I'M GROWING NEW BRAIN CELLS

Every time I meet a new person, the inevitable question comes out....'Now, where do you work?'

The answer in my head is, 'I'm growing new brain cells in the lab of my brain and I'm making great progress.'

I do believe that every time I learn something new, react positively to something negative or step out of my comfort zone, I'm growing neurons. Two big words for today are neurogenesis - the creation of new neurons and  neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain and nervous system to remodel in response to new information based on experiences, behaviour, emotions or injury.

Just the other day, we visited the Hill of Uisneach. It was our second time there, the first time having missed the tour. So with knowledge readily shared by our most wonderful guide, Justin, who is an archaeologist, I felt so privileged to walk on the grounds that the great and the mighty have trodden. I came away with two books and also several links to research more into the wonders of Ireland's sacred past. I can never say enough about reading. My kindle, books and writings are always on my bedside table.

My love for learning propels me forward. It becomes a challenge for me to find a way when there seems to be no way. That's where ideas lead to creativity and voila! something beautiful comes out of it.

Take for instance the time I was running to several florists in search of a dry oasis ring to make a wreath, using the garden flowers that I have dried. Sure, they have it over at Amazon and all but to actually order one and get it delivered doesn't justify the monetary outlay. So when I saw a 12 inch aluminium pie plate that cost a fraction of the price of the aforesaid Amazon ring, my brain went into overdrive. I started to grow neurons and was mighty pleased with the result. The secret is of course to be pleased with everything you have tried and not to beat yourself black and blue over something that you have spent hours on.

A friend once shared with me the story of the measuring tape. If we always think whatever we do is never good enough, perhaps we have been using the wrong measuring tape. The solution is to ditch that measuring tape and get a new one!

I know it is scary to try new things. But if you don't try, you will never know. The thing is if it works, you are happy. If it doesn't, there is always the bin, and no one has to know.

At times, I yearn for food that I love but is not readily available over here in Ireland. Recently, I was imagining dorayaki (japanese round pancakes with red bean filling) flying around me like spaceships. So I know I had to make some and so I did. A GOOGLE search on methods of freezing them came to nought so I thought of a practical way to do so, based on my experience with freezing food, and hey presto, the last time I re-heated a frozen dorayaki on a cool autumnal evening, it tasted like heaven.

I think the worst thing you can do to yourself is to build walls around your brain.

In the lyrics of 'I am a rock' we hear the lines ................

I've built walls

A fortress deep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain
I am a rock
I am an island

When we start to build walls around our brains, we self destruct. Walls need to come down. For every bad relationship, there are plenty of good ones. For every wrong decision made, there are better ones ahead. 

The brain is as old as you want it to be. Feed it and it grows. Build walls around it and you are stuck. 

So, I'm quite happy growing neurons in the lab of my brain.

PET OWNERSHIP: BENEFITS OF PAWSITIVE LIVING

THE world seems to be a very bleak place these days if constant reminders to be positive are anything to go by.

We have positive thinking, positive quotes, positive effects, positive lifestyle… and the list goes on.

Reading the paper one day, an advertisement on pet food caught my eye.

It was everything about pawsitive living. I thought the play on words was very clever indeed.

I am a huge advocate of keeping pets. Not being able to have a pet as a child, I allow my children to have any pet they want (with the exception of snakes and tarantulas) on one condition — that they mind them.

So far, our home has welcomed many creatures big and small — dogs, kittens, guinea pigs, birds, fish, iguanas, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, rabbits and hamsters.

Even wild birds nest in our porch.

If I could, I would have loved a baby elephant as well.

Pet ownership has a number of proven health benefits – physical, mental and emotional.

According to studies done by University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern, having a pet in the home can actually lower a child’s likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33 per cent.

In fact, his research, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, shows that children exposed early on to animals tend to develop stronger immune systems overall. An interesting finding indeed.

Owning a pet encourages the development of social skills.

For us who need motivation in the exercise department, a dog can be our personal trainer.

Animals can be an instant icebreaker, whether they are with you or when you’re just talking about them.

I have countless occasions of meeting and chatting with other pet owners in the park when I walk my labrador, Hachi.

Truth be told, the tendency of pet owners is to look at the pet first and then the human who is walking the pet.

I feel sorry for children who have not been brought up to enjoy the companionship of pets.

Sometimes parents transfer their fear of animals to their children.

I had a visitor who started screaming in fear when she saw my chinchilla because she did not like small furry creatures and her children who had never seen a chinchilla before, followed suit and screamed as well.

Pets teach us responsibility. The owner becomes the carer.

Cleaning the cage and making sure there is water and food are all part of caring.

Children who throw stones at animals or taunt them in zoos obviously never had much bonding with pets.

Gail F. Melson, professor emeritus of developmental studies at Purdue University in Indiana, the United States and the author of Why the Wild Things Are: Animals in the Lives of Children, says that “Nurturing isn’t a quality that suddenly appears in adulthood when we need it”.

