and traditions are adhered to but not covered here. The ones related here are customary whereas others relate to spiritual and religious ceremonies.

Ultimately, prosperity and wealth are not generated by superstitions and beliefs alone but by industry and diligence. It is attributable to one’s efforts and not by sheer belief in good luck befalling one through the observance of superstitions of which some are outlined above. If that was true little work needs be done. If mere belief is capable of generating wealth and prosperity, it will make many, many people very, very happy for sure! But take everything in lighter vein and just enjoy the occasion, observe whatever one wants to observe and whichever traditions and beliefs one wants to follow. After all CNY comes once a year! Follow what you will, there is no need to sweat the old traditions.

GONG XI FA CHAI everyone!!!!

Autism the Invisible Syndrome

Creating autism awareness

Evelyn

May 29, 2024

Autism is on the rise. It is no surprise. Statistics show it. In the late 1990s, the rate of autism was 1 in 200 and has over the years climbed to 1 in 36 in some places. Should we be concerned?

Have you ever wondered if you are living with autism, either on your own or with someone who has autism? Wonder why it is called the ‘invisible ‘syndrome? Today, with greater awareness among the population, perhaps because people can avail themselves of more literature on it due to deeper and expanding medical research on it and also owing to more media coverage on autism, and more activism covering autism activities, autism is receiving more recognition with autistic people receiving relevant additional support compared to previous years. Lacking awareness or ignorance was quite prevalent in earlier societies and resulted in untold suffering by autistic people for lacking necessary support. But its rise isn’t confined to just greater awareness. Apart from genes being a contributing factor (autism has a genetic component), the environment plays a significant role as a contributor too. Without a doubt, our physical world has undergone huge changes since the inception of the Industrial Revolution bringing with it all manner of conveniences, and fortunately or unfortunately, thousands of all types of chemicals such as industrial, manufacturing, agricultural, household, edible or food chemicals, pharmaceutical, and those used in the cosmetic industry, many of which have not been fully tested for safety (or their safety status are being challenged in the face of newer research.) There are more than 80,000 chemicals on the database of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), USA. TSCA does not require most chemicals to be tested for safety for approval for widespread use. A litmus test for the ubiquitous presence of some of these chemicals is the cord blood of newly birthed babies. More than 200 chemicals have been found in cord blood per the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in its commissioned study in 2005 on umbilical cord blood of 10 babies of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian heritage. BPA, a plastic additive mimicking estrogen, was of particular concern as the study despite its small size, was the first to detect BPA in umbilical cord blood. BPA has been shown to cause developmental problems and precancers in animals. In the same year, male Chinese factory workers, exposed to high levels of BPA, experienced erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems per researchers on BPA use. The interaction among chemicals is also of much concern.

“We know the developing fetus is one of the most vulnerable populations, if not the most vulnerable, to environmental exposure. Their organ systems aren’t mature and their detox methods are not in place, so cord blood gives us a good picture of exposure during this most vulnerable time of life.” Per Anila Jacobs, EWG senior scientist.

Leo Kanner first described autism in 1943 as a pervasive emotional disruption that led to it being defined as a psychiatric disorder in the DSM (2^nd Ed. 1968), namely early childhood schizophrenia characterized by an aloofness from reality. Among its causes, unfortunately, was an attribution to unloving cold ‘refrigerator mothers’. This didn’t help improve the autistic person’s condition and instead unjustly vilified mothers. Thankfully, new research in the 1960s and 1970s pointed to pervasive developmental issues in the brain being the main actual cause of autism.

In 1944, Hans Aspergers, also an Austrian, found that there is a ‘subset’ of children with similar but milder symptoms of autism (lacking empathy, having difficulty forming friendships, monologuing, having limited interests with great intensity, being clumsy) with no or almost no language delay or much impairment in language development and use. Despite their better language ‘proficiency’ they nevertheless can, to various degrees, lack the pragmatic understanding involved in language ie the back and forth of language as in a dialogue. This sometimes gives rise to a tendency to monologue plus misunderstandings as they are perceived as understanding speech whereas they may not always comprehend what is said. Hans Asperger’s work was written in Austrian and was not translated into English until much later so this group of people went unrecognized (anonymously?) for a while and lived with their conditions without much support.

