Altruism: A Rare Jewel

Nearly a week ago, on a street in Foshan, China, a two-year-old girl was hit twice in the middle of the traffic with no one having enough compassion to rescue her. Eighteen passers-by simply ignored that dying toddler lying on the road. The nineteenth picked her up and called for help. After spending days in a state of comma, the little girl was declared clinically dead.

A year back, in the same country, a different kind of accident took place. On July 28, 2010, a factory in Nanjing exploded, resulting in 13 death and 300 casualties. The interesting story was: A camera unintentionally recorded a monkey rescuing a puppy during the incident. It ran away from the burning factory with the puppy cradled in its arms.

Ironic, isn't it?

Whereas the morality of man is under question nowadays, animals prove themselves to be more altruistic than we are!

Altruism, the unselfish concern for the welfare of others, seems to be lacking from human civilization. Compassion is a rare jewel in our hustle-and-bustle world. Humanity has turned cold and heartless, even to our own kind.

But the two contradictory examples above knock upon the doorstep of our hearts to turn from the coldness of human life to the warmth of nature. They invite us to rediscover the meaning of being human -- of having and showing compassion, understanding, and love.

Perhaps the reason why we do not care for the welfare of others is merely because they are of no value to us. We are not attached to them, or they to us. In the coldness of modern life, each man minds his own business.

But, this is not entirely true.
In the social structure of society, man is always linked to one another. Our life and the meaning of our existence is only as true as the relations we have with other people, be they colleagues, partners, friends, or strangers we meet on the sidewalk.

Yes, every one of us is a working individual: scientist, businessperson, entrepreneur, employee, employer, government staff, professional, you name it. But each of us is also a parent, a child, a friend, a trusted person to somebody else.
We can develop altruism within us by understanding that each individual is precious to some other people close to him/her, and by thinking that the less fortunate person could have been someone dear to us.
We certainly don't want anything bad happening to our loved ones with no one around to show enough compassion, do we?

Let's start shaping and polishing this rare jewel within us.
Learn from the altruistic ways of nature.

Live, Let Go, and Let Live!

The story I’m about to tell you is true; it happened over a decade ago.

There was a woman my mother and I once knew: Mrs. A, a widow with two children.
No, her husband didn’t die. He had an affair with another woman and divorced Mrs. A before marrying his mistress and settling down in another city.
As would any betrayed (ex)-wife, Mrs. A was deeply hurt and drowned in bitterness. In her hatred and anger, she cursed the other woman, praying that God would strike her ex-husband’s second wife with an illness as lethal as cancer.
She then occupied herself with work, bringing up two kids on her own and getting involved in Christian ministries as a faithful church-goer. Years turned into decades, as she waited, waited, and waited for God to fulfill the curse she cast upon the other woman.

Guess what?
Mrs. A passed away due to breast cancer in her early fifties!

You might feel a slight chill running down your spine after reading this.
You might even be thinking, “Did the curse backfire on her?”

Well, scientifically speaking, medical researches have shown that nurturing bitterness is a fine way of triggering the onset of malignant cell growth in the human body. Cancer is basically the mutation of healthy body cells into malignant ones through certain triggering factors, such as radioactivity, carcinogenic agents, and distress.
As mentioned in Cancer Helps, distress is an emotional state that disturbs the body's cellular balance. When we are constantly in distress, this state potentially incites our body cells to turn hyperactive and malignant, triggering the onset of cancer.

Biblically speaking, let’s read what our Lord said in Matthew 6:44, “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

It sounds quite impossible to apply in daily life, doesn’t it?
Nonetheless, this is not an admonition. It’s a command!

Apostle Paul was the man who followed this command to his last breath, and he had proven that the Lord’s word is not impossible to perform. If it were, surely Paul wouldn’t say, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ!”
In his letter to the Romans, he explained on how to behave like a Christian, “Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse!”
Again, he wrote, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men,” and “do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Paul was elaborating Lord Jesus's command to love our enemies and do good to those who did us wrong. Simply speaking, the apostle was filling up the details for us to practice kindness – not bitterness – toward others, and our enemies in particular.

Thus, we can conclude:

• Loving others, even those who hate and mistreat us, is God’s command for us to perform. We cannot be justified before Him by living against this command, no matter how much and how great the service and faithfulness we offer Him in return.
Honestly, we can’t bribe God!

• Human vengeance is basically an act of rebellion against God’s supreme control over the universe.
We might wonder why God said, “Vengeance is Mine.” We are the ones who are wronged (not Him!), surely we have the right to avenge ourselves!
Uhm, not really.
Let’s put it this way, through a more universal perspective: when something wrong happens in the universe, it means that one of God’s law had been broken. As a result, an imbalance take place (we see this whenever evil seems to triumph over good; we can read Asaph’s complaint in Psalm 73 and Habakkuk’s groaning in the first chapter of his book concerning this).
Nevertheless, however dire and long-lasting the imbalance might be, there is another law that God had set since the beginning of time. It’s called the law of sowing and reaping.
The law of balance.
Whatever imbalance taking place in the universe must sooner or later right itself (to the Greek, it’s known as “nemesis”), and God always provides the agent(s) of righting the imbalance and restoring the universe to its previous, balanced state – without interference from our part.
Thus, we see that vengeance is purely and solely prerogative to God.
Who are we to challenge His sovereignty?

