How to live till 100+

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Summary of video:

1. Move ( find ways to move mindlessly, make moving unavoidable )

2. Plan de Vida ( know your purpose in life )

3. Down Shift ( work less, slow down, rest, take vacation )

4. 80% Rule ( stop eating when you're 80% full )

5. Plant-Power ( more veggies, less protein and processed foods )

6. Red Wine ( consistency and moderation )

7. Belong ( create a healthy social network )

8. Beliefs ( spiritual or religious participation )

9. Your Tribe ( make family a priority )

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"How to live a long healthy life", BBC documentary:

For other posts in this blog about 'life extension', click here

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Conscious Creation - The Greatest Love of All

FREE FRIDAY PRESENTATION** ON

"CONSCIOUS CREATION : "SELF-LOVE - Part 3"

presented by

Dr. T. Aaron Lim

Co-Founder, Bodhi Fellowship / Center For Inner Peace

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Had we not loved ourselves at all, we could never have been obliged to love anything. So that self-love is the basis of all love. -- Thomas Traherne

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According to the song : "Greatest Love of All "

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The greatest love of all

Is easy to achieve

Learning to love yourself

It is the greatest love of all.

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Self-love may be the greatest and most important love we ever experience in this lifetime. However, "learning to love yourself" does not seem so "easy to achieve." For most of us, genuine self-love seems so elusive, so much harder to grasp than we expected. How we feel about ourselves has a lot to do with how others feel about us.

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If we pour and pour from a vessel without ever refilling it, eventually, it will run dry. So, if we are like that vessel, how do we refill, recharge, re-energize, and replenish ourselves, so that we will have energy and love to give to others and to the world? The answer is: by loving and giving to ourselves, first.

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Loving ourselves is the foundation. In order to have loving relationships with others we must have loving relationships with ourselves. Answering the questions below is the first step:

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"What would you do if you believed you were completely responsible for the presence of love in your life? What relationships would you heal? How would you act if you believed you were the source of love in any encounter? How would you change the way you treated yourself?"

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Just as a lack of self-love has a vibration, so does unconditional self-love. It has a quiet, steady radiance which draws others to its light.

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You can explore the universe looking for somebody who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and you will not find that person anywhere. -- Unknown

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If you aren't good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you'll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren't even giving to yourself. -- Barbara De Angelis

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WHEN: Friday January 22, 2010 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

WHERE: Bodhi Fellowship Dharma Center

1B-39-3, Bachang Mall

Jalan Kesidang 3/11

Kg. Lapan

75200 Malacca

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(close to Petronas / along Prudential Insurance / 7-11 Store / Zhong Hua Seafood Restaurant / a few doors down Gateway Christian Fellowship and above Dermastrata Beauty Salon. Call Ruby @ 012-6133788 for direction)

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Friday evening presentations are an excellent opportunity to meet new people, build long-lasting friendships, and learn to live a spiritually-centered and loving life.

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Here is the music video of the song itself. Listen to the song paying close attention to the lyrics. I have heard this song many times, but didn't realise there is so much power in the lyrics.

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Lyrics: "Greatest Love Of All"

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I believe the children are our are future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

Everybody searching for a hero

People need someone to look up to

I never found anyone to fulfill my needs

A lonely place to be

So I learned to depend on me

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[Chorus:]

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows

If I fail, if I succeed

At least I live as I believe

No matter what they take from me

They can't take away my dignity

Because the greatest love of all

Is happening to me

I found the greatest love of all

Inside of me

The greatest love of all

Is easy to achieve

Learning to love yourself

It is the greatest love of all

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I believe the children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

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[Chorus]

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And if by chance, that special place

That you've been dreaming of

Leads you to a lonely place

Find your strength in love

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If you reading from facebook and want to watch and listen to the music video, click here

Oppression

Brain washing

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While we are on the subject of the need to do one's own thinking, I chanced upon this video on an experiment that lead people to conform without the subject's realisation.

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So do your own thinking!!!

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Bucky Group - I dreamed a dream

2 January 2009

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This week we had a light entertaining session of June sharing her photos from her recent trip to Japan and listening to "I dreamed a dream" sung by three different singers.

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The first one was the much applauded live performance in Tokyo by Susan Boyle.

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Next, we listened to Elaine Paige, Susan's idol...

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Lastly, we listen to Hayley Westenra...

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While the videos were played, there were repeated and persistent remarks about how beautiful Susan looked after her makeover and the echoing of Simon Cowell's praises of how "nobody has sung the song the way Susan Boyle has...". Haiz, could they have at least left these frivolous comments until after the song was sung? That way we can actually enjoy the song.

