WELLNESS

Deepak Chopra said; "the secret of youth is within you". Wellness is about the body, mind and spirit. Wellness is about what you feel your mind and spirit that do away with stress, wrinkles and anything that would speed up the aging process.

Rev. Clarence Larkin said; "the body is the carnal nature of man or those facilities that touch the material world through the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. The gates of the soul or the mind are :

imagination, conscience, memory, reason and affections. The spirit recieves the impression of the mind. Hence the spiritual faculties of the spirit are faith, hope, reverence, prayer and worship.

BE aware, that the 3 -body mind and spirit must be together and in harmony to achieve wellness. All 3 must be together and in harmony to stay young.

In feeding the body, one must do away with sugar and fatty food especially pork meat. In feeding the mind, one must do away with worldly music, movies, internet that would induce unnecessary stress. Listening to rock music, rated pornography can cause wrinkle permanently and speed up aging.

OUTDOOR KIDS have better vision

Researchers said, about a third of Americans suffers from myopia or near sightedness - a condition seen to be caused by both genetics and the environment. Children who spent less time outdoors and more time watching tv are those vulnerable. Outdoor exposure is beneficial because sunlight causes the pupil to constrict, resulting in a larger depth of focus - the range in which objects appear clear, and less image blur that is associated with myopia development.

BE aware, the eye may see more clearly outside in the sunlight and avoid developing myopia. Looking at things

farther away maybe another benefit of outdoor activities.

PRAYER

Was there a time in your life when no one and nothing mattered except GOD and his Word? If yes, then you know what real prayer, what trust and surrender is all about. If no, well maybe, you are hard of hearing, having difficulty listening God's word and his love. Why? Because you are more receptive to other voices and love.

Be aware, time will come you will be able to listen and know God in spirit and in truth.

L i s t e n ;
WHEN will you stop hurting and start loving ?
WHEN will you stop lying and start cleansing ?
WHEN will you stop getting and start giving ?
and
WHEN will you really start listening ?

NUTS cut risk factor for HEART DISEASE

Spanish researchers found that adding nuts worked better than boosting the olive oil in a typical Mediterranean diet. Nuts help people fell full while also increasing the body's ability to burn fat. Nuts are rich in anti-inflamamatory substances such as fiber, and anti-oxidants - Vit E. They are high in unsaturated fat, a healthier fat known to lower blood triglycerides and increase good cholesterol.

BE aware, metabolic syndrome was defined as having three or more of the following conditions: abdoninal obesity, high triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol (HDL) high blood sugar and high blood pressure.

OUR OUTLOOK IN LIFE

Are you aware that our wants and not our needs that make us unhappy, and searching for more in life. To be content in what we have is the key to happiness and to have inner peace. It is really important to change our outlook in life. Our attitude on what is happening around is more important than on how we react to events tha confront us.

If we only accept what is happening in the moment without question, because we believe that whatever happens has a reason and purpose, then we don't become bitter and be pessimistic about it.

BE aware, we can deal the matter at hand in a clearer perspective, and we can be guided properly on how to approach the situation calmly with God's help.

LIFE'S PURPOSE

To own and accumulate may bring us happiness. But to give it away and serve others will bring us joy. Tht meaning comes in the picture :

You saved money, you worked hard for it, you finally bought your new car and yes you are happy. But once the new-car-smell-disappear, the happiness dissipates too. But when you use your car to offer rides to your friends, when that car of yours now is used to bring happiness to others, then the joy of making yourself useful comes and provides meaning with what you do. Suddenly your car becomes meaningful.

BE aware, and so it is with your work, and so it is with your wealth. Afterall, we are blessed by God to become a blessing to others.

YOGA and STILLNESS

Real yoga therefore is the cessation of the fluctuations of our minds. When the mind is still, one is in yoga. The very end objective is to meditate and quiet down. Not to stand on one's head (althought this does not have great physical benefit) . But because not all of us can just sit in meditation without our minds constantly talking to us, or our egos bombarding us with mental and emotional games, we need a discipline . . . and this is what yoga offers, beginning with our awareness and control of our body.

True yoga is internal cultivation of emotional steadiness, mental serenity and the awareness of the spiritual. When the thought forms of the mind cease to bother us, cajole us, sneer at us, and instead quiet down and disappear, them we are doing yoga.