• Yes, it’s true. It’s much easier to curse and hate those who despise us and did us wrong.
But, then again, try viewing it this way: what good does cursing and hating bring us? By doing so, aren't we simply proving that we’re no better than they are?
The Lord’s wisdom stands!
o Bless those who curse you.
Perhaps, after being blessed, they would change and stop being so hostile toward us.
o Do good to those who hate you.
Maybe their wrong impression would alter afterward, and – who knows? – we might even be friends or allies.
o Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much,” wrote Apostle James. It’s very possible that through the prayer of faith, God opens the eyes of those who persecute us, so they’ll gain a brand new insight and follow the Lord’s way in uprightness.

In short, bitterness, hatred, and vengeance truly don’t pay.
Live and let go – and let live!

The Significance of the Name

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare proposed.
This saying of his has made its way down the generations to the present time. Whether he stated that question out of romantic context in his tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, or simply out of ignorance, one can never tell. But, it sure sounds foolish in the hearing of the Orient.

“What’s in a name?”
When you ask this question to an Easterner, he/she will tell you there are loads of precious things a name contains.

For instance:
• To most (if not all) tribes in the East, a name determines one’s rank and status in the society. This is especially true in patriarchal, feudalistic communities.
The name “Siregar” in Northern Sumatra, “Raden Mas/Raden Ajeng” in Central Java, and “Ida Bagus” in Bali indicate prominent position by birth.
• The Javanese do not give their children names before they are born, since they need to consider the day and the time of a child’s birth in order to ensure that the “weight” of the baby’s name does not exceed his/her “capacity” of lifetime fortune. Otherwise, it will bring bad luck upon the child (so they say).
• The Japanese, who preserve the roots of their culture and tradition even to the era of post-modernism and sophisticated technology, also hold fast to the sacred giving of a name – this is recognizable even in their pop culture.
Take the manga Bleach by Tite Kubo, for example. In the Soul Society universe, it is known that within every sword (katana) lives a sword-spirit (zanpakuto). A sword will remain a sword and will not reveal its true potential before the wielder learns the name of the spirit dwelling within it. Only after discovering (through years of arduous training) the name of the zanpakuto, the wielder will be able to “release” his/her sword actual power.

In his book, The Mysticism of Sound and Music, Hazrat Inayat Khan wrote about how all mysteries remain stored within the meaning of name. All knowledge of all things stands ultimately upon the knowledge of name. Without knowledge, there can never come power, since one cannot have power over matters he/she does not know.

For this reason, at the creation of the world, when God first created man from the dust of the earth and blew His spirit into him, He gave Adam the task of naming all creatures that had been created before him – a privilege He didn’t give even to angels!
After Adam had finished giving names to all living creatures, God commanded mankind to “be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
With the knowledge of the name, comes power!

Is it any wonder for Christians that at the Name which is above every name, “the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”?
By His glorious name, the Church was born, the gospel of peace was preached all over the globe, millions of lives were saved from Satan's clutches, new hope shone forth, and divine light finally dawned upon civilization.
By His victorious name, we are given a new life, overcome the power of darkness, destroy the fortresses of evil, save souls staggering toward perdition, and triumph over all tribulations.

“What is in a name?”
There is power in the Name of the Lord!

Public vs. Private

The ways people post in Facebook are sometimes bewildering, if not dumbfounding:
• A university graduate wrote curses as his status.
• A notable bank employee shared a promiscuous note on her wall.
• A middle-aged businessman created a photo album of himself making love to a voluptuous woman.

The list goes on.

While it is true that one has the right to express himself/herself, the freedom of expression – in whatever manner suitable to one’s own liking – depends largely on an absolute dimension one calls “space.”

The virtual world, whether we realize it or not, is a world nonetheless – a world where space and time exist. Similar to its reality counterpart, it also possesses “public spaces” and “private spaces.”
Facebook, Twitter, weblogs, forums, and mailing lists are public spaces, where people meet, share, and exchange information openly. They are sites that allow access to any and every information, exactly like coffee shops, markets, and libraries in the material world.
E-mails, inbox, and instant messengers are private spaces, where the information shared is strictly confidential between two parties or a group of exclusive members. Any exchange of conversation or information made through these private lines is not accessible to all, similar to letters or phone calls in the real world.

Being real – though virtual – these spaces also have what we in the material world call “ethics” or “manners.” As part of the global society, we are expected to act and react accordingly to these codes of ethics. Just because we are not talking face to face under the same roof, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be as true and well-mannered as when we are.

One of the underlying rules is this: know your place.
We must know exactly what to write/post/comment in one particular space:
• Is the issue public or private?
• Is it offensive to all or to an individual only?
• Is it private and confidential, or open and informative?

Understanding this rule, though extremely basic as it may seem, can prove essential to gain other people’s trust of our credibility. The three examples given at the beginning of this post show evidences of people who do not seem to understand some of the most fundamental manners. If they do not know how to behave in virtual public spaces, how will they win people’s trust in the material world?

Thinking (more than once) before posting or re-posting is of great importance:

You have something against some other folks?
Send them e-mails.
You want to share something private to certain people?
Start a closed group.
You need to find a date?
Join a matchmaking site.

IMHO, as adults we truly should know what to say or do, in the right way, at the right place.
If we haven’t understood how to do so, perhaps thinking thrice before stating our minds out-loud could help.

Disappointment = A Reason for Giving Thanks (?)

