Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Clev eland ,Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.It is the most-requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. [nami] totally true [/nami]
5. Pay off your credit cards every month. [nami] this one is crucial!! ;) [/nami]
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. [nami] uff ignore this one pls.. [/nami]
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. [nami] failed to do.. U_U [/nami]
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. [nami] i neva resist choco, is welcomed anytime anywhere :D [/nami]
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what theirjourney is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; Godnever blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one isup to you and no one else
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no foran answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don'tsave it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, willthis matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything. [nami] baik.. [/nami]
29. What other people think of you is none of your business. [nami] ya btolll [/nami]
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'dgrab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift." [nami] that's why it's called present..[/nami]

Last night I finished reading this novel by Melissa Hill - Before I Forget. I ended up sleeping at 2am, even though I have to wake up early for work. In result, I woke up at 9am and turned up at the office at 10.15am. Hee hee as long as there is a back up I don't have to worry about being late for work :P

Anyway, this novel is really an interesting piece of work. This is the first Melissa Hill book I've ever read. It was recommended by my little cousin - actually the novel is hers. Ehe. Nowadays I hardly buy any book - except for comic books of course. Ehe. And also Maeve Binchy books. These are my all-time-must-buy books.

Oh back to the book. In the beginning of the story I can't say that I immediately fall in love with the main character, Abby Ryan. She was such a loser.. Her ex was even more of a loser, such a pain in the arse(Caroline's words :P) But after I went on reading, I fall in love with all of it. Little by little Abby returned to her real self before she met the stuck up Kieran. She fought her brain condition, lived her life to the fullest and fell in love with the right man. And they ended up happily ever after. Ehe though in Abby's condition, I don't think it is that simple. There are a lot of hardship they need to be prepared. Like Finn said, for better or for worse. He knew what he was signing up to. Such a sweet lad.. I wonder if there is a person on earth like him. Huu I sure hope I will find a right man for me. Ehem.. Er anyway Abby was blessed.. Though she was tested with such a tragedy, she fell apart, then she picked herself up and continued walking, then was fast running, not running away, but running forward. She was so strong.. But that was because she had such loving family and friends.. Regardless of how she shied away from them when she was being a stuck up self around Kieran. She had a wonderful family, the best bestfriend, and an amazing man who truly loved her. That was how she survived. Though towards the end she was bit by bit returning to her old-depressed-self, but who wouldn't? After knowing her true brain condition, who wouldn't be depressed?? But somehow they worked it out.. Abby and Finn.

[edited] Hehe I sure hope this blog entries would help my writing skills bit by bit. Huhu today at work I created a mess because I misunderstood the word REVOKE. God!!! why din i look it up first? uhhh so malu.. T_T [/edited]

Last weekend I spent my time being home alone. sigh.. I'm becoming more and more of a Himono Onna. Well, (bless) my company, we have a replacement public holiday on Friday (Agong's Birthday) so I actually got a long weekend. but having no money (i'm saving for family trip to cameron this coming weekend. yay!!), thus no plan. plus, most of my friends had their own agenda.. my best friend off to some mountain to climb (oh yes, she loves mountain climbing veeery much). my close friend off to Johor for a her friend's wedding, my housemates off to her hometown, the other off working even on weekend, and so left me home alone, having nothing to do. well, not really nothing. i really appreciate my time alone GIVEN IF a have a laptop with internet, novels and manga. well that makes me happy as it is. huhhh that sounds exactly like a Himono Onna....

huh but my main point in this entry is about Bloody Monday. well, i finished watching this j-dorama online, and it was actually pretty good. well, it is adapted from a manga. though i haven't read the manga before. haha my sister is head over heels for the main character. what's his name.. uh Miura Haruma (hehe i had to wiki) and mameshiba's also on cast. well, overall the drama is pretty good.