Aspergers while previously listed in the DSM–IV by itself, is now placed within the Autism Spectrum Disorder under the DSM-5 together with what Leo Kanner termed ‘classic autism’, and also pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

Autism is diagnosed by its traits, which include extreme aloneness, aloofness, echolalia, deep anxiety as in fight or flight, disabling obsessions, extreme desire for sameness as in difficulty to accept change resulting in inflexibility and rigidity, intensity of focus, limited interests, social impairments, repetitive behavior patterns, non-verbal communication, hyper or hypo sensitivities, among other traits. The current DSM sets out 16 criteria with an autism diagnosis being made if half of them are met. It is a life-long impairment and unlike an organic disease so cannot be cured. It is a developmental disorder that causes the said symptoms. It can however be helped by early (even late for that matter) interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, speech and physical therapies, and family training. Autistic people often suffer co-morbidities which are co-existing conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), or ADHD (ADD with hyperactivity). These conditions are treatable with medication that helps alleviate anxiety and lift moods. Medications however ought to be judiciously used as they come with side effects some of which are quite severe such as serious weight gain (possibly resulting in obesity) or abnormal unsightly involuntary movements (tardive dyskinesia or TD). TD when severe is sometimes irreversible and can be hugely distressing.

While hailing the good work done by the many health and mental health professionals, my view of the above is that while classification and diagnosis make for the ease and convenience of ‘treatment’, there is plenty more that can be implemented in the realm of whole body healing that can promote the well-being of autistic people and which can complement medications. Be that as it may, complementary modalities in holistic healing will certainly be beneficial in addressing some of the issues mentioned earlier. Of these, Applied Behavior Analysis is, notably, of much value as it helps the autistic person to understand the world he lives in and to adapt and cope.

That being said, when it comes to ‘treatment’ (please note the earlier acknowledgment there is no ‘treatment for autism’) I am inclined to think the ‘treatment’ of the whole person is the way to go. Autistic people suffer many bodily issues ranging from gut issues, mitochondrial problems resulting in low energy and brain fog, nutritional deficiencies, sleep, and detoxification (of toxins) issues. By themselves, these are big issues that impact whole body (including the brain) functions. Dr. Suzanna Goh, MD, BCBA, an accomplished board-certified pediatric behavioral neurologist, behavioral analyst, neuroscience researcher, Rhodes scholar, and author is changing the way autism is viewed and ‘treated’ with marvelous results. Using science and holistic approaches to deal with autistic children, she shows these approaches benefit them on many levels. Reducing inflammation in their brains and gut, detoxifying the body improving their diet, and supporting mitochondrial health, among other ‘treatment’ modalities, bring about healing changes in autistic children. In one case, a child without speech developed speech. She has many success stories with the ‘treatment’ of autistic children. It is immensely heartening to see promising holistic ways of ‘treating’ people with autism by accomplished medical professionals as this will open the way to new healing modes aside from relying chiefly on medication.

On the bright side of things, as there usually are, there are numerous autistic people who have attained great achievements in various fields where their intensity of focus and special interests have driven them to great heights and discoveries beyond the normal person’s abilities (see blog cited below.) When worked with their strengths rather than their shortcomings, autistic people, like typical people, can lead fulfilling lives with joy too. Society is the entity that needs to encompass the support and compassion for different others to thrive and be one with it.

NB: DSM refers to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Autism is an incredibly complex subject. To delve deep is not possible here so do look up further research materials if this article sparks interest.
Some identified toxins include (environmental – dirty air, water, food) – amalgam, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides in foods, insecticides, household cleaning chemicals, detergents, plastics, chlorine, fluoride, hormones in water. Some problem foods include gluten, wheat, and dairy. Some vaccines are suspected to cause autism particularly when many are given at very close intervals to very young children whose immune systems have not developed fully yet (know that much debate exists regard vaccines).

Leave a comment

Ref:

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/evolution-autism-diagnosis-explained/

Dr. Suzanna Goh, MD, BCBA (Cortica Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer)

Refer Podcast with M Hyman

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/food-additive-status-list

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&q=chemicals+in+cord+blood

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/newborn-babies-chemicals-exposure-bpa/

https://behavioral-innovations.com/blog/20-famous-people-with-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd/

Countdown to Chinese New Year 2024 is on!

It’s time to celebrate, again.

Evelyn

Feb 03, 2024

*Oranges represent gold and so good luck and hence are frequently gifted*

It’s less than a week to Chinese New Year! This is just a short posting to wish everyone a very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year.