Be aware, to say you practice yoga, is a commitment to a spiritual life, to a formative working out of your small

selfish ego, to an awareness of your spiritual presence here and now.

Yoga classes are mere practice sessions on mats for the real way of yoga should be practiced: Lived and integrated

in your daily life. After all, TRUE YOGA starts when the yoga class ends. . .

YOGA and STILLNESS

Variety of styles:

Iyengar - focuses on precise body alignments
Bikram - forced sweats uses heat from outside the body to flush out toxins as yoga asanas (or poses) Ashtanga Vinyasa - more intense sequence of poses have been put together for optimum total body work with breath and core strengths aligned together.

Asana practice is just ONE part of yoga. Patanjali is the father of yoga in India on the 5th century.. He explained the relationship between the natural world and the innermost soul - a guide on how to align the body to the soul, and to take control of the emotions and the mind so we can experience consciousness. It includes 8 major

foci:
-outside
-inner observance / ethical discipline
-asanas / physical body work - postures
-breath work - which teaches the control and manipulation of the breath in a variety of ways.
-withdrawal of the attachment to the bodily senses and the world
-concentration
-meditation
- the state of enlightenement is reached which is the GOAL

L I F E

The bible says: " Do not worry about tomorrow for it can take care of itself." For many of us may not know what is the true meaning of life. An unknown writer had said: "Because we do not give much attention to the present moment, we fail to savor the beauty of the present moment and what it offers". We become fearful individuals of the uncertain future, hence we missed the true meaning of life.

BE aware, we have suffered much failures, unaccountable loss, have struggled wearily. We have tasted anger; it's deep bitter dross, and it's heartaches and pain on the way. But these trials are common to every life. We must look beyond the pain and the strife, to know - " the real meaning of life ".

What is L-O-V-E III of III

The emotional bond between 2 people in love is strengthened when there is mutual knowledge and acceptance of the truth about them as individuals. Because love promotes feelings of self-worth and self- fulfillment.

The very experience of loving will bring realization of what really matters in a relationship, whether to demand perfection in each other or cultivate a culture of happiness together.

BE aware, from acceptance comes growth and maturity - the foundation of emotional security. No healthy relationship is possible without sometimes disappointing each other, no matter how much in love they maybe.

What is L-O-V-E II of III

We need to identify between physical attraction and deep affection. Physical attraction can become idolatry like an idol and a fan. It will set them apart rather than bring them closer together by creating artificial exteriors just to attract each others attention. Sincere acceptance is difficult to develop because they won't even know the truth about each other.

BE aware, the only thing in the world as strong as love is TRUTH. A relationship can only prosper when the parties involved learn to accept the truth about each other.

Many people does not know the difference between love and romance, probably because both create feelings of ecstasy. But love outlast the joy of physical embrace; the sensual component of loving eventually because mere surface manifestation of a deeper emotion and not simply a release of carnal energies. Romance is only the initial burst of the love relationship. Love lingers on and flourishes after that illusory stage.

Our concept of love these days is very much influenced by the movies and the romance novels - we go crazy over physical beauty and poetic passion; the attractiveness, the chase, the conquest.

BE aware, while physical attraction maybe a crucial part of romance, it is not love per se. Love can not be enforced, it only yield itself freely. There is no need for chasing love. Physical conquest is not sure to win it.

LACK of Language Skills SAVE Italians from Subprime CRISIS

Italian banks were saved from the US subprime debacle because few financiers speak English.

Giulio Tremonti, Italy's Finance Minister said: " our banks suffered little from the subprime crisis because there are few of them where english is spoken, So their exposure to toxic assets therefore stayed extremely limited.

BE aware, the US subprime crisis snared mostly Americans and other European banks, particularly British ones. "Subprime" refers to high-risk home loans which were repackaged as complicated securities whose values plummeted when the US housing market slipped into reverse.

LACK of Language Skills SAVE Italians from Subprime CRISIS

Italian banks were saved from the US subprime debacle because few financiers speak English.

Giulio Tremonti, Italy's Finance Minister said: " our banks suffered little from the subprime crisis because there are few of them where english is spoken, So their exposure to toxic assets therefore stayed extremely limited.