"Better cry for a month than a lifetime."

A friend once told the above words to cheer up his good buddy, who had just completed her divorce papers and had to raise two kids on her own.
I have another idea:

"Better a heartbreak than a divorce."

Do you notice the difference?
Statement #1 = let go, don't cry over spilled milk.
Statement #2 = thank God, you needn't cry over spilled milk.

Happiness and disappointment, success and failure, joy and sorrow, are normal, everyday happenings we face through life. Besides, people can't fully understand the meaning of "happiness" when they have never been acquainted with "disappointment," or grasp the meaning of "success" without knowing what "failure" is. Such is the joy and sorrow, ups and downs, gloom and brightness of life. It's what makes life purely colorful.

Over a decade ago, during a Q&A session attended by youths and senior mentors, a troubled girl proposed a question, eager to know what to do when facing heartbreak.
One of the senior mentors replied, "Give thanks! That means, God is planning to give you a better life-mate!"

When we broaden the scope, the above admonition also applies in other areas of life: "Give thanks for your present disappointments/failures/setbacks, for it means that God is planning better things ahead!" -- as long as you look beyond the present anguish you're experiencing.

Sometimes, we tend to focus too much on whatever we have in sight. We struggle and strive for something we think as best for us at the present, without realizing the hidden negative potential it contains, which might just be a time-bomb ready to explode in the future.

God is good.
He unravels the hidden threats long before the countdown stops and routs our plans from the very beginning. Indeed, it may plunge us into great disappointment, but disappointment is much more useful than regret. When we're disappointed, we turn to God so as to cling to His plan and His way, whereas regret is incapable of bringing any meaningful impact for the betterment of our situation.

Are you facing heartbreak? Has your proposal been turned down? Did the other party cancel the project or contract?
Whatever you're facing: Give thanks! God has already planned something (much) better ahead!

[Read the Indonesian version: My Facebook Notes]

Fat: Doesn't Always Fatten (?)

Some women just never grow fat, even after giving birth and nursing children. They simply don't, albeit they're not supermodels or celebrities. On the other hand, other females who always avoid taking dinner every night seem to never be able to gain ideal weight.
How come?

David Zinczenko, author of "Eat This, Not That!," and his colleague, Matt Goulding, stated that slim women unconsciously apply some rules that keep them from gaining weight. When you hold onto these two simple rules they follow, you might end up with the similar results as they do.

(1) Never go on a diet

Several studies propose that the major cause of future weight-gain is the present habit of going on diet. By limiting calorie intake, we are basically reducing our physical strength, and also bones and muscles mass and density -- whereas muscles are the ultimate calorie burner. By going on a diet, we are actually ensuring future weight-gain.
The latest study published in the Psychosomatic Medicine Journal also shows that tracking your consumption pattern by using a journal can also increase your level of stress. As a result, the level of cortisol in your body shoots up. Cortisol is the hormone that has often been associated with weight-gain.
So as to keep your body slim, try taking 25 grams of fiber, daily. It equals three portions of fruit and vegetables. Sufficient fiber intake will increase fat burning up to 30%.

(2) Never opt for non-fat food and beverages

A study that involves nearly 90,000 people in Europe for several years discovers that the participants who consume low-fat food have greater risk to grow overweight. It means that there's no difference between them and those who eat whatever food they want to consume.

The key of this consumption pattern, Zinczenko says, is that fat does not fatten you. On the contrary, you need fat in your daily consumption pattern to help your body process some nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, and E. Food and beverages that are labeled "non-fat" or "low-fat" often contain more sugar and, therefore, store greater amount of calorie.

The American Heart Association also states that "non-fat" labeled foods basically only cause greater intake of unhealthy sweetening agents. Fat tends to keep you feel full much longer, whereas non-fat foods drive you to feel hungry much faster. Eventually, you will look for more food to satisfy your hunger.

[From Tribunnews]

Primordial = Prime Ordeal?

Once upon a sunny afternoon several years ago, I visited my cousin, a beautiful fair-skinned 24-year-old with six older brothers. We were planning to go to the movies with her boyfriend and some other guys. A nice fellow, her boyfriend was. And I particularly liked him for his good sense of humor and responsibility – not to mention his bright intelligence and wonderful personality.
But there he was, as I stepped into the house, sitting on the sofa all by himself, while her brothers and parents walked passed him without even trying to look, or simply notice his presence, as if he was but a phantom unseen.
When I brought it up, my cousin just gave a sigh and a faint smile, replying, “Oh, well. It’s just the ordeal we have to face. You know, he is not of our kind.

Sounds familiar?
Many people throughout the country seem to share the same experience, at least once in a lifetime. Yes. We try to deny it – in public, at the very least – or conceal it, or speak against it. But many of us, deep within, echo the same comment, “They are not of our kind.” They are not of our tribe. They are not of our color. “They” are not “us”.

Anthropology defines it as primordial behavior – a term we are not prompt to react against. Yet, put it to its popular terminology, and we will have screams of hypocritical denials from those who claim “not to be so”, but then again…

Racial discrimination!

Or, shall we call it Primordial Behavior in this essay?
After all, racism sprouts from the root of primordial behavior. “Primordial” derives from the Latin “primeval” (primus [first] + aevum [age]). It is the prime culture that exists from the birth of a primitive tribe and is preserved from generation to generation down to the modern era. It is the sign of our tribalism – or, in other words, the mask by which we represent our tribal identities.

