Aduhai Wak Mon..

Gawd, how does she do it?!! after all these years she still manages to pack a wallop !!!!!! wak mon.... a small wiry 72 year old woman who has hands of steel (believe me i am not exaggerating here) and who also happens to be my favourite masseuse of all time. aduh... never ever be deceived by her appearance.... she definately isnt one for the faint hearted lol.

Some would probably consider it 'torture' especially those who goes for a massage expecting to be lulled to sleep. oh nooooo... not with wak mon. when she gets to certain parts of your body you'd have to try your utmost best not to scream and embarrass yourself lol tapi i tell ya..... the feeling you get after all that. its well worth the 'pain' !!!!!! in fact i skipped lunch today for an hour long session. ahhhhhhh... besh :)

OK, when you're almost ancient like me theres a couple of things you gotta take care off or else lol. and top on that list is maintaining a much used & often abused body. you young 'uns out there, never take your body for granted (like i did when i was younger... yea, i should've known better but put it down to the arrogance of youth) see, it is the only one we've got and spareparts are near impossible to find (klu pun ada). now i make sure i take some basic supplements..... antioxidants, vitamins, minerals..... and it helps i guess coz i'm doing ok so far lol. i also believe in jamu & makjun. hehe... mengarut you say ?!! maybe..... but just look at the majestic looking javanese ladies. and in all probability, most of the famous minah indons are taking it as well. i mean after all it is part of their culture (mat salleh tu lain ahh, they have their liquor to warm their bodies & kecutkan urat lol). also kan, look at the indon workers... weh, kuat nak mampus !! when i'm out on site i see them slogging away like nobody's business regardless of age or gender. so i figure there must be some truth in it lah somehow.

Back to wak mon. i go see her every month and shes worth every visit. even if you dont have a wak mon to channel out your masochistic tendencies lol i believe getting in touch with your body through massage is beneficial... but not the 'sg wang/bukit bintang' kind lah obviously lol

Neeways... regardless of how, where or when...... lets look after that body ok people !!! and i leave you with this reminder or rather, gentle prodding from baz luhrmann ;)

Wear sunscreen.......

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proven by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...You're not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing

Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind...the race is long, and in the end its only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Dont feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life...the most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still dont.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, youll miss them when theyre gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you wont, maybe you'll have children, maybe you wont, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...what ever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...dont be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, its the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you dont follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, youll never know when theyll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...