And I wish to share with you a traditional pork dish, which my late mother used to cook without fail, every Chinese New Year. It is for sure one of my favorite Chinese New Year dishes as the combo of spices marries well together to produce a delectable and delicately spiced tender braised meat. It brings back lots of memories of many Chinese New Year’s past.

Towns and cities are already probably painted red by now. It is pretty much common knowledge red is the color of auspiciousness, good luck, prosperity, and joy for the Chinese people the world over. This bright uplifting color is the bond that binds Chinese people globally. No matter where you are in the world, you will see ‘red’ come Chinese New Year. Cities, houses, people, and even foods will be dressed in red. Lines of red lanterns are strung across roads, at times crisscrossing them for great distances, on buildings and trees, and are also hung in porches of houses and are believed to drive away bad luck. Although some traditions are dying out, it is still common to find red chai kees ( a long length of red cloth) hung decoratively across the doorways of houses. Being a spring festival, placing flowers at the front and inside of houses serves more than just decorative purposes but negates bad energy and welcomes good energy/luck. At the baseline, many practices are associated with or linked to driving away bad luck and inviting good luck. Non-exhaustively, these include pasting decorative red paper cuttings on doors and windows of homes, New Year couplets (good New Year wishes normally written in calligraphy) on doors, and placing kumquat plants around the house to invite wealth and prosperity.

Chinese New Year delicacies and all manner of cookies and sweetmeats would have been selling uproariously all over the place for the last few weeks. The ‘air’ of festivity would have been heavy in the air. One cannot help but be affected by all the clamor and merrymaking. It is that infectious! And more so once the lion dances begin their rounds. Perhaps this year (Green Wood Dragon year) will see more dragons coming out too.

*Some popular gifts for Chinese New Year are dried Mushrooms, Chinese Sausages, and dried Fish Maw*

Sek Bak (Pork braised with fragrant spices and soy sauce)

1.5 kg pork (shoulder cut)

15-20 shallots, skinned and sliced

3 pips garlic, skinned and crushed

1” each galangal and ginger, skinned and sliced

5 cm cinnamon bark

1 whole star anise

3 cloves

2 stalks serai (lemongrass)

125 ml cooking oil

24-28 fl oz water

3 level tbsp sugar

125 ml light soy sauce

salt to taste, if necessary

2 pieces taukwah

Method:

1.   The meat should be left in large pieces (cut into 3-4 pieces). Wash and drain.
2.    Heat the oil in a large pot, add the shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and serai, and fry until fragrant. Do not let them burn.
3   Add the meat and turn them about with the spices (about 5 mins.). Add the soy sauce slowly and the sugar and let them ‘fry’ with the meat and spices for another 5 mins. to release the spices’ fragrance.
4.   Slowly add the water (boiling), stir to mix, cover the pot and simmer for 1 – 1 ½ hours over a low flame or until the meat is tender and the gravy reduced. Check occasionally to ensure the meat does not stick to the pot and burn. Adjust seasoning/saltiness. Add the taukwah about ½ hour before the dish is done.
5.    Slice the meat before serving. Serve hot.

Adapted from “Cooking Without Tears”

Wan Evelyn, Cooking without Tears, Kuala Lumpur, Wan Evelyn, 2002

The 70’s Club, and loving it!

Be healthy to enjoy life at any age.

Evelyn

Jan 21, 2024

“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Ruminating over what to write next, I recall a friend asking why I don’t write about health matters since I have so much interest in them. It certainly is not for want of interest. Shying away from such topics I have however touched on peripheral issues of health like the blue zones lifestyles and diets. Today I came across an article in the news on Dr. Peter Attia and it rekindled the question of whether to write on health matters. Many other health professionals have written plenty on many different topics on health sometimes to the point of information overload. But then again I am grateful for so much health and medical literature being made available so freely to all and sundry.

Yes, people are living longer but not necessarily in good health. Not exactly an ideal situation, is it? Living longer in incapacity and ill health is sheer utter misery, to state the obvious. It is not only the loss of one’s independence that makes for an unhappy state but being dependent on others means burdening them and multiplying the misery. Pain has a way of making it felt 24/7 and guts anyone, even the mighty can be brought down to their knees by celiac or Crohn’s disease!

