We are leaving the year of the Tiger and entering the year of the Rabbit. It is a special time for the Asian family to get together to celebrate and welcome the new year in hopes of good fortune, prosperity and good health.

My wife has been busy with spring cleaning over the last few weeks, and she started her baking marathon last week. She has churned out so many wonderful cookies for the New Year celebration. The cookies melt in your mouth and it is so hard to stop even after eating a dozen! Here are some of the cookies she made:

Pineapple Tart

Dragon Cookies

Semperit Cookies

Almond Cookies

Durian Tart

Here is a picture of me enjoying the cookies — hmmm, maybe not — saliva, stuffed mouth, crumbs, just not a pretty sight.

It is time to let loose and celebrate for the next fifteen days. Yes, the celebration last for fifteen day! Isn’t it a great way to kick-start the new year?

I hope the coming year brings you and your family prosperity and good health.

Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Is this a picture of a duck or a rabbit? If you look at the left side of the picture, a duck appears. If you look from the right side, a rabbit appears.

Is this a picture of a young woman or old woman? If you look at the left side of the picture, a young woman appears to be looking away from us. If you look at the center of the picture, a side profile of an old woman looking downwards appears.

Is the walls of this house facing inward or outward?
If you cover the top part of the picture, the lower part appears to be facing outwards.
If you cover the bottom part, the top part appears to be facing inwards.

Are you ready for this last one?

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Watch out, don’t fall in!

Don’t worry, it is just an optical illusion. This person spent a lot of time and effort painting the street to create this illusion of being at the edge of a cliff. It is a great illusion!

The whole idea behind fluoridation (adding of fluoride to our water supply) was to prevent tooth decay. The problem is that the fluoride being used to “improve” our water comes from sodium fluorosilicate, a hazardous waste byproduct.

“The chemicals used to fluoridate water in the US are not pharmaceutical grade. Instead, they come from the wet scrubbing systems of the superphosphate fertilizer industry. These chemicals (90% of which are sodium fluorosilicate and fluorosilicic acid), are classified hazardous wastes contaminated with various impurities. Recent testing by the National Sanitation Foundation suggest that the levels of arsenic in these chemicals are relatively high (up to 1.6 ppb after dilution into public water) and of potential concern (NSF 2000 and Wang 2000).” Quoted from: 50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation

Opponents of fluoridation claims that it is a ruse by aluminum, steel and fertilizer industries to find a cheap way to dispose of their hazardous waste. If they dump it into the river, it is a pollution violation. Under the disguise of fluoridation, releasing the waste into municipal water is good for health. Not only have they found a way to get rid of their waste, they are being paid to do it. Wow! Did we just get slapped twice! More at: The Fluoride Debate

It doesn’t make sense to continue with fluoridation since recent studies show that too much fluoride can lead to dental fluorisis, skeletal fluorisis, accumulation in the body (brain, pineal gland, etc.) altering behaviors and IQ, inhibit enzymes, damage DNA, and increase risk of bone, liver and mouth cancer. They need to stop poisoning our waters. If they want to combat cavities, they need to tackle the root of the problem. The real problem is explained convincingly by Dr. Weston Price who showed that proper nutrition from whole unprocessed food allows the body to maintain healthy gum, teeth and bone. You can read more about in Food Fresh and Whole for Body Health and at Weston A. Price Foundation.

You may want to be careful with products containing fluoride, the risk may be higher than the claimed benefits.

Picture by

I can’t imagine an ocean without sea creatures. It would be a great loss for us and the generations that follows. With the population at almost 6.9 billion, it is going to be difficult to stop over-taking from the ocean. Maybe a miracle!

We can each take responsibility for the health of the earth and ocean. Caring for something outside of yourself can really help each of us develop into a well rounded person and improve our quality of life. Please read 100 Ways to Make a Difference and do what you can. A little change from 6.9 billion person may make a miracle come true.

Further Reading:

• Tokyo fish market records highest bid on tuna
• ‘Only 50 years left’ for sea fish
• China, Japan, US top list of world seafood consumers: study
• Ten ways you can help protect biodiversity in 2010

We have made great advances in science and technology. It has made our lives much better, but everything that share this earth with us is paying the price for our convenience and cleverness.

Recycling is good but it’s just a bandage to the problem. The root of the problem is plastics, is it possible to stop using it? Everything we buy comes in plastic packaging, and we carry them home in plastic bags. We use it for everything, and it’s everywhere. This video gives an overview of the situation.

Some things I’m doing and we can all do:

• recycle everything – all plastic containers, newspaper, paper, cans, batteries, phones, etc.
• reuse – bring my own canvas bag for groceries, use both side of the paper before recycling, reuse containers to store things, etc.
• go glass, wood or metal – try to buy and use glass, wood or metal rather than plastic
• use less – water, energy, and fuel; and packaged processed food and products;

Problem areas:

• groceries – everything is wrapped in plastic, sometimes multiple layers.
• grocery bags – I live in a condominium, so I use plastic bags to put wet and smelly food stuff before throwing in the garbage bin. I don’t have a good alternative yet.
• things we use daily are made of plastics or has plastics. (comb, toothbrush, toothpaste tube, chairs, tables, computer, car, pen, etc.)

We can help to reduce, but ultimately companies have to change at the source. It’s a big problem because every company in the world would need to find alternative materials, and would cost lots of money.

Two things are infinite:
the universe and human stupidity;
and I’m not sure about the the universe.
Albert Einstein

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
Albert Einstein

Any intelligent fool can make things
bigger,more complex, and more violent.
It takes a touch of genius –
and a lot of courage –
to move in the opposite direction.
Albert Einstein

The release of atom power has changed everything
except our way of thinking…
the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind.
If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.
Albert Einstein

Hitler and Mussolini were only the primary spokesmen
for the attitude of domination and craving for power
that are in the heart of almost everyone.
Until the source is cleared, there will always be
confusion and hate, wars and class antagonisms.
Jiddu Krishnamurti

A man who is not afraid is not aggressive,
a man who has no sense of fear of any kind is really a free,
a peaceful man.
Jiddu Krishnamurti

Great spirits have often encountered
violent opposition from weak minds.
Albert Einstein

“If you are distressed by anything external,
the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it;
and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

I worked as a web application developer and project manager. I have helped companies share information and conduct business on the web. It was about time I use these skills to develop a site to share my interests.

As a developer, I worked long hours, and ate lots of fast and junk food. As a result, I was getting minor problems like headaches, back pains, knee pains, overweight, etc. I felt unwell and decided to do something about it. I spent my spare time learning to take care of my body, changing my diet and changing my habits. After a year, the minor problems vanished. Happily, I continued to learn.

By chance, a friend introduced my wife and I to chi gong, a slow moving meditative practice to heal the body. I practiced chi gong an hour each day for a few years, and felt a some improvement. More importantly, I began to understand how our mind influence our body and our view of life. We spend years studying to get a job, traveling to see the world, and struggling to live our lives, but we neglect the one thing that influence every aspect of our lives – our self.

These are some of my thoughts on health and life.