*alert from here onwards contain spoiler. read at your own risk. * :D

hehe after finished watching it, i googled a bit and found (of course) negative critics, which is quite true.. like how in early episode minami-san encountered the butterfly guy, she can actually capture him but foolish as it is, she just walked close to the criminal, like giving him a nice chance to disarm her and he got away. well, if it's not like that then of course the drama would have ended in just one episode :P

and also, in the end of the series, it was discovered that the real method the terrorists used to demolish the whole town (or country?) of Russia was in fact was a nuclear bomb, only then the virus. err.. this i dun really get it. 1, why the terrorists went to such trouble, the virus is expensive like hell, and the trouble to get their hands on the anti-virus. and in the end.. they actually use nuclear bomb? really i dun get it. hmm maybe you can say it's for plan B.. backup in case virus attack is to fail. but why in russia they already used the bomb? and the people in the church didn't even flinch when the bomb landed just outside the window. i found this weird...

quite unexpected right?? i din know i fall into this category: extrovert. i tot i'm more of an introvert kind of person. you see, even my zodiak reads me as a "shy, quiet, but can talk well" something like that.

these past few weeks i've been pretty sad and depressed. and i know perfectly well of the reason. which i'm not going to shout out loud. hehe here's a virgo girl for you. last week i read an entry blog titled: "What It’s Like To Date Yourself". and the writer spoke his mind based on his zodiak reading. and the writer is a scorpio. hehe that brings back memories. and he's absolutely right when he said: you'll never forget your scorpion man. but anyway, that's not my real point. i'm not going to talk abt my yesterday, but instead of the present me and the tomorrow me. well, since this is my blog, of course i'm going to talk abt ME. hehe i'm allowed to whine all i want.

after reading the writer's say, i search for a virgo's say. and i found this: Virgo Woman. it's not word by word describing me. but pretty much explaining me. tho many of the fine qualities i dun actually possess.

and today, i read something abt being your own best friend. truth is, last weekend i talked to my best friend on the phone for 3 hours. 3 hours okay... huhu but i dun mind the bill. it's not like i have so many people i have to call every day. apart from my mom, i seldom talk on the phone. i mean real conversation. not that a few minutes call per person, that doesn't count. well, my best friend had mention abt "being your own best friend. there is no one on earth that could be a better friend to you than yourself." and i have to agree with that. all this while, i never really been fair to myself. i never been really good to myself. in fact, i always do/say mean things to myself. i dun even love myself that much. i even love to belittle myself. i'm harsh to myself. and again, i'm not going to spell it out here.

well, when i'm in the right mood (huu you know how virgo possess this great mood swings?? maybe not all virgo, but i do..) i can be really nice and sweet. i can even confidently say that i'm quite a lovable person, that i have a few fine qualities. but when i'm not.. i feel like my head is filled with nothing but hatred. i feel like everybody hates me. that i'm the most annoying person on earth. and i would curl myself at the corner of my dark tiny heart, closing all doors. shutting down everything. i even strongly believe i am not capable to love. but deep down inside, i really want to love, and be loved. [edited] ehe bak kata Dumbledore: "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love." Dan 1 lagi quote dari Dumbledore: "Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love." Love can create a powerful charm - even Voldemort failed to penetrate.[/edited]

that is why, i need to befriend myself. be my own best friend. dont be afraid to love. with myself, i can freely love, without the fear of getting rejected, hurt, being thrown out in the dump, being unneeded.

but i'm still not sure how to accomplish that. physically, i think i had done quite well.. i took vacation, go to various places, have so much fun all the way, buy things for myself, buy things for people i love. i especially love my car, i love my mike, my still-not-here-patrick. but emotionally and mentally.. i still figuring out how to love and pamper myself, how to truly love my life. when i can love myself, i believe i will be one thousand times happier. consistently happy. when i'm happy, i can make people around me happy. i want to make my every day a happy day all year round.

I want to love my job.. i dun want to use this H word. tho that's exactly what i'm feeling at the moment, i dun want to express it. i dun want to express how much i H my job. because i want to try to LOVE my job. i want to make myself to LOVE my job. really, i'm really blur about my new scope of job right now. but i'm working on it. working hard to learn and LOVE. because i dun have any other choice. this time around i dun have the option of 'looking somewhere else for a better job'. huhu because i've been BONDED. huhu what to do.. please LOVE ur job!!