BE aware, the US subprime crisis snared mostly Americans and other European banks, particularly British ones. "Subprime" refers to high-risk home loans which were repackaged as complicated securities whose values plummeted when the US housing market slipped into reverse.

HEART OF MILKY WAY - "yawning black hole"

Scientists have discovered a huge-gravity sucking hole at the heart of our galaxy - among the most enigmatic and powerful forces in the universe. By tracking the orbit of 28 stars inside our own Milky Way for more than 16 years, scientists in Germany were able to trace the most detailed portrait ever obtained of these invisible monsters.

Bleck holes are believed to be concentrated fields of gravity so powerful that nothing - not even light can escape their grasps. The only way to perceive them is by observing their impact on neigboring celestial bodies.

Be aware, researchers were able to calculate with far greater precision Earth's distance from the center of the Galaxy 27,000 light years. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, about 10 trillion kilometers or
(6 million miles).

Thw interstellar dust that fills the Galaxy blocks our direct view of the Milky Way's central region in visible light, so astronomers used infrared wavelengths to penetrate the dust.

LIFE beyond SELF PITY

No matter how we are abused, or be a victim of any traumatic circumstances, our self-respect can not be taken away from us, - unless we allow it. Self-pity is indeed destructive and makes the person paralized to the point that he/she losses enthusiasm to achieve any goal in life. Suggestions on how we can stay out of it:

SELF-LOVE.

It is healing if it is translated into positive and productive action. React constructively at criticism.

Better still, NIP IT IN THE BUD.

Once you are aware of the downtrend that you are beginning to fall into, watch how you react to criticism. When you begin to feel sad at the slightest pretext, it's time you do some serious introspection on your reaction.
BE aware, self-pity its the worst enemy, and if you yeild to it, we can never do anything wise in this world.

Letting GO, Turning LOOSE

We are often hindered from giving up our treasures out of fear for their safety. But be aware, everything is safe

which is commited to our God. In fact, nothing is really safe which is not so committed.

Proof? Check out Abraham with his almost-adult son Isaac in Genesis 22. The old man's treasured delights rested on

that boy. But it was at that juncture that God-turned-pedagogue taught the patriarch a basic lesson in life. "Take

now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, amd gp to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt

offering . . . Gen. 22.2

It was time to turn him loose. Abraham had to open his hands and surrender to that ancient altar the one thing that

eclipsed the son from his heart. It hurt cruelly . . . but it was effective.

BE aware, the greater the possesiveness, the greater the pain. But to hold things loosely that He might reign

without a rival. With no threat to His throne - and with just enough splinters in my pride to keep my hands empty

and our heart warm.

HEALTH FLASH

seeing RED.

If you are worried about wrist pain at the computer, you maybe focused on the wrong concern. Sitting

infront of a screen generates 3 times more eye problems than carpal tunnel syndrome cases. Staring at a monitor can

irritate your peepers and affect your sight.

BE aware, tear your eyes from your screen every 2 hours to let them rest.

Gaining weight and breast cancer.

Women reported weighing 21 to 30 pounds more at menopause than at age 18 are 40% more likely to get

breast cancer than those who gained 5 pounds or less - according to American Cancer Society

BE aware, fat tissue ups estrogen levels which may speed cancer-cell growth. Keep your weight in check now to

reduce your long-term risk of the disease.

COFFEE and the MIND

Researchers in Austria have found out that coffee modulates short term working memory. Short-term memory serves as

a temporary storage of information in the brain and is required to remember things for a short period of time, like

repeating a phone number to yourself before you can dial it on a phone.

Drinking coffee also benefits your memory in the long run. In France, women who drank 3 or more cups of coffee

daily were 30% less likely to have memory problems at age 65 than women who drank a single cup of coffee or less.

BE aware, drinking tea produces the same effect, but according to the study, you would have to drink about 2 cups of

tea for every one of coffee.