Talking about tribes is talking about segregation.
We have the primordial point of view that says, “We are better than they.” It sounds so much like a refusal to stand on common ground. It places a tribe on higher ground than others – in the eye of that particular tribe. And, in this case, subjectivity is objectionable.

Every tribe, actually, has its own set of moral standards and norms, by which the members of that particular tribe organize the proper conducts acceptable by whole. And there is nothing wrong by setting moral standards and values of good and bad – as long as we attain the essence of the teaching. The teaching is always good. It keeps the balance in the community. It makes sure everything is in order.
Thus, every tribe is fine. Every culture is good.

But things turn unfortunate when people of one community comment against another community by claiming, “Our standard is better than theirs.” Do we have the right to say so? If we happen to have such point of view, let us be ready to hear other people – better, mightier, stronger people – say against us, “We are better than you.” They, in their sight, are standing on higher ground than we do.

When people are trapped in primordial behavior and claim to be higher in level compared to others, they are in fact never come to their root. They never grasp the essence – or ever will be. None of them stand on higher ground – for all are under-the-ground.
The aftermath is inevitable: segregation.

Let's face it: throughout the decades, our motto “unity in diversity” has never actually been manifested. Worse, it even comes closer than ever to separate autonomous territories. Prime ordeal! So long as the tribes within this country obstinately hold onto their primordial point of view, unity is but a dream away. (We might as well reconstruct the constitution and establish a new form of government: autonomous states, instead of united republic.)

Primordial behavior is continuously-denied yet ever-cherished, ever-preserved (otherwise, we won’t be talking about SARA [tribal, religious, racial, class] issues behind other people's back, will we?). Some prefer to call it latent. Some even find it tolerable. But in my opinion, it is all a sign of immaturity. And we all love our immaturity so much it makes us forget we are grown-ups. Our country is over six-decades old. And we have a prime ordeal to solve.

I am not a politician. Neither am I a journalist or member of a particular party. But when an ordinary woman plainly sees the invisible walls built within the society, I believe it is obvious to each and every one of us that we are living in separate flats. We are building walls, not bridges. And we ironically call ourselves a United Republic.

I find it so pitiful, yet satirical at the same time. Will we hold onto this primitive tribalism while the whole world is unanimously heading toward globalization? Are we ready to be a jest for the world to see? It’s high time we grow up!

[PS: This article was actually written several years ago, early in 2005. After giving it a little editing touch, I decided to post it here instead, rather than let it rot in my essay folder.]

Prayer -- Demand or Trust?

A study on theology had kept me occupied these last two months (which explains the reason behind the vacuum of posts in this blog). A long and laborious effort on translation indeed, but I have always loved the way translation projects broaden my insight on life -- and everything it has to offer.
Shall we continue with the story I have to offer, then?

Once upon a time, there lived a woman in the East, who was beautiful and much loved by her husband. Her name was Rachel.
Despite her beauty and graceful appearance, Rachel was barren. Even after years of marriage, she bore her husband, Jacob, no children. On the other hand, her unloved sister, Leah, had given birth to six sons!
In their community, children were considered as valuable heritage, and sons were greatly prized. There was nothing a woman could desire more than giving birth to many sons, to build the family's name.
Grieved by her unfortunate condition, Rachel prayed and prayed and prayed to God for a son, out of jealousy toward her elder sister.

Many centuries afterward, a woman from among her descendants suffered the same fate. Hannah was deeply troubled, for she could not bear children.
One day, she prayed to God, that if He granted her a son, she would dedicate her baby to the Lord's service for the rest of his life.
The Lord listened to Hannah's plea, and opened her womb.
Hannah gave birth to a son, and -- in great joy -- named him Samuel, "God grants."


Rachel, after struggling with her sterility for many years, was finally granted her wish. God remembered her, and in His time, gave her the son she asked for.
Rachel was overjoyed, and called her baby: Joseph, "may He add."
God gave her a son, and she asked for more sons, to rival her sister, Leah.
Well, she did give birth to another son -- Benjamin -- several years later.
But it cost her life, for she died in childbirth.

And Hannah?
After she weaned Samuel, she took him to the house of God and left him there under the high priest's care, to be trained in the way of the Lord -- never did it cross her mind that Samuel would grow up to become one of the greatest prophets Israel ever saw.
Hannah came home to the mountains of Ephraim, feeling content and at peace. She glorified the Lord for His goodness in granting her a son, and He was pleased with her thanksgiving. So, the Lord gave Hannah three more sons and two daughters!

Can we discern the difference between these two women?
Even though they faced the same problem, felt the same anguish, and fought the same struggle, but the outcome for each was not similar.

How come?
Here, we see the contrast between a demanding prayer and a trusting prayer.

A demanding prayer is the kind that forces God to bend to our will, our motives, our methods. Most of the time (if not always), this sort of prayer is founded on self-interest.
Rachel didn't submit her will to the will of God. She chose her own path and forced God to follow her down a steep road which she didn't know where it led. Eventually, she had to pay for it dearly.

