"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. -Helen Keller "
Today is the forth day of my new exercise regime and 3rd blog entry. This morning before I went for my walk with Charmaine, I manage to write in my journal.
I have grown up thinking and believing "all that matters is studying hard, earning well and looking after my immediate family, other issues in society is not my concern." Perhaps I m no different to Malaysians and Malaysian Chinese especially we mind our own business and let the Malays and politicians run our country. One person is of no consequence I suppose. Even my religion is restricted to my family and small circle of friends except the occasional trip to India.But now I am beginning to realise this is not enough.
But to live well and fully after 50 apart from engaging my family and friends, my body I must also be fully engaged in my society and its concern. My mind and my soul needs to be challenged by the concerns bigger than my own little world. In the morning when I wake up, I want to wake up to something that requires me and my engagement. I want to know today I can make a diference to the society I am in. BERSIH 2.0 has shown me that one person can make a difference. When many many one person believe this it become a very powerful force that the authorities cannot ignore. Even a 60 something frail retired teacherAunty Bersih can show us what it is to voice ,show up and make a difference. My brother say she puts him to shame.
Today Malaysia is facing some serious political crisis, rampant corruption and loss of confidence in the integrity of our government and competitiveness of business environment. We need a change in our government or change of our government. We need to commit towards this and be willing to pay the price if neccessary. We need to stop harmful and potentially devastating and harmful projects like LYNAS and STOP it we must. We need to say to the authorites we don't want people to die in police and MACC custody because perhaps if we are unlucky it may be us or our loved ones who may be the next victim. For this to happen I need to voice up and show up when required. I will show up at the anti Lynas demo for a start. I will share with my friends and patients about my concerns and I will help everyone I know who is eigible to vote to register.
Of couse there are risk but the alternative of doing nothing is more risky. 30 years of corruptions and abuse in Myanmar and Phillipines has brought these neighbours from being very rich countries to being the basket case of ASia. If nothing changes, the day will come when Malaysians will become illegal workers in Indonesia, Vietnem and other countries. 30 years of cronism and corruption hollowed out the economy Phillipines the second most advanced country in Asia to be 2nd poorest. No investment in the economy resulted from an opaque government , no job opportunities so fully 1/4 of the workforce is working overseas. Tragic!
So I have dicided apart from engaging my body, my mind , I will also engage my soul to the wider concerns of our society, so that I will live well for a long , long time and I hope so will you. As the deaf mute and blind Helen Keller says
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. "
Monday, February 20, 2012
Living Like 50 until 80 II Leaving a Legacy
Today is the third day of the commitment to write on my journal and excercise 6 days a week for 90 days. Woke up early and wrote this in my note book and walked around the neighborhood in a slight drizzle. I have been thinking what kind of legacy I want to leave for my wife and children. Materially I believe after providing for retirement I ll have some left over. That s not the issue, what am I leaving spiritualy and emotionally.
I am forever grateful for the fine legacy of hard work, love of learning and education my father left me. I miss him every single day and I have very good memories of my father.
First I want to be fully engaed in their life choices and career of my children for the next few years.The years after leaving Uni will determine how the rest of theworking life.A good choice of jobs and career will help so much. Just like my dad gave me his land as collateral so I could build the hospital. He gave me a leg up. Jimmy is graduating in May I want to be around as a support and sounding board, so that he can move with assurance and wisdom in his life and career. John is graduating next year as a performing opera singer. I don't envy the road ahead in this cutthroat world of music and performance. He will also need plenty of support morally and otherwise.Joe is planning to do medicine after A levels.I am hopeful and confident he will givehis best shot. I want to be his best cheerleader. Joy doesn't know what to do except inclination to cuiiniary arts. I will commit to pray for the each day and write or call regularly which my wife has been doing but not me. ENGAGE ENGAGE.
Secondly I want to provide an example of a good strong marraige as I possibly can. The empty nest beckons as all the children wil be off to college in afew years. It is going to be pretty scary and lonely. Like most couple the emphasis of the relationship has been children and their future for a long time. But that needs to change. Need to look for fun things to do together and causes too champion together until we slip into eternity hahaa.ENGAGE ENGAGE.
Thirdly like most Malaysians especially Chinese Malaysians I need to break out of the mould of just looking aftr my family and business. I need to examplify commitment and courage to social and civil society issues. That is another story for another day.
Hopefully when my children look at me and my wife we will examplify how they want to live.
I am forever grateful for the fine legacy of hard work, love of learning and education my father left me. I miss him every single day and I have very good memories of my father.