WINE -SKINS

Jesus said: No one puts new wine into old wineskins, for the new wine burst the old skins, ruining the skins and

spilling the wine. New wine must be put into new wineskins. Luke 5.37-38

Obviously, our Lord is distinguishing there between things that are essential (the wine) and the things that are

useful but not primary (the skins). Wine represents the Gospel - the basics, changeless, timeless, everpotent,

always necessary message - The Savior. The wineskins represent that which is secondary, subsidiary, manmade, stuff

like structure, traditions and patterns of doing things which have grown up around and "encased" the wine.

BE aware, the wineskin are the point of contact between the wine and the world. And as the sorrounding pressure

mounts from society, the skins tend to cease being flexible - and are ultimately unable to contain that volatile,

vigorous vino within. And unfortunately, few indeed are those who can tolerate fresh, supple bags to contain the

wine.

A remnant had tasted the wine. They chose to preserve the wine and replace the skin at the cost of being

misunderstood.

SIMPLICITY

is the difference between communication and confusion. It is the economy of words mixed with quality of thought

held together by subtlety of expression - clear and precise.

Jesus is genius in his ability to simplify and clarify issues that others confused and complicated. He used words

anyone could understand. He said just enough to inspire and motivate others to think of their own to be inquisitive
to search further. He punctuated his teaching with familiar, earthly even humorous illustrations that riveted

mental handles to abstract truths. Best of all, he did not try to impress people.

BE aware, we have got the greatest message on earth to declare. Most people have either heard it or they have been

confused because someone has complicated the issues.

N U M B E R S

7 - age of Akrit Jaswal when he performed an operation on an 8 year old girl whose fingers were fused together

after being burnt. Although he never attended medical school, he is popular in India as a physician.

600+ - the total number of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart started composing when he was 5

6 age of Shirly Temple when she received an Academy Award in 1934. She was the youngest person to receive an Oscar

77.99 - number of seconds it took for Alexis Lemaire to calculate the 13th root of a 200 digit number mentally

8 - age of Pablo Picasso when he completed his first oil painting. "The Picador" named - most prolific artist

ever by the Guiness Book of World Record. He produced about 13,500 paintings, 100,000 prints, 34,000

books illustrations and 300 sculptures.

$100 Million total earnings of Tiger Woods in 2007. Started playing golf at the age of 3, and first won the

Optimist International Junior World Cup at age 8, at 21 became the First African-American golfer to win
in the US Masters.

Hannah Yeoh,29 /Nurul Izzah Anwar 26,/ Elizabeth Wong 37,Malaysia

The 3 legislators are young, inspiring, refreshing and good looking and smart like Barack Obama. All 3 had the

audacity to fight despite insurmountable odds. But unlike Obama, as opposition candidates, all 3 had to face

tougher obstacles in the country's general election that was far from free and fair.

Like Obama, they are all in the minority (in this case all women). And like Obama, they had no big campaign purses,

so they resorted to the internet to bring in the funding. All 3 are net savvy and have their own blogs, facebook

and party websites.

They rode on the wind of change that was blowing hard against an increasingly unpopular government and were swept

into office promising to bring change to the political culture, tainted with scandals, corruption, arrogance, greed,

and simply bad governance.

Professionals with university degrees, they are articulate, urbane and english speaking. Each won a seat on her

home turf in the affluent Klang Valley - the nation's power house.

BE AWARE, Nurul became MP for Lembah Pantal, beating an incumbent minister and senior ruling party leader;
Yeoh became state assemblywoman for Subag Jaya unseating the stand-in of the incumbent, while
Wong defeated the popular incumbent state assemblywoman for Batu Lanjan.

All 3 enjoyed landslide victory.

Somaly Mam

38years old, social activist - Cambodia

When Somaly Mam was 10, she was sold to a travelling trader, whom she called-"grandfather". She had to cook and

clean for him and if he was drunk, endure his beatings. Then at the age of 14, the grandfather, forced her to

marry a soldier, who beat and raped her. When her husband did not return from war, the "grandfather" sold her to a

brothel in Phnom Pehn when she was 16. She spent 6 tormenting years in different brothels where she and other girls

were physically and mentally abused.

BE aware, this sex trade victim, who never saw her parents is spearheading the battle against sex trafficking in

Cambodia. Her work was never easy that her 14year old daughter was kidnapped, raped and sold to a brothel two years

ago by those who were infuriated by her work.