Hannah, on the other hand, linked her plea with God's will.
She didn't ask for a son to fulfill her self-interest. By asking for a son, she was plainly asking God to take away her disgrace, and in return, she would return the boy to Him.
She believed that the blessing of children was God's to give, and understood completely that the son He would give her actually belonged to Him. As a parent, she was nothing more than a caretaker of God's blessing.
By trusting that everything came from God and should only be used for His glory, she conceived, gave birth, and dedicated her son for a lifetime of service. God was pleased with her humility, and granted her five more children she had never asked for!

Perhaps, it would be prudent if we reflect on the Lord's words: "If you remain in Me, and My Word remains in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you" (John 15:7).


Many people simply quote the last half of this verse: "Ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
They neglect the first half of it -- the requirement any prayer needs! Without it, there's no way our prayer will be heard: "If you remain in Me, and My Word remains in you."
Meaning: our will and prayer should be in harmony and concurrence with God's Word. If we are one with God, we shall understand His thoughts, and anything we ask from Him will not stray from His good and perfect will. Only then, will our prayer be heard and granted.

Somewhere between Jobs and Life

It's been two months since the last time I blogged.
Two consecutive translation jobs, a new proposal, and so many other things really kept me staying up late and taking two cups of coffee instead of one, every day.
Despite the fatigue, it truly does pay off.

It's the one thing I always love about translating.
You always learn new things, use your brain and skills, expand your knowledge, discover new worlds, and never grow old.

Never grow old?
Inwardly, yes.

Learning refreshes the mind. It always does.
I can't deny the newly emerging wrinkles on my forehead and outer corners of my eyes. But it's the enjoyment of life that counts the most, even as we realize time is flying and we are slipping toward aging.

It all begins and ends in the mind.
When we keep our mind fresh and healthy, so will our body.

Happy day to you all :-)

The Downside of Juice

Are you in post-surgery recuperation period or undergoing medication?
If you are, it is good to take caution in adjusting your diet during recovery, especially when you're the kind who always include fruit juice in your meals.

Recent studies in Canada show that several fruits tend to lower (if not deplete) the effectiveness of medication by blocking the body's capacity to absorb certain chemical substances. Grapefruit, orange, and apple are some among them.

David Bailey, professor of clinical pharmacology from University of Ontario, was first to discover the relation between the consumption of fruit juice with absorption of oral medicine. His experiments showed that grapefruit and several other fruits were responsible for the decrease in certain oral medications absorption, and/or depleting their healing potential.

The experiment was done by giving three groups of healthy people antihistamin to tackle allergic reaction, taken with either fresh water, water mixed with naringin, or grapefruit juice.
The result?

Those who took the medicine with grapefruit juice lost half the effectiveness of the antihistamin dose compared to the ones who took it with fresh water.
Moreover, those who took it with naringin showed a decrease of absorption, since naringin prevented the medicine's chemical substance from being released from intestinal track into blood.

For those who suffer from chronic illnesses and are undergoing medication therapy, drinking grapefruit juice is therefore not recommended.

Fresh Fruits: A Must for Healthy Living

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Eating fruits everyday keeps diseases at bay.

Any nutritionist would suggest the above advice to maintain health and vitality. Fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet. It contains the vitamins, minerals, and fibers we need to keep our digestion and physical metabolism in prime condition.
Fruit for human body is like lubricant to engine. The lack of its consumption in our diet causes indigestion and metabolic breakdown, the same way an engine undergoes rust and malfunction when the supply of lubricants doesn't balance the amount of work done.

Anyone would agree that fruit is vital for human health.
Even ancient tribes had been using fruit to prevent illnesses.
In this case, fruit is held as a natural preventive medication.

But, wait a second: which sort of fruit?

Nowadays, with the rush of the hustling civilization, people tend to find and choose a quicker, easier way to everything -- which, unfortunately, doesn't always come up with the best results.
Fruits are being harvested before they completely ripen, and are stored in jars or containers to ripen later. Many are sprayed with insecticides and preservatives to keep them "fresh" even after long export/import shipping periods.
Rarely do we find fruits that are ripe from the tree these days.

Yet, this is the best and most beneficial kind of fruit for our health.
Why?

Because, fruit absorbs the energy of the sun in order to ripen. It is the only food on the planet that receives the power of the sun first-hand. The more it changes color, the greater sun-power it absorbs and contains.
This solar energy is released into our body and physical metabolism once we eat it. Thus, by consuming tree-ripe fruits, we actually transfer the energy of the sun into our body. That is the reason why fruit is a key element to maintaining perfect health.

Want to stay healthy?
Do yourself a favor.
Stop buying preserved, insecticide-sprayed fruits to store in your refrigerators.
Pick fruits fresh from the trees and eat as soon as you pluck it from the branches -- and feel the difference it brings to your health.

The Truth About Belly Dance

A group of people from an event-organizer company were discussing on what show to come up with on the New Year's Party, when one of them stood up and excitedly suggested, "Belly dance, of course! What can be more attractive than sexy dancers in dazzling costumes? Men would feel like being ushered into the sultan's harem!"

Well, the above statement really does represent our modern society's conception of Mid-Eastern dance, which we nowadays know as Belly Dance.
And, ironically, it's a totally misleading conception.

Firstly, in the Middle-East, people don't recognize Belly Dance.
The real name of this exotic dance is Oriental Dance, and it doesn't only involve the movements of the hips and abdominal muscle, but the entire body as well.

Secondly, though this dance is performed in the harem, people (especially Westerners) have long misinterpreted the term "harem" itself.

