A SOjoURN.... A reAL HoliDay

It has been a most challenging month for me in terms of suffering from unbearable back pain which was unnecessarily prolonged, performing religious obligations and driving long distance in congested traffics to go to work, so yesterday afternoon I decided to give myself a treat by checking into a five-star hotel and just sit in the beautiful room and let myself be pampered by maids making up my room and having room service for my meals..no cooking, no washing and no cleaning for three days, thank you. And as luck would have it, I am upgraded by the hotel to a suite because all the rooms are fully booked!

The good thing about this holiday is I do not have to rush here and there shopping or sightseeing and the like. No schedules to keep just laze away and listen to the soft and soothing music from the hotel TV. As I am sitting here blogging away, the sea view is nothing but tranquil with yachts mooring by the hotel marina point and the green islands dotting the background. The two views above are from my hotel window.

I am now feeling invigorated, refreshed and motivated to return to work and deal with life challenges for the next few months. This sojourn is, in essence, a real holiday in every sense of the word.

Acute Back Pain is Really a Pain in the Neck!

Being very tired one day I fell asleep on the sofa while watching TV. It must have been the abnormal position of the body that the back muscle became strained and went into spasm causing, initially,niggling pain and after 48 hours it became unbearable. I could not bend down or even place my hand at the back. Luckily I had no dresses with back zippers!Fortunately for me, the aching pain was confined to the back muscle and did not spread to my legs, so heroically I still managed to drive to work. However sitting at work was a torture!

I first went for physiotherapy at the primary care level which could only offer ultrasound treatment.The pain did not go away despite two sessions of treatment and the week dragged on without respite and I even woke up with the pain, which was a bad sign. I was alternating paracetamol and ibuprofen to relieve the pain. I suffered through the weekend, vowing to seek treatment at the secondary care level where they have a much better physiotherapy facilities the following Monday. My oh my! Didn't I then feel I really and actually have a back? I took it too much for granted.

Mrs Tay, the hospital Physiotherapist was terrific, not only was I given the latest electronic treatment, she also gave me the human message which I really appreciated. After three one-hour sessions of human,electronic and heat treatment, my back gradually became better and no longer a pain in the neck!I was given a simple back exercise brochure to follow at home.All in all,the duration of my suffering was about 10 days. I am pain-free now and no longer "aware" that I have a back....

Young, obese, depressed and female.

There appears to be a rising incident of hypertension (high blood pressure) among the young in developed countries. This statement is, however, not evidence-based as there is no data to support this perceived trend, at least in this country.

Patients as young as 22 years old have been diagnosed as hypertensive (having high blood pressure). The symptoms are almost always frequent headaches and nausea with occasional blurring of vision. There is a specific examination work-up for young hypertensives to exclude causes such as abnormal hormone level and renal artery stenosis (blockage of artery supplying blood to the kidney). Young male hypertensives are usually obese (body mass index [BMI] in excess of 30).

There is yet a class of young hypertensives who can be detected by their physical appearance. This is the female who, apart from being obese, is depressed, hirsute (having visible facial hairs) and suffers from abnormal menstruation. These unfortunate souls have abnormal metabolic syndrome as well, leading to diabetes and hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol in the blood). This condition is referred to as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Left untreated, these people will end up with kidney failure.

Post- September 16 Stock Market

I believe there had been some minimal effects of the local politics on the stock market, though the major impact is, of course from the current financial turmoil coming out of Wall St in the US. Indeed global financial system and investors the world over are waiting anxiously for the revised bailout plan currently being debated by the US law makers to be hopefully and finally passed!

Since March 2008, some of the favorite stocks have fallen by more than 70%. Anyway, I picked up some SIME shares on 12 September at 6.00 per unit and look at the current price last Tuesday 30 September..but I also bought some SWKPLNT shares whose price is now at rock bottom and obviously not affected by local politics but by the low CPO prices and by the negative re evaluation of our plantations by some foreign bodies... such is the volatility of the market now, many investors are taking a "wait and see" attitude. For me, I will keep looking for opportunities created by panicky horde of investors.

Pre-September 16 Stock Market Tumble

It is interesting to see the panic in the market for the last week or so. As everyone knows that this is the week preceding September 16 threat by an opposition party leader that he would usurp political power through the shifting of allegiance by some existing members of parliament. The market response is anticipated given the political instability experienced by the country at the moment.

Whilst for some it is a moment of uneasy frustration, for others who have some cash , this is the time to buy. Remember this is a cyclical phenomenon. A lot of other factors contribute to market situation for example the current low CPO prices have affected the plantation sector badly and so has the windfall tax on the industry imposed by the government in the last budget. How much the current political instability is affecting the market still remains to be seen.

For those who dare take risks, it is time to get those bluechips .....enjoy the tumble !

Are Wealth Creation and Financial Planning in your Vocabulary?

The other day I met a helpful officer at the ASNB office in my hometown. He briefed me on the elements of financial planning which are investment, tax planning, insurance, retirement planning, estate planning and cash flow. Wished I had more time to listen to him. Anyway thank you so much Mr W for your time.

Over and above, I find that most people do not do this planning as they happily earn their money and spend it quite haphazardly. The reality of life comes to them as a shock when they are about to retire or are faced with grave life events such as accidents or sickness.

Most people depend on their savings, which when placed in a bank, would not have worked well for them financially. Just how much can you save with , say, a monthly income of 3000 at the current 3% P.A interest? That is why we need to delve into other financial products to make our money grow and help us in our hour of need. Needless to say, financial planning is meaningless without money in hand.

Financial products such as unit trusts, mutual funds, stocks, REITs, money market and bonds are there for us to select according to our risk profile. Indeed, wealth creation and financial planning should be in every able person's vocabulary and..... always aim to retire in style.

In the Nick of Time

A 55- year old lady came in with a rather flushed face, complaining of pins and needles on her left leg since the night before when she also suffered from an episode of breathlessness. She spoke of a tightening ring around her chest. Her presentation is not at all classic medical text book.

When queried further she admitted that she had been diagnosed as having high blood pressure a year ago but the drug prescribed did not reduce her headache instead she used some kind of "jelly" as suggested by her friend and found that it helped her a great deal and that her headache had gone. She took this "miracle food" for the last six months. She had never since seen a doctor.

Her blood pressure was measured and found to be 210/120, which was dangerously high and her ECG (electrical pattern of her heart) showed a markedly strained heart! She was promptly given a dose of blood pressure-lowering drug and within 1 1/2 hours her blood pressure was reduced to 140/90. She felt a lot lighter and her left leg's pins and needles were gone.

Had she not come to the clinic in time, she would have been a "stroke statistics". We all have heard of people who suddenly developed slurring of speech and paralysis of half of their body....yes, this is hypertension or high blood pressure, the silent attacker/killer. So monitor your health and stick to scientifically proven medicine.