According to Melson, “you don’t learn to nurture because you were nurtured as a child. People need a way to practise being caregivers when they’re young”.

When a pet falls ill and dies, it is a lesson on empathy, grief and moving on.

Pets also provide companionship and relieve stress, especially among the sick and elderly.

Many hospitals and nursing homes use Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) or Pet-facilitated Therapy (PFT) on a regular basis.

According to my daughter, Trinity College Dublin has an “exam de-stress canine therapy” room. These animals of all shapes and sizes help students forget their exam troubles.

A pet is an addition to the family and should be treated with love and respect.

Most of all, it should be age-appropriate. I have seen parents being coaxed by a child to buy a pet — only to end up minding the pet when the novelty wears off.

A pet is not for a day or a week. It is for a lifetime.

Pets should also suit the owner’s temperament and lifestyle. I heard from a friend that a family acquired a big dog, but had no time for it and confined it to a small space.

Over time, the dog became restless and bit their child.

So, they had the dog put down. Now, whose fault was it?

Yes, nothing beats pawsitive living. While I’m still at it, I’m going to give my pet a day of pawsome pampering.

I might even consider treating my pet to a pet spa and a photoshoot if he behaves...

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN THE NEW STRAITS TIMES 19 NOVEMBER 2017

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2017/11/304820/pet-ownership-benefits-pawsitive-living

THE WONDERS OF BEES

I am afraid of bees, many of us are, partly because of ignorance or bad experiences with that insect with the sting.

When the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (Castletroy Guild) invited Gerry Ryan to give a talk on beekeeping, I was amazed at the wonder of the humble bee. Gerry Ryan and his wife Mary run the local ‘Ryan’s Fancy’ honey enterprise in Gortussa, Dundrum.

Every cell in the honeycomb is a perfect hexagon, meaning all six sides are of equal length. A masterpiece in engineering. This compact structure provides maximum storage space for honey and is more economical because it uses less wax for holding the cells together as compared to other shapes. Because of the perfect fit, the bees work simultaneously to put the cells together and there is no wastage of time. Every bee is industrious and has a unified vision.

I can’t help comparing this to a work situation where progress is halted because someone is holding the others up. That is terribly annoying especially in group work and far often enough there is that one person who doesn’t quite deliver.

There are 30,000 to 60,000 bees in each of Gerry’s hives every summer. Yet the bees do not attack each other or their own kind– only outsiders like mice, snakes or lizards who enter their hive and pose a threat. Sadly, humans are quite the opposite. There’s nothing that tastes better with a cup of tea like a good gossip. I often think that these people lead sad lives if they need to relish in talking about other people’s affairs.

It takes over a thousand bees to visit around four million flowers in order to make a kilo of honey. This honey is not only for present day consumption but also for their young. This reminds me of both short term and long term planning. One aspect of Asian culture which is like bee culture is that we learn the importance of saving from a young age. I am most surprised to hear that many young people here do not have savings and even if they have, it is short term saving to buy something. Maybe in a welfare state, the idea of saving is eclipsed by the expectation of handouts. With Christmas just over and children having received cash from doting relatives, I wonder if any child will put away some of it in the post office or bank?

It is interesting to note that flowers are colourful so that bees are attracted to them for their nectar and in turn their pollen will be distributed. Imagine a world without the need for pollination by bees. Then flowers do not have to be colourful and we will be living on a drab and grey earth instead!

Adaptation is key in the life of a bee. Bees communicate very well, using vibrations and pheromones. I think it is extremely important to belong to a community, to learn the culture and to be part of it. In almost all of the community and interest groups that I am in, I can safely say that I am the only Malaysian.

I am constantly surrounded by pockets of people who originated from other countries but now call Ireland their home - be they immigrants, refugees, students or working professionals - moving in their own little circles.  It is of course more convenient to huddle with people from the same country and speak in your native tongue, but we actually learn much more and become better people when we immerse ourselves in the lives of others who are not like us.

Beekeeping calls for respect and interdependency. I often wonder if man is robbing the bees of their honey, what will the bees and their brood feed on?  Because bee keepers provide the bees with a well protected home, the bees produce more honey than they need. This respect for nature seems to be lacking in so many human endeavours like indiscriminate tree felling or deep sea fishing.

The Federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations runs a one week summer course in Gormanston College for all levels of experience. However, many local associations also have beginners’ courses over the winter.

Beekeeping is an ancient craft and I am tempted to don that white bee keeper’s suit and add it to my list of hobbies.

But first I must overcome my fear of busy bees buzzing.

This article was originally printed in THE NEW STRAITS TIMES MALAYSIA 22 JANUARY 2017

http://digital.nstp.com.my/nst/books/nstnews/2017/20170122nstnews/index.html#/23/