It is best be noted that in Muslim countries, men and women don't mix -- even in the same house.
The mother and daughters have their own private ward, which is called the "harem."
After the mother has finished serving her husband and the rest of the family in the dining room, she would withdraw to the harem and perform her household duties.
It is only open for fellow females; and grandmothers, aunts, nieces, and female neighbors often gather in the harem to do female stuffs: sewing, gossiping, baking cakes, and even dancing.
It was from such female gatherings that the Oriental Dance of the Lebanese and Egyptians first emerged.
It was a social dance among women, done only in the private ward where no man was allowed to enter.
From observing the younger women dancing, mothers with bachelor sons waiting at home would choose future daughter-in-laws and proceed with the process of match-making.

You see, there is no such thing as performing this dance in the presence of a ruler. There is no courtesan-like role of Oriental dancers ever taking place in the Muslim land where it originated.

Oriental Dance is not entertainment.
It's a social dance, and there is nothing overly sensual about it.
The Belly Dance as we know it today has been much too spiced up and mixed with the modern and Western conception of exoticism.
Whether it is praised or disdained, accepted or rejected, it has become so only from the point of view of the culture that adopted it, that had severed it from the root of its origin.

The Choice

There was a lesson I learned yesterday from reading Mark 5:1-20.
Here's how the story goes:

One day, Jesus was sailing in a boat with His disciples. Arriving on the other side of the lake, He was met by a demon-possessed man dwelling in the graveyard.
The man was so infamous for his violent behavior, everyone in the village was afraid of him. But Jesus commanded the evil spirits to come out of him, and they did.
The demons went out from the man and went into a large herd of pigs. Instantly, they ran down the steep bank and were drown in the lake.
The men tending the pigs hurriedly ran into the village to tell:

1. What Jesus had done to heal the demon-possessed man.
2. What happened to the pigs after they got demon-possessed.

So, all the villagers went out to the site, and found:

1. The man was already dressed, sitting by the feet of Jesus, and in his right mind.
2. The pigs were really drown in the lake just as reported, two-thousands of them.

Their response?
They begged Jesus to immediately leave their region!
His act of miracle just caused them to lose a great deal of fortune!

Well, doesn't the above story quite typically represent our generation?
We don't mind accepting salvation as long as we don't need to pay for it.

Alright, Folks, here's the news:
To receive the new life, we need to let go of our old lives!

Salvation is offered for free.
True: there's no amount of gold or treasures in this world that we can give the Lord in exchange for eternity.
But there is something He demands that exceeds the value of money by far.
He desires our soul: one thing that is far more precious than any earthly treasures.

Once we accept God's all-precious redemption, He expects us to give up our former lives and follow Him in full devotion.
There is no way we can achieve eternal life without severing our ties to the vanity of the transient one.

The problem with the villagers in the above story is that they clung too desperately to the material world, their eyes were blinded to see the everlasting mercy of God.

One lost soul was saved from the Devil's clutch.
To God, it was invaluable beyond all matters.
To men, who would care if the man lived or perished?

Once again, they followed human standards, not God's.
And we know what humans are: mortal, vain, imperfect, and transient creatures.

For us, the story serves as a reminder.
Two roads diverge before us: either we choose to live by God's way, or the way of the perishing world.
Truly, we can't decide to travel on both.

May we learn to choose wisely.
Amen.

Understanding God

Understanding God is one extremely unfathomable subject.
Due to His infinity, perfection, and holiness, we, frail, imperfect, mortal creatures have difficulty comprising full knowledge of our God as much as a bloodhound trying to understand its master.

Many times, we fail.
Even God's servants fail.
Even prophets and holy men failed!

For one thing, God is invisible.
Whereas we tend to measure many aspects of life based on what is visible.
It's simply human.
And that's exactly the reason why we can't measure up to His standard.
How can we possibly use human standard to analyze God's greatness?

Nevertheless, we must be thankful for His great compassion, immeasurable love, and understanding of our weaknesses -- without which, we would all perish.
Only by God's grace, we live and have our being.

But how do we understand God?
Honestly, we can't.
It will be so much easier if we take ourselves as bloodhounds, and God is our master.
We can never understand our Master's thoughts, but we may well understand His commands.
That is what He provides us the Bible for.
Listen carefully to what He says, read the instructions He has inscribed, and we won't stray from His perfect way and will.

Then, perhaps one day, when we reach the invisible realm of infinity, we shall get the whole picture -- and understand Him as much as He understands us.

How to Use Milk in Your Beauty Routines

Everyone knows milk is beneficial for health, especially for building strong bones and teeth. And not only so; for centuries, milk has been known as an amazing beauty agent.
Applying milk face-mask regularly proves to:

- Lighten your face complexion.
- Soften your skin.
- Eliminate blemishes.
- Prevent aging.
- Heal inflammation.

To lighten your complexion, mix 2 spoonfuls of powder milk with 1 spoonfuls of honey and 1 spoonful of warm water. Stir well. Apply on face and neck, leave to dry. After several minutes, wash and towel dry.

To soften your skin and scrub-off dead cells, mix a cup of milk with 3 spoonfuls of oatmeal. Scrub on your face and body, leave to dry. Then, wash with warm water.

To prevent aging and eliminate blemishes, mix 2 teaspoonfuls of vitamin E with 2 spoonfuls of yoghurt, and half a teaspoonful of honey and lemon juice. Stir well. Apply on face and leave for 15 minutes, then wash clean and towel dry.