(Incredibly) will you believe the idea that one is responsible for one’s own health is an uncommon one? Surprised? Not me! Amazingly, health is not foremost in many people’s minds and agendas and quite the opposite is true i.e. health is in one’s own hands. The idea that one can diet against disease or adopt preventive measures against ill health is not very popular. Where there is a call to exercise discipline or restraint or to make informed choices for better health, it is not uncommon to find people balking at it. The path of least resistance, that is, to give in to one’s desires no matter what the consequences are, even if undesirable, is just too irresistible. There is a tendency to even feel invincible, that no disease can touch or inflict itself on one’s person. We need to be reminded that disease is a process and does not occur overnight. As the song (The Sound of Silence) goes “silence like a cancer grows …” testifies to the insidious, silent nature of the disease process. It is also no respecter of people or age. Disease does not just strike the old but people of all ages including infants. The actual manifestation of disease may occur one to two decades later when it then catches people’s attention, surprisingly, by surprise! And should it be? Do you not wonder why?

I am often told our genes control us, suggesting our genes are our destiny and we are, but sitting ducks for good health or disease. Since we are bestowed good or bad genes (not of our choice), or more of some than others, there exists the inclination to think there is not much we can do to change our health fates. Wrong! I simply have to disagree, and vehemently, for that matter. Epigenetics, which is not a new idea at all, has been on the science and health scenes for many long decades. It alludes to how good health and lifestyle practices can promote good health by turning on good genes and turning off bad genes. Gene expression is influenced and affected by one’s lifestyle. The effects of a good lifestyle are not just felt in one’s lifetime but are carried forth into one’s offspring through the inheriting of newly encoded good genes which is remarkable. The idea that one can affect one’s successor’s health is simply astounding. One possesses the ability to change the future health of one’s down line.

So let’s talk about what a good lifestyle involves. One of its many components is diet. What constitutes a good diet? Do you realize that what is excluded from one’s diet is as important as what is included? In the equivalent of photographic language what is excluded in a (good) composition is as important as what is included in it. Despite the current emphasis on plant-based diets and their goodness, there are many other good diets of other kinds without a one-size-fits-all or a template cookie-cutter good diet. For one, everyone’s physiology and makeup are different which means that one’s requirements may differ from someone else’s, for instance, some people may thrive on carbohydrates while others thrive on protein. Older bodies also do well with a bit of protein in the diet for the maintaining and repairing of tissues and to reduce or prevent muscle wasting. One can opt for white meat or seafood if reducing red meat intake. Our bodies will tell us if what we are consuming is ideal, we just need to listen to its signals (as in listening to the body). As more people are going plant-based nowadays primarily to avoid consuming meat, bear in mind even plant-based diets require careful selection and thought to avoid excessive oxalates (that contribute to the formation of stones), lectins (that may cause problems of digestion), phytic acid, and other anti-nutrients that prevent the body from absorbing vitamins and minerals. Blanching vegetables and discarding the water can reduce some amount of toxicity. In any case, it is good to consume some raw vegetables such as a salad for their live enzymes apart from their fiber and vitamins and minerals. Are we experiencing wellness or are we having bloating, diarrhea, cramping, gas, and the like? Are we having intolerance issues? Initially, it may be a little confounding, to have this conversation with your body but if you persist and begin to understand its language, you can learn to be in tune with it. You will know when you feel good and when you do not. What we wish to exclude from our diet is the toxic stuff such as sugars (check out Dr. Robert Lustiq, one of the leading experts on sugar as a poison), refined carbohydrates, inflammatory polyunsaturated cooking oils, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, bacteria, fungi (except edible ones) or mold, parasites, chemical residues in our water such as fluoride and chlorine so filter your potable water, heavy metals, processed foods, etc. Be that as it may, a simple dichotomy of distinguishing between toxic and non-toxic foods does not eliminate all health issues. People with celiac disease or intolerance issues will still be troubled by what, to many, are ‘healthy foods’. Celiac patients are gluten intolerant and need to avoid it. Intolerance issues may differ among people with different people being intolerant to different types of foods. Food allergies (different from food intolerance) can lead to autoimmune issues. Life is certainly no fun when the body is unwell. Well-being leads to happiness. In a nutshell, eating the rainbow and eating in moderation take a lot of angst out of trying to figure out what and how much to eat. Rotating your foods contributes to consuming a variety instead of sticking to the same cache of food.