I want to love other things as well. so many things need to be loved by me. for instant, myself. and my life. well i love myself, my life. but at certain point of times there is H going on inside my head. so need to transform it into love. oh what a busy person i am.. so much loving to do. hait gambare masu~~

that is all my whining of the day.. may tomorrow will be better. Amiinnn

well right now i'm thinking about a suitable diet regime which suits me that i can follow until years to come.. i read somewhere, if u manage to follow the regime for two weeks, it'll become a habit. worth trying.. :D


basic guide lines (yg logik aku bleh follow):

- high protein breakfast, so u wont be freaking hungry by lunchtime

- eat small portions of frequent meals. important to eat something 2-3 hours before bedtime. but i guess must be careful what to eat. for me, 8pm is the limit time. try to eat light. and try to sleep early so u dun get hungry. if u do, drink plain water

- drink lots of water thru-out the day

- the same old things, avoid fried, processed food, avoid sugar, too much salt bla2.. well, simply put, never take too much of everything.

- dun put a concrete wall between u and food. u'll get more excited to climb the wall to reach out for the food. eat while thinking. huhu i'll try that one. my motto used to be: eat first, think later.

- well, what's more important than exercise??


daily eating habit:

breakfast - high protein: eggs, sausage, cheese, wholemeal bread, peanut butter, milk, yogurt.. err apo lagi?

lunch - err i'll need to maintain my current menu hehe. can't live without rice. tho i'll try to take less nasi, more green veggies, and grilled over fried, white meat over red meat, stuff like that. and no drink in between mouthfuls, just plain water after meal. maybe fruits before meal

tea time - 4 hours after lunch, grab 2 oatmeal cookies or biscuits, green tea

dinner - before 8pm: fruits(avoid orange fruits- mango, persimmon, papaya), prunes, skim milk, green tea, yogurt, sup sayur


exercise:
well, what can i say, this is the hardest part. the easiest way is sign up at a gym center. but i'm going to be quite broke this month and this few upcoming months. well, what with my various travel plans ahead. ehem back to the topic..
jogging at tasik perdana after work 3 times a week on mondays, tuesdays and friday. perhaps saturday morning as well at tasik permaisuri? err tho that sounds IMPOSSIBLE for me. well just a suggestion.

that is all.. i will try my hardest to follow these for this 2 weeks and see how. yoshhh gambare masu~~
p(^_^)q

This post is copied straight out from Yahoo Shine: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/user-post-conquer-the-sugar-addict-within-you-451160/

Enjoy the read :)

It usually strikes around 10am and 4pm and then again in the evening. Perhaps it’s feelings of sluggishness or irritability, maybe the shakes set in or you feel like you are going to fall asleep at the wheel of the car. A boost is in order, so you turn to a mid-morning donut and coffee, late afternoon chips and soda, or a late night bowl of Haagan Daas Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream for relief. The logical side of your brain says “no don’t do it…grab the celery”, but the addict within you says “just go for it…it’ll make you feel better”.

In actuality, those little sugar (and caffeine) highs just set you up for a big fall a couple hours later. The introduction of refined sugar into your system elevates your blood sugar levels initially and you feel a surge in energy…temporary relief…but it’s false energy and short lived. It is followed by a crash a couple hours later when your blood sugar levels quickly plummet leaving you in need of another boost…thus the daily cyclical cravings many people experience for sugar and/or caffeine. It’s like a crazy roller coaster ride. Your blood sugar levels, rather than remaining constant and steady throughout the day, are continually skyrocketing and plummeting, leaving you with all kinds of unpleasant side effects. Treating these side effects becomes a necessity in order to function properly. After all, an addict needs their drug of choice.
It’s a pretty safe assumption to say that the majority of American people are addicted to both sugar and caffeine. But fear not…there is a solution. You can gain control of cravings without willpower or deprivation and permanently change your relationship with sugar.

Before we get into the steps to dealing with sugar cravings, let’s first talk about why sugar is so bad for you. It’s more than just rotten teeth and a big gut that we have to worry about here.
When I refer to this evil white stuff, I am also including any products made from white flour such as pasta, white rice and bread. These products are so highly processed that they lack the fiber and nutritional content of the original grain from which they were derived so they end up being metabolized in the body just like sugar.