To heal inflammation and allergic reactions, apply some milk, either buttermilk or cream on the affected spots, and leave to dry.

By regularly using milk in your beauty routines, soft, unblemished, radiant skin is easily achievable.
Try it out, Ladies!

Maternal Instinct

My dogs, Chocho and Doggie, have five adorable 3-months-old pups (well, six, actually -- one died). It's wonderful to watch our pets have a loving family of their own.
But I also surprisingly learn something from watching this family of canines interact among themselves.

On one occasion, I was cleaning up the kitchen and burning soiled newspaper on the backyard. I let it burn on the ground, and out of curiosity, the puppies came rushing to it: barking, approaching, and surrounding the burning newspaper. I saw their mother watching from afar.
Then, all the sudden, she ran into the scene, and snatched the flaming thing away.
"Doggie! What are you doing?!" I shouted. "It's on fire! You can burn yourself!"
But she ignored my yelling and carried the burning newspaper to a safe place by a shadowy tree, far from her pups.

I was entirely dumbstruck.
It was pure maternal-instinct!

From that incident, I learned that:

1. A mother's instinct of protection toward her young is far greater than her instinct of survival -- or even fear.
2. Naturally, even animals instinctively know how to recognize the cause of the problem, and act to solve it. Perhaps humans have already become too artificial to see and realize the core of problems in our modern civilization.

It's marvelous how nature can teach us many things, even the things our latest high-tech discoveries can't offer.

Miracle is A Two-Way Street

Recently, I often hear people claiming they believe in God, who walks in the realm of impossibility. They have faith in the Lord, who makes all things possible for all who trust in Him.
I say "Amen!" to that.

But, sometimes, people respond to the above notion a bit out of the intended scope. Yes, it's true: our Lord, the Creator of the Universe, is the "Maker of Miracles, working wonders."
Nevertheless, He does not always work that way!
If He does, what's the need to establish the natural axioms of the universe for?

Let's take some miraculous examples:

- Abraham had a son at 100 years old. How miraculous!
But, look at it closely: there was a span of 25 years between the moment God gave the promise until it was finally fulfilled. Abraham had to prove his faith to God and serve Him wholeheartedly until he was proven worthy to receive the fulfillment of God's promise.
Beside, Isaac was not born out of thin air. He was conceived for nine months and was delivered naturally from the womb of his aged mother, Sarah.

- Joshua cried out to God and the entire solar system stopped moving. Awesome!
But it only happened because Joshua was out on a military campaign prompted by the will of God, not his own.
It was God's will and power that stopped the movement of the sun and moon, and He heard Joshua's prayer because he was a general who understood the will of God.

- Over 5,000 people were fed and be filled when Jesus broke the five loaves and two fishes. But Jesus did not perform the miracle before they had followed Him for three days on foot, only to listen attentively to His teaching.
Their faith and longing for His words were the reasons behind their following the Lord, despite the long journey, hunger, and thirst. In turn, it moved the Lord's heart with compassion. And a miracle happened!

- Many people were healed from their illnesses and demon-possession in the days of the apostles. But, did they simply come casually and received healing without a price? No!
During the early years of the church, Christianity was banned and considered a threat to the status quo. Anyone who believed and accepted the teaching should be marked as a traitor and ought to answer to the authority.
So, these people came to the apostles to be miraculously healed in full understanding that, by doing so, they could forfeit their very lives! It was their faith and courage that allowed God to perform miracles in them.

What I am saying is: God is truly the God of miracles who walks in the realm of impossibility, but in all things, there is a process!

We can't expect God to work miracles in our lives and blow our problems away in a single flick of His fingers!
That is not His modus of operation.
This is God's way of dealing with man: teamwork.
Meaning?

We handle all the possible, He'll handle the impossible.
We work out the process, He'll come out with the result.
We follow His will through His words, He'll fulfill His wonderful plans in our lives.
We pray, He'll act.

Miracle is a two-way street: we do our part, God does His.
And when the miracle takes place, we'll realize that He doesn't merely change the situation. He changes our hearts as well.
And compared to the new person He has forged us into, the miracle itself will seem smaller than it's expected at the beginning.

Our God is not only beyond impossibility.
He is way beyond imagination!
Amen.

A Fourteen-Years Lesson

Recess, two weeks prior to my seventeenth birthday: January 16, 1997.

Everything went normal at school that fine morning, except for a simple notification that said I was expected at the staff's office.
I walked briskly up the stairs, opened the door, and was told, "We've prepared the car for you, Shinta. You need to get home immediately. Your brother just passed away."

How would you feel if that news was directed to you?

For me, it was as if the entire world collapsed.
Receiving the message that my eldest brother died, five months after my dad's funeral, simply didn't make any sense.

How much probability one could suggest?
One in a thousand?
That's 0.001 chance!
But it did happen -- one out of a thousand chance.

Cardiac arrest.
He was 28.

I was overwhelmed.
I was broken to pieces.
I was grieved beyond belief.

But the strange thing was: I didn't ask "why."
I didn't know why I didn't question anything or blamed anyone.
There was nothing I did but went on with life, no matter how tearfully painful and drenched in sorrow it had been.

I was 16!
I hadn't had the wisdom to understand that when faced to Fate, asking "why" wouldn't solve anything or did any good.
It was the "how" that mattered.