seafood (fish and prawns) and vegetables

Prior hereto, some 5-6 years ago, I followed, quite religiously, a gluten-free diet for a significant number of years and experienced enormous health such as vibrancy, high energy, better weight, skin, and sleep. I did an article on it previously and said it was however a ‘lonely’ journey as many who did not subscribe to it tried to convince me I was ‘losing out’ on the joys of eating and so, of life. I appreciated their good intentions but it was sometimes uphill combating the many efforts to ‘derail’ me. To be perfectly honest, it was a period when my health was at one of its best moments. I was quite devoid of the ‘expected’ age-related aches and pains despite pushing my body to its physical limits. I was not inflamed. Coupled with intermittent fasting, I lost weight and kept it down. To me, these are all good outcomes, well worth the ‘sacrifices’ made.

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The other time when I experienced great health was in my early 30’s. Influenced by the raw juices’ health concept before it morphed into a sizeable recognized movement, I faithfully and dutifully juiced for the whole family. It was laborious, to say the least (all that buying, washing, cutting, and juicing) but the health currency and returns were manifold and invaluable. Being young helped. The drive and energy themselves helped maintain the routine. Eventually, as my life got busier, I substituted the natural greens for green powders. Although to me, it is second best, it is nevertheless, still good. It buys me time for other things to do.

*Herbs and vegetables from Philip’s organic garden Photos courtesy of Philip Wan*

Over the years since then, in addition to the green powder consumption, I supplemented with minerals, vitamins, omega-3 oils, and other vital supplements to support vision and energy production to name a few. Views do exist that natural food is sufficient to provide our entire mineral and vitamin needs and supplementation is unnecessary. My question to that is, how good is one’s diet? How balanced is it? Is it pesticide-free if not organic? How much of the food consumed is natural and how much of it is processed? What type of oil is used for cooking? Many cooking edible oils with low heat points are pro-inflammatory and turn rancid or they break down under high heat. As it stands their processing had already subjected them to very high heat and the use of chemical solvents to ‘purify’ or ‘refine’ them had also subjected them and contributed to their diminishing health profile. Is the natural produce grown in depleted or soils rich in minerals? Despite my love of cooking, I will be the first to admit my diet isn’t always optimal. It may generally be better than many people’s but I still enjoy street food and eating out on occasion. How nutritionally balanced is street food? How complete is its nutritional profile? What oils are used in its cooking? Your guess is as good as mine! These questions underscore my reasons for supplementing. As an example, it may come as a surprise that many people are vitamin D deficient even in the sunshine belts near the equator. Considering how essential vitamin D is to overall health by numerous recent studies, it makes sense for those in need to supplement.

Diet is only one component or facet of healthy living. Exercising, and embracing sunshine and fresh air are two more facets of the essential others. I choose to do my housekeeping instead of attending a gym or walking. This has more to do with maximizing my time use as I view housekeeping as an in-built exercise thus killing two birds with one stone, i.e. having a work-out and a clean house. Living in a 3-storey house means lots of stair climbing! To keep supple I instead do stretching exercises and so far, this routine has worked out fairly well. As for keeping pain-free, wisdom dictates not pushing the body beyond its physical capabilities and allowing it to rest and recover on alternate days. I can’t say I am faithful to the regime to the core but generally, that is the routine. An older body can do with a little more care and tenderness so hard physical labor needs temperance with in-between rests and knowing when not to push it beyond its limits. If you prefer to walk, you can walk anywhere, even in a shopping mall. It is preferable to being sedentary. You can walk your dog, or walk instead of driving to places.

Walk in a park for fresh air and sunshine

So really, is going into the 70s as fearful as once thought? Or is it just a number optimistically put? It is not the same for everyone depending on each person’s health status. How one goes forward, in great or poor health or any state in between, pretty much depends on one’s attitudes and endeavors in keeping in good shape and health. There is the necessary investment in researching health articles and putting into practice relevant applicable health advice before one can reap their benefits. Just as the disease is a process and takes years to develop, likewise it is with developing good health. Adherence to a week’s faithful exercise routine isn’t going to make one fit, and neither is eating more greens for a week. It is the faithful adherence to healthful practices over a long duration that yields enduring results. Starting early in life is an advantage. It is never too early to start a health regime, neither is it too late. As the adage goes, it is better late than never. Today, there are a sizable number of people with good health regimens who are proving that 70 is the new 60.