For her relentless fight to create a world without slavery, she was recognized by German based Roland Berger

Foundation and given the Human Dignity Award last December 4, 2008.

Manny PACQUIAO

30yrs old Boxer, Philippines

In their desperate need to find a hero, Filipinos have so identified with Manny Pacquiao "pacman" the world's

greatest boxer pound for pound today, that it seems fitting for him to wear the Philippine flag. His "dream match"

with American boxer Oscar de la Hoya of which he won, was his biggest fight.

BE aware, everytime he has a match, it is as if - life in the entire country stops as Filipinos watch him fight.

And if only for less than an hour, Pacman is changing his countrymen's divided outlook and uniting them however

briefly.

SRI MULYANI INDRAWATI

46yrs old Finance Minister- Indonesia
Indonesia's First Female Finance Minister is perhaps the most suitable candidate for the region's "obama".

Sri Mulyani is on the board of the World Bank as its governor for Indonesia, and served as the International

Monetary Fund as executive director for Southern Asia from 2002 to 2004. Now 46, she finds herself in a bureaucracy

still dominated by elderly males whose habits were molded under more than 30 years of authoritarian rule.

BE aware, the announcement that she was one of the recepients of the Bunghatta Anticorruption Award last year came

just as politicians and business people were reported to be maneuvering to have her removed from office - following

her refusal to use the state budget to help save an influential group.

ASIA'S IDOL OF CHANGE I

JET LI 45yrs old, Chinese actor

A narrow escape from death triggered him to found - ONE FOUNDATION. Dec 26, 2004 while Li and his family were

vacationing in the Maldives, they had a narrow escape from death during the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more

than 225,000 in 11 countries.


"I thought if God saved me, it must mean something. That day in Maldives, I want to do something right away" he

said. He immediately gave about $158,000 in tsunami aid but felt he had to do something more significant and long

lasting. That was how the Jet Li One Foundation was born.

"The Jet Li One Foundation is my life and movies just one of my hobbies" says Jet Li, downplaying his box office

superstar status. He says, he has made up his mind to focus on humanitarian work.

BE aware, the One Foundation is not just about raising money but also about changing people's belief and spreading a

culture of love. He believed that even one individual giving 1 hour of his/her time every month, is part of a

family of others doing the same elsewhere in the world.

W E A R I N E S S

There is nothing wrong with feeling weary, but there is everything wrong with abandoning ship in the midst of the

fight. Growing weary is the consequence of many experiences - most of them bad, but all of them exhausting. To

name a few:

We can be weary of waiting - I am weary of my crying; my eyes fail while I wait for my God. psa 69.3
We can be weary of studying and learning - of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.ecc
We can be weary of fighting the enemy - he arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary 2sam 23:10
We can be weary of criticism and persecution - my eyes has become old because of all my adversaries. psa 6.7

Lots of things are fine in themselves, but our strength has it's limit. . . but

BE aware, the Lord did not promise to give us something to take so we can handle our weary moments. He promised us

HIMSELF. That is all and that is enough when He says:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burndened, and I will give you rest. . . for I am gentle and humble

in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matt 11:28

LAW OF ECHOES

If you want others to judge and condemn you, you start it. If you want them to be understanding, broad-minded

allowing you room to be you, - then begin that way yourself. Call it one of the immutable laws of human nature. We

get in return exactly what we give. Incredible echoes mirror our actions to an emphatic degree, sometimes in

greater measure than we give.

There was a teacher who asked her students to jot down, in 30 seconds, names of the people they really dislike.

Some students could only think of only 1 person during that half minute. Others listed as many as twelve.

Be aware, the interesting fact that emerged from the research was - those who disliked the most people were

themselves the most widely disliked.

2008 SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS

$ 49.6 price of oil barrel in November - the lowest since May 2005

$ 140+ price of oil barrel in July

$ 700 Billion total amount of the US bailout package enacted in October, which authorized the US gov't

to buy bad mortgaged-related securities and other devalued assets held by troubled financial institutions. The

package hed hoped to "unfreeze" frozen credit to avert recession.

1.2 Million estimated number of jobs lost in the US due to recession as of October - and growing more in

the next months that followed.

BE aware, is there really oil shortage in the world ?

picture : oil barrel price globally