First I want to be fully engaed in their life choices and career of my children for the next few years.The years after leaving Uni will determine how the rest of theworking life.A good choice of jobs and career will help so much. Just like my dad gave me his land as collateral so I could build the hospital. He gave me a leg up. Jimmy is graduating in May I want to be around as a support and sounding board, so that he can move with assurance and wisdom in his life and career. John is graduating next year as a performing opera singer. I don't envy the road ahead in this cutthroat world of music and performance. He will also need plenty of support morally and otherwise.Joe is planning to do medicine after A levels.I am hopeful and confident he will givehis best shot. I want to be his best cheerleader. Joy doesn't know what to do except inclination to cuiiniary arts. I will commit to pray for the each day and write or call regularly which my wife has been doing but not me. ENGAGE ENGAGE.
Secondly I want to provide an example of a good strong marraige as I possibly can. The empty nest beckons as all the children wil be off to college in afew years. It is going to be pretty scary and lonely. Like most couple the emphasis of the relationship has been children and their future for a long time. But that needs to change. Need to look for fun things to do together and causes too champion together until we slip into eternity hahaa.ENGAGE ENGAGE.
Thirdly like most Malaysians especially Chinese Malaysians I need to break out of the mould of just looking aftr my family and business. I need to examplify commitment and courage to social and civil society issues. That is another story for another day.
Hopefully when my children look at me and my wife we will examplify how they want to live.
Friday, February 17, 2012
After the halftime whistle.....
This Chinese New Year, I attended a High School Reunion. Initialy I was slightly apprehensive how it will turn out, not having met so many friends and aquaintances for the past 35 years or more. I suppose ther is no need to worry as everyone will be older perhaps some would have aged better than others.The impulse to turn back as I drove over the Penang bridge was quite persistent.
Which brings me to the subject of healthy aging because at 53 many things don't work as well as before: your teeth has problems, your joints creak, your memory is not so good and everything is not a vigorous as before.I came across an audiobook called Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge MD. Crowley was 70 when he wrote this book.
Essentially what he said is that you can live like 50 until well beyond as stated in the title Younger Next Year: A Guide to living like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond. His contention is you can fight the tide of decay and destruction in your body as you age by exercising. Execise is like “Exercise—the physical work of hunting and foraging—has always been the single most powerful signal we can send that life is good; that it’s spring and time to grow.” By exercising 6 days a week 4 days aerobics 65-85% max heart rate and 2 days of strengthh training you can reverse the tide of aging. The scientific argument which is quite elaborate is pretty convincng. http://cbass.com/YoungerNext.htm has a summary of the book.
Anyway I am going to commit 90 days to this regiment as I believe this is useful( just as I am also commiting to write a journal for 90 days) . Four years ago I had arthritis that caused my body to be wracked in pain. I had my Lt Hip replaced on March 16 2009.When my father died on 29th Oct 2009, mentally I was preparing to SAU TONG. My time here may not also be long because I have the same arthritis that he had. However to my surprise my health has improved by God's grace and by moderate exercis.e For the past 6 months I have been walking to work from home on alternate days and swimming couple of days a week. I am feeling better today than anytime in the last 4 years. So if half an hour of light aerobic exercise can do so much good I am waiting to see what moderate aerobic exercise 6 days a week will do. I am planning to go to the gym on alternate mornings when I don't walk to work. Keep you posted.
I figure at 53 perhaps still have a good second half after the halftime whistle!!!
Which brings me to the subject of healthy aging because at 53 many things don't work as well as before: your teeth has problems, your joints creak, your memory is not so good and everything is not a vigorous as before.I came across an audiobook called Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge MD. Crowley was 70 when he wrote this book.
Essentially what he said is that you can live like 50 until well beyond as stated in the title Younger Next Year: A Guide to living like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond. His contention is you can fight the tide of decay and destruction in your body as you age by exercising. Execise is like “Exercise—the physical work of hunting and foraging—has always been the single most powerful signal we can send that life is good; that it’s spring and time to grow.” By exercising 6 days a week 4 days aerobics 65-85% max heart rate and 2 days of strengthh training you can reverse the tide of aging. The scientific argument which is quite elaborate is pretty convincng. http://cbass.com/YoungerNext.htm has a summary of the book.
Anyway I am going to commit 90 days to this regiment as I believe this is useful( just as I am also commiting to write a journal for 90 days) . Four years ago I had arthritis that caused my body to be wracked in pain. I had my Lt Hip replaced on March 16 2009.When my father died on 29th Oct 2009, mentally I was preparing to SAU TONG. My time here may not also be long because I have the same arthritis that he had. However to my surprise my health has improved by God's grace and by moderate exercis.e For the past 6 months I have been walking to work from home on alternate days and swimming couple of days a week. I am feeling better today than anytime in the last 4 years. So if half an hour of light aerobic exercise can do so much good I am waiting to see what moderate aerobic exercise 6 days a week will do. I am planning to go to the gym on alternate mornings when I don't walk to work. Keep you posted.
I figure at 53 perhaps still have a good second half after the halftime whistle!!!
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