Here are a few of the problems associated with the evil white stuff:

The Big Three: Cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Although the media has brought much attention to dietary fat as being the culprit in the development of these diseases, in reality, sugar is an even bigger problem. Cancer cells thrive on sugar!

Sugar and white flour products are devoid of nutrients (the processing strips them away)

Sugar and white flour products cause constipation (from lack of fiber). Just think of what happens when you mix flour with water. You end up with a sticky, gluey mess. Imagine this glop attempting to move through your digestive tract. It can’t. It clogs it all up and interferes with your body’s natural elimination abilities which leads to disease. If you aren’t having daily, sizeable bowel movements, you are constipated.

Sugar messes with your mind and emotions. Mood swings, brain fog, angry outbursts, depression and the like are all symptoms of excessive sugar intake.
Sugar impairs your sex life. People who consume a lot of sugar tend to have a low libido, have difficulty reaching orgasm and getting and maintaining an erection. (Not to mention the toll wild mood swings can take on a relationship in general. Just ask my husband and children what it was like to live with me while I was a sugar addict).

Sugar causes hypoglycemia, which is an under recognized condition that is a precursor to diabetes and can wreck havoc on your life.

Sugar affects how your skin looks. Premature aging, wrinkles and pimples are all by products of too much sugar.

The average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar each year. That is correct…152 pounds! One 20 ounce bottle of Coca Cola alone contains over 16 teaspoons of sugar. I cringe when I see kids guzzling down monster sized sodas at the movie theater. Sugar is completely addicting and it is everywhere! We all know the obvious places—cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, soda—but it is also found in just about every type of packaged food you can imagine—soups, salad dressings, meats and frozen foods.

So what to do? The first step to combating sugar cravings is to be aware of the negative implications that accompany sugar consumption. This awareness will provide you with the motivation necessary to instill better dietary habits. Now that you are armed with awareness, peruse the list below of ways to assist you in conquering the sugar addict within.


To Combat Sugar Cravings:

Drink more water. Many times sweet cravings are a sign of dehydration. Drinking a glass of water wakens your cells and gives you more energy.

Cut out caffeine. A gradual approach typically works best to avoid withdrawal symptoms such as massive headaches and grouchiness. Reduce your current intake by half, then in half again after a couple days, and continue until you have removed caffeine successfully from your daily routine. Replace the morning drug in a mug with an herbal tea, freshly squeezed juice or green smoothie.

Eat sweet vegetables and fruit. This helped me tremendously when I was cutting out sugar. My late afternoon snack became roasted sweet potatoes, beets and onions for quite some time!

Use gentler sweeteners. Use maple syrup, agave nectar, and raw honey.

Exercise daily. I can’t stress this enough. Exercise helps to balance blood sugar levels and reduces tension.

Get more sleep, rest, and relaxation. Go to bed earlier and practice de-stressing methods such as meditation, deep breathing, or gentle yoga stretches. When you are stressed out and tired, your body will want to reach for sugar.

Eliminate fat free and low fat foods. They are usually loaded up with sugar to compensate for the lack of flavor and fat.

Don’t allow yourself to get too hungry. You are more likely to reach for an unhealthy choice when you are starving. Frequent, smaller meals work well.

Eat a nutritious breakfast. It sets the tone for the day. Having protein, fat and fiber at your meal will release energy more steadily and slowly into your system, thus avoiding big swings in your blood sugar levels.

Add essential fatty acids to your daily diet such as flax seed, fish oil, and fish. Chromium is also a useful dietary supplement that is known to reduce sugar cravings.

Add spices: Coriander, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves all naturally sweeten and flavor your food and reduce cravings.

Create a support system: Set a goal with a friend to cut out sugar and offer each other daily support and encouragement.

Slow down: Sweeten your life in non-food ways by connecting more with others. Talk with friends, touch others…hugs, massages…spend time in nature. When you are feeling happy and content you are less likely to crave sugar.

Most importantly, be accepting of yourself. Big changes don’t happen overnight. Take small steps and keep your end goal in mind. A happier, healthier, more energetic version of you is the prize at the end!