Besides, what did those remarks amounted to?

"... nobody has sung the song the way Susan Boyle has..." - Sure! Everyone has their own unique style (whether good or bad), but come on, this was a frivolous remark from a reality show sensationalist judge. Why were we repeating unthinking remarks like these at the Bucky session to the extent of disturbing the listening?

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As for Susan's improved looks - she had a make-over and looked more presentable, but she was not about to win a beauty contest.

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I wanted to say something about this, but was told that it was not about whether I agreed or not, but it was about what Simon Cowell said. I am surprised as I didn't know that the Bucky group has now become one good only for parroting somebody else. Isn't Bucky about "Doing your own thinking?"

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Which version of the song do you prefer?

Which one did you think sang with the emotions of a woman estranged with a baby, dreaming for the day the baby's father would come home to her?

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I had my friend whom I have played the three videos to without him knowing who the singers were and how they look like. There was no right or wrong answer necessarily, but he did his own thinking. So should you.

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Reflection

Really?

Sepang Retreat

We did not reach Sepang Gold Coast by sunset as intended, as our car was somehow infested with ants in Singapore and we had to stop by to get rid of those pesky creatures. I think a nest must have dropped off from the tree the car was parked under. I take it that the car must have been cozy for living creatures.

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It was already dark when we reached the resort. This time we were greeted by the illuminated Christmas archway.

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This is the sea villa that the girls stayed in for the evening. I took the one-room villa opposite.

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This is a single room villa. I love the steep pitched attap roof. It reminded me of my grandmother's house in the old days in Singapore - back then when we still had kampungs.

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We stayed up chatting for a while, but I went to bed earlier to catch sunrise in the morning.

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Where the villas are, it is possible to watch sunrise in the morning at one side and sunset in the evening from the other.

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The entire resort, other than the restaurants and offices are built in the sea on stilts. This allows the water underneath to flow without disturbing the ecology. In fact, the villas offer a good shelter for marine life, such that local fishermen have said that there are more fishes along the coast since the resort was constructed. Oysters also grow on the stumps underneath the villas.

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The chairman and owner of the resort has planned it all along that the construction do not disrupt the ecology of the surroundings. "We must have the resort in harmony with nature. That way nature will help us, because man is also part of nature," he said. This philosophy goes well with Tao, that man exists in balance with nature in respect to the Natural Laws, and all in nature circulates and transforms in harmony.

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This half completed building in the background will be a multi-purpose hall, which the girls are planning to organise an International Latin and Ballroom Dance Competition in August 2010. I suggested that they make Sepang Gold Coast the Blackpool of Asia (Blackpool has hosted such international dance competitions for 80 years!).

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This is the villa balcony. In the distance, are other huts.

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They look like this close-up.

.This is the dining area, but we did not have time to have breakfast here, as we have meetings at Shah Alam at 12noon.

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A flower dish in the showroom. Isn't it lovely?

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This is the model plan of the resort - a palm tree stretching out to the sea.

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We managed to reach Sepang Gold Coast's Shah Alam's office at 12noon, in time for a lunch treat! By then we were hungry, having skipped breakfast so that we had more time to find our way around.

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After Shah Alam and our meetings done, we headed for Malacca, with yours truly as the driver. However, the idea of a Peranakan dinner at Malacca soon petered out as it got dark and we felt that it will be too much of a detour. It was prudent that we get back to Singapore not too late as one of us had a morning flight the next day to Macau to judge a dance competition! Otherwise, a sumptous Peranakan dinner at Malacca would have been nice.

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We opted instead for a Teochew porridge dinner along our route at Seremban. The Teochew porridge restaurant was said to be near the town's Teochew Association, so our mission was to find the association building.

We were told that the association's building is behind this old Portuguese-Peranakan styled building of antiquarian charm.

This is the town's cinema - still a single screen theatre (as opposed to a multi-theatre cineplex). The last single screen theatre in Singapore, incidentally also called 'Capitol', closed down many years ago!

Finally, we found the Seremban Teochew Association!!! Hurray! But no restaurant, as it opens only during the day! So no dinner!

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Oh dear, we should have gone to Malacca!

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So from here, it was a straight speedy track back to Singapore. Once back, we headed straight for our favourite Wanton noodles at Lavender Food Centre. There was a long queue at the stall, but we needn't have to queue. For us it was special! Frequent customer privilege! :)

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For our previous trip to Sepang Gold Coast, click here.