Next is the zzzzzzs required for keeping us stable overall. Many will recall groggy days following bad sleep even if it is only a night’s poor sleep. It is rather telling how sleep deprivation can so badly affect our physical and mental performances. Our hormones are very much at play and can become haywire when we are sleep-deprived. Our hormone interplay is delicate and is perfectly synchronized when our bodies are in homeostasis. And the reverse can throw it into chaos and stressful states. When stressed, our adrenals pump out cortisol and adrenaline which causes our liver to convert glycogen into and to release glucose. Our body is under the impression we need the extra energy to exert ourselves such as the need to run to safety. While there are no tigers pursuing us in our concrete jungle unless one escapes from the zoo, our brains and bodies are still hard-wired to act as if we are running furiously away from danger when extreme stress strikes us. When continuously stressed, this process repeats itself. Our adrenals become increasingly fatigued and shot. The repeated release of glucose (aka sugar) contributes to weight gain and high insulin. This is a mere pinhole view and a small slice of the interplay of our bodily hormones and functions. Our bodies dance to the myriad voices and signals they hear and do a marvelous job of coordinating everything when our health is in good order and balanced. It is then imperative we make our bodies a venue conducive to good health by nourishing them and treating them kindly. When you have had adequate sleep, your body will inform you how good it feels. No blahs, no fogginess, no lack of energy, less aches and pains. Some tips for good sleep are to be physically tired, avoid blue lights in the night (red lights do not disturb sleep), keep the bedroom cool and quiet, be bug-free, keep the stress down, eat lightly for dinner, do not exercise vigorously before bedtime, and settle down to a sleep-wake routine by keeping the same daily sleep-wake cycle. Getting some daylight in the eyes in the early morning helps set the circadian rhythms for the release of melatonin, the sleep hormone, at night. And, good luck! John Denver must have known something good about sunshine and vitamin D when he sang his song ‘Sunshine on My Shoulder’ because it “almost always makes me high.”

Talking about lessening aches and pains, red light therapy is steadily gaining recognition and popularity as a healing modality although it has been in use for a rather long time. A simple red light lamp is a good start where affordability is an issue. For the less budget-conscious, there are many more sophisticated devices to choose from. As more research gets underway, some of the benefits touted are improved energy, sleep, vision, skin, wound healing, joint comfort, and brain health. Red light is capable of penetrating the dermis to bring about healing. Included within the red light spectrum is infrared red light (near, mid, and far infrared) which has been popularly used for a fairly lengthy period with encouraging feedback on their benefits.

Aging or aging gracefully (anti-aging?) is as much hype as it is real. It is not so much trying to be forever young as it is about remaining functional and in general good health sans disease, particularly chronic disease. One is generally in good health when energy levels are reasonably high. Nothing is more dismal or ‘depressing’ than being lethargic or fatigued to the point of being unable to function. Mitochondrial health ensures good energy production and the ability to function and heal. Mitochondria are our energy furnaces and when fed the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals as in a well-balanced diet, are capable of synthesizing good levels of energy (‘ATP’ an acronym for adenosine triphosphate, our energy currency at the cellular level). Life is ‘fun’ when one is full of vitality and energized. Vibrancy allows us to view life through rose-tinted glasses.

Year of the (Green Wood) Dragon 2024

The Spring Festival

Evelyn

Jan 04, 2024

10^th February 2024. Enter the Year of the Dragon. An animal much revered by the Chinese people, the dragon symbolizes imperial power and authority. Those born in dragon years are considered imbued with charisma, intelligence, confidence, and power and believed to possess natural luck for success and gifts. Dragon years, occurring fifth in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, are ‘yang’ years. Whereas the West considers the dragon as evil, the Chinese perceive it as friendly and a bearer of good fortune.

