Heart Attack & Water

Heart Attack & Water A doctor was asked why do we and other people urinate so much at night time. Answer from this cardiac doctor was gravity holds water in the lower part of your body when you are upright. When you lie down and the lower body (legs etc) seeks level with the kidneys it is then that the kidneys remove the water because it is easier. This then ties in with the last statement! You need your minimum water...to help flush the toxins...out of your body! Correct time to drink water...VERY IMPORTANT!! Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body. Drinking water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse. 2 glasses of water...after waking up - helps activate internal organs 1 glass of water...30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion 1 glass of water...before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure 1 glass of water…before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack Please pass this to the people you care about...

Raphael Maliakal

Raphael M. J (Maliakal):

son of Prof M D Joseph at St Aloysius (1955-1975 retired Head of Dept Economics)- one among many siblings (Eleven). Four siblings went on to become doctors from St John's (John, Nirmala, Joy and Roy) - sister a Ursuline nun at Bondel in the Convent of Mary Immaculate ..... ? The entire family migrated to the USA. Blessed with mother (age 92) still around in..... presiding over all as the family matriarch. My mother is in good physical health but her memory is failing of and on. She spends two months in a year with me. Nine of us in USA take our turns to take care of her.

 

After sslc and puc at St Aloysius -

joined Regional Engineering College, Suratkal - got engineering degree in Mech. Engineering in 1966.

 

went on to Calcutta first job in Hindustan Motors (1966-1969).

I remember Harry coming to get his Ambassador car in 1968 from Calcutta. Leo also came with Harry. Leo was working in Calcutta.

A stint with Telco (1969- march 71).

 

Immigration to USA taking advantage of America's then open arms policy to welcome engineers on March 10, 1971.

Got married to Tessy Vallamattam on August 10, 1972.

 

Joined....... Factory Mutual Engineering in Chicago IL.

 

Completed Masters in Industrial Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago IL in 1978. 

 

Worked as system Analyst at FM Global, Bank of New England AND MetLife and took an early retirement in 2001 because of a merger.

 

Three children - Ashok, Sindhu, and Asha. Both girls married boys of their choice (both Americans), while Ashok married within the community.

Sindhu (Architect) has two boys Sachin (11) and Rohan (8). She also adopted a girl Divya (5) from India/Kerala; visit to India with hubby - Kerala and Delhi, to collect the child.

 

Ashok (Doctorate in Chemistry) has a boy Cyril (7) and Anna (4) and lives in New Jersey.

Asha is an attorney and live with her husband in Cumberland Maine.

 

Wife Tessy is a Chartered Accountant (CPA in USA) and works two days a week. We play bridge with friends and in the community. I am active in the Lions Club.

 

Currently both concentrating on granpa/granma duties for grandchildren. With a large group of Malayalees in Boston area, active in the Kerala association. 

 

Generally we have a very quiet life.

Raphael Maliakal

If u r dying to be advised.... !

People do not seem to tire passing on advice.
Here's some that's landed in my INBOX via the internet

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully..
TWO ... Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their
conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR . When you say, 'I love you ,' mean it.
FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye..
SIX ... Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN.. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams
don't have much.
NINE . Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the
only way to live life completely.
TEN. ... In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer,
smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..
FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson !
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for
others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN.. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship..
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps
to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone.. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart,

One paragraph that perhaps explains LIFE!

ONE PARAGRAPH THAT EXPLAINS LIFE!

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: 'Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease'?
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
'The world over -- 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals, when I was holding a cup I never asked GOD 'Why me?'.
And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?' '

'Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrow keeps you Human,
Failure keeps you humble and

Success keeps you glowing,

but only Faith & Attitude Keeps you going...

Food sThat Burn Fat

Being fat or obese troubles most of us. But modern lifestyle has contributed to increasing body weight. There are a few ways to burn body fat - it is by relishing just a few delicacies while keeping away from some helps us keep fit and trim.

 

Foods That Burn Fat

Body fat is an ugly truth of life. Our lifestyle is such that it becomes almost impossible to avoid it.

Just sweating it out in the gym day and night is not enough for losing body fat when your mother, wife, sister or daughter is busy feeding you the butter-laced aloo-paranthas. Along with a healthy workout, there is need to make food also play a crucial and healthy role in reducing body fat.

 

Here are 7 foods that help burn fat.

 

1. Eggs are known to be high in protein which burns fat faster than other fatty foods. Eggs  also contain Vitamin B12, and 8 minerals - iron, calcium and other macronutrients, which aid the body in metabolizing fat.

2. Fish Instead of reaching for your chicken curry next time, try opting for fish. Like eggs, fish is also a protein-rich food that burns more fat while being digested instead of carbohydrates or fats. Fish also contain Omega 3s which prevent the build-up of stress chemicals that induce fat abs - especially tuna, salmon, mackerel, swordfish and flounder.