Fourteen years afterwards, I look back and finally understand:

- How I learned to stand on my own.
- How to search for rainbows beyond the clouds.
- How to stop being a spoiled little girl, grow up, and take responsibility over my own choices.
- How to have faith for a better future when the present doesn't seem to be promising much.
- How to build everything from zero and enjoy the fruit of my own labor.

He was gone and left me shattered.
But he had gone to a much better place.
And from the debris of heartbreak, I rose up and turned into someone new.

Sometimes, the very thing that breaks us to pieces, rebuilds us twice stronger -- depending on how we give the right response.
Now I know, that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Somewhere, I see beyond the clouds, over the rainbow: skies are blue.

Friends

A friend is someone we turn to

when our spirits need a lift.

A friend is someone we treasure

for our friendship is a gift.

A friend is someone who fills our lives

with beauty, joy, and grace.

And makes the whole world we live in

a better and happier place.



- Jean Kyler McManus -

Goji Berries & Their Amazing Health Facts

Goji berries have become a new rising star in the world of natural health science. This tiny red berries from the Himalayan Mountains, also known as the Lycium Barbarum, has been proven as the world's most nutritionally dense food.

Recent studies have shown that goji berries contain:

- 19 amino acids (the building blocks of protein), including all eight that are essential for life.

- 21 trace minerals, including germanium, an anti-cancer trace mineral rarely found in foods.

- more protein than whole-wheat (13%).

- a complete spectrum of antioxidant carotenoids, including beta-carotene (a better source than even carrots!) and zeaxanthin (protects the eyes). Goji berries are the richest source of carotenoids of all known foods.

- vitamin C at higher levels than even those found in oranges.

- B-complex vitamins, necessary for converting food into energy.

- vitamin E (very rarely found in fruits, only in grains and seeds).

- Beta-sitosterol, an anti-inflammatory agent. Beta-sitosterol also lowers cholesterol and has been used to treat impotence and prostate enlargement.

- Essential fatty acids, which are required for the body's production of hormones and for the smooth functioning of the brain and nervous system.

- Cyperone, a sesquiterpene that benefits the heart and blood pressure, alleviate menstrual discomfort, and has been used in the treatment of cervical cancer.

- Solavetivone, a powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial compound.

- Physalin, a natural compound that is active against all major types of leukemia. It has been shown to increase splenic natural killer cell activity in normal and tumor-bearing mice, with broad-spectrum anti-cancer effect. It has also been used as a treatment for hepatitis B.

- Betaine, which is used by the liver to produce choline, a compound that calms nervousness, enhance memory, promote muscle growth, and protects against fatty liver disease. Betain also provides methyl groups in the body's energy reactions and can help reduce levels of homocysteine, a prime risk factor in heart disease. It also protects DNA.


In his book, Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret, Rick Handel listed 34 health benefits of goji berries which had been discovered through latest scientific researches:

1. Extend your life, protecting your body from premature aging through its powerful antioxidant action.

2. Increase your energy and strength, especially when fighting disease.

3. Make you look and feel younger. Goji stimulates the secretion of HGH (Human Growth Hormone), the "youth hormone."

4. Lower your blood pressure.

5. Prevent cancer.

6. Maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

7. Balance blood-sugar and manage diabetes.

8. Enhance libido and sexual function.

9. Lose weight.

10. Relieve headaches and dizziness.

11. Get better sleep.

12. Improve your vision.

13. Strengthen your heart.

14. Inhibit lipid peroxidation. Accumulation of sticy lipid peroxides in the blood can lead to cardiovascular disease, heart attack, atherosclerosis, and stroke. Goji increases levels of an important blood enzyme that inhibits their formation.

15. Resist disease.

16. Improve immune response by balancing the activity of all classes of immune cells, including T-cells, cytotoxic T-cells, NK celss, lysozyme, tumore necrosis factor-alpha, and the immunoglobulins IgG and IgA.

17. Manage and fight cancer, including regressions of malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and malignant hydrothorax.

18. Protect your precious DNA, the most important chemical in your body, ensuring that -- as they need replacement -- your 10 trillion cells are faithfully reproduced as healthy, exact duplicates, and restoring and repairing damaged DNA.

19. Inhibit tumor growth.

20. Reduce the toxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

21. Build strong blood, enhancing production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

22. Help chronic dry cough.

23. Fight inflammation and arthritis by restoring the balance of the importan anti-inflammatory SOD enzyme.

24. Improve your lymphocyte count. A lymphocyte is any of a group of white blood cells important to the adaptive part of the body's immune system. Goji increases lymphocyte count.

25. Treat menopausal symptoms.

26. Prevent morning sickness in the first trimester of pregnancy.

27. Improve fertility.

28. Strengthen your muscles and bones.

29. Support kidney health.

30. Improve your memory.

31. Support healthy liver function.

32. Alleviate anxiety and stress.

33. Promote cheerfulness and brighten your spirit, explaining why goji is called the "happy berry." In fact, it has been noted that the only known side-effect of goji is that continued consumption may make it impossible for you to stop smiling!

34. Improve digestion.


With all those remarkable benefits listed above, it's no wonder that the Hunza people of Himalaya who eat the goji berries regularly live to the average age of 100 - 120 years old! Records prove that these people live a long, full, joyful life in perfect health due to their natural diet and regular consumption of fruits, including the multi-benefits goji berries.