The Chinese zodiac relates to the Chinese New Year, i.e. a year calculated according to the lunar calendar that differs from the dates of the Gregorian calendar. It is a ‘shifting date’ on the Gregorian calendar generally falling within the last week of January and up to the third week of February. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice and is also known as the Spring Festival. It is a time of rebirth after a dreary winter, and certainly to be celebrated. Despite the terms being casually interchangeably used, Chinese New Year and the Lunar New Year are not the same though there exists interconnectedness. Chinese New Year incorporates and celebrates Chinese customs including the practice of paying respect to parents and other elders, giving red envelopes (‘ang pows’) for good luck, scaring off Nian a mystical monster for the same purposes with firecrackers, fireworks, or loud noises, and having lion and dragon dance performances. The Lunar New Year, also celebrated by other Asian nations may not feature the celebration of Chinese culture but their very own unique culture. Koreans and Vietnamese dress up in their traditional attire. Vietnamese visit temples and pray for good luck. They serve foods that naturally reflect the symbols revered by their nation as being relevant and meaningful.

*Fireworks, a still from a video courtesy of Capt Wan Hock Leong*

As an aside, do not disclose your Chinese zodiac animal sign if you do not wish to disclose your age. Ladies especially are sensitive to revealing their age, wishing to remain as ‘Dark Africa’ even if Africa has developed significantly and is no longer dark! Since each animal sign goes through a 12-year cycle, the age of any person can be easily gauged. The age of that person is in between being too young and too old and lies in the middle.

‘Yang’ personalities while assumed to possess positive dominant qualities of being male, strong, assertive, sun, heat and light, sociable, and associated with the heavens, Spring and Summer, are still required to be counterbalanced by opposite ‘Yin’ qualities of being female, recessive and nurturing, moon, darkness or dampness, negative charge, earth and Autumn and Winter. Excessive yang energy may result in irritability, anger, and emotionality. Too much of a ‘good’ thing is counter-productive with balance being the ideal. Be that as it may, one is not conscious of yin and yang interplay in actual life. In any case, life is about balance (homeostasis) whatever terms of reference are being used. It is a case of adding diversity when perceiving the world and viewing it from the lens of different myriad cultures. Perhaps understanding other cultures may render people less xenophobic and more accepting of them.

It was not so long ago before bigotry and religiosity made people intolerant and fearful of each other. Strangely, for reasons beyond me, it seems like the world is getting more ‘isolated’ the more we are (digitally) connected. To me, it is such an irony. With breakneck speed, hateful messages circulate the globe. We call it ‘viral’, and like a virus, hatred can also make its way into the hearts and minds of people who are clueless as to what is happening. This happens in whatever year we call it. The last few years saw much devastation, from the pandemic that was unforeseen to escalating wars on many fronts. There are those with their agendas causing all this devastation.

How insurmountable are these problems? Too complex a problem for easy answers, that is for sure. It isn’t about humanity anymore. It is nation against nation, religious beliefs against other religious beliefs, political ideologies against other political ideologies and that is just a short list.

Nevertheless, come the New Year, people will rally around new hopes for a better year, from the government to economics to national and personal relationships. For a little while at least, people can put aside their differences to celebrate their diversity. It’s been said ad nauseam that when we place our commonality ahead of our differences, we may stand a chance of rising above hatred and embracing acceptance of our various selves. That hope is still accessible. If desired.

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Meanwhile, as February approaches, there will be a flurry of housekeeping and stocking up of New Year foods in readiness for the arrival and observance of the Chinese New Year. As with other major festivals, tickets for transport to return home are probably all sold out by now, talk about planning! It is the one occasion in the year when the Chinese Diaspora will trek home from across the oceans to spend time as one big family. The New Year’s Eve Reunion dinner is the revered gathering for the family and all returning members of the family will aim to be home by this reunion dinnertime. Many businesses will also shut down for an extended period to take a well-deserved break.

Traditional Chinese customs and beliefs include certain abstentions during the Chinese New Year period. It is believed observing these taboos will ward off bad luck during the year. Common practices include offering prayers at temples and remembering the ancestors (ancestor worship) to seek blessings, abstaining from sweeping the house as dumping trash equates to dumping good fortune. It is the same for washing the hair or doing laundry. On the other hand, wearing red symbolizes good luck, and on the contrary, wearing black or white being mourning colors will invite bad luck, and so does visiting people in mourning. To consult a doctor or to go to a hospital may bring illness. Anger and crying, which are negative, are shunned, and auspicious words and a good spirit are encouraged. Houses are frequently decorated with flowers. These comprise some of the commonly observed practices during the Chinese New Year whatever animal sign may be ruling. In summation, it is about retaining good luck for the year although the desired behavior motivated by the prevailing beliefs nevertheless, yields a good outcome.