3. Green Tea is almost like a magical drink that has the power to keep most health problems at bay. It keeps those extra inches away by preventing fats from getting absorbed by the body. Drinking a cup of green tea everyday goes a long way in helping you achieve a healthy life.

 

4. Oatmeal not only helps in cutting down the fat content, it's rich fiber content also helps reduce cholesterol. It stays longer in the stomach which takes care of your hunger pangs. It is better to opt for a natural sweetener like honey instead of sugar.

5. Dairy Products are rich in calcium which is very effective in burning fat and preventing its formation in the body. The amount of calcium in a person's body indicates how easily one gains fat. The more calcium present in your body, the easier it is to burn all the excess fat.

6. Berries  are fiber-rich fruits. Raspberries are said to contain 8 grams of fiber in a cup. Strawberries have lower sugar content than other fruits while also being rich in in Vitamin-C which boosts metabolism in the body. Berries also have another component called pectin which forces the fats to release their fat cells.

7. Green Vegetables have been tried and tested in their various health benefits. You should add them into your diet, as they have the power to reduce your waist size. Amongst the green vegetables, give special attention to spinach, cabbage and beans. Including a lot of salads into your everyday meal plan means getting closer to reducing the body's fat absorption.

SAC Reunion-2012: Day-2&3

2012-Reunion: Day-2…. Kundapur!
(.....Maxie's sequel to the recap on Day-1 of Reunion-2012)

Those who attended our "1st in 50-years Reunion in 2010" may recall, it was the small and diminutive of yesteryears, Subodh Malli (….there were a few of us no bigger than him then too), who had volunteered to make arrangements in Kundapur for our second meet. And so, Kundapur was on the cards – though what exactly was in store for us there, was a bit hazy and not clear. At the Mangalore Club lunch on Day-1 Harry gave us some idea of having to share sleeping accommodation for the night-out in Kundapur the next day sharing three to a room. The mood and bonhomie in the group by then was such that everyone, including the ladies, were game for anything – and it was amazing to see how happily all concerned passed the hat around to deposit their own individual share of the prescribed contribution of Rs.3000/- for each.

It so happened in the end, that the highlight of this our 2012-reunion turned out to be this very night-out for the 'group' – not exactly in Kundapur, but on an island off the coast and yet not in the sea. The island was in the middle of a river off Basrur, a little distance from Kundapur, in neighbouring Udipi District a 100kms from Mangalore.

So, early morning on Jan-27 we met at 7:30am at the Fatima Retreat House Jeppoo where majority of those from outstation were housed, and boarded the bus that Harry had arranged for the trip; for our drive to Kundapur.

On the way, at a place called Padubidri we took a detour from the highway on to the Karkala Road – via Adve to visit St Joseph's Old Age Home where we had learnt was one of our classmates, Sylvie Rego, now housed. It was so nice meeting Sylvie after 51 years, and seeing his eyes light up on seeing us all landing there specially to see him.

While at the Old Age Home, some of us decided to meet the other inmates and make them happy too - and in the process, stumbled on to Stanislaus D'Souza my own uncle Sunny (mother's younger brother who decades ago had to leave the Jesuit community because of health reasons). I had last seen him in June 2010 at my Granny's house in Lowlands, Kodiyalbail – and then last December heard vaguely that he had been moved to an Old Age Home some months ago, for better care and attention than was possible for the aged within home environs. I was overwhelmed with emotion on finding my uncle on the premises, went inside the room right away and hugged him. Was amazed to see he had no difficulty in recognizing me and asked me by name, "when did you come from Delhi". The whole scene turned immensely sentimental and emotion filled, when uncle Sunny instantly became universal uncle to all we visitors, some of who unabashedly showered their love and attention on him asking about his welfare and also chatted him up.

After our visit was over, the group asked me to say a few words on behalf of all and hand over to the sisters a little token donation that we had collected by passing the hat around then and there. I thanked the sisters (…joined by Arun too in this act) for the love and care they were showering on their inmates, especially Sylvie our classmate and also my uncle Sunny. I then collected their address and other coordinates, so I could try and see what more I cud contribute towards my uncle's treatment and other welfare there (…which I was able to do two days later when together with my cousins in Mangalore and their families and children I was able to visit the Home again with something more concrete for the nuns in cash and kind).

From the Home for the Aged, we returned back to the highway and reached Kundapur by about 11:30am…. To honour the invitation extended to us by classmate doctor Subodh Malli – now settled in Kundapur with his family (….a respected member of the medical profession – a prominent local family physician). Kundapur was formerly a suburb of Mangalore just 100 kms away, now it's in Udipi district, after the erstwhile South Kanara district was bifurcated and Udipi District had been carved out from it as the new District.

Doctor Subodh Malli (who wasn't there with us on Day-1 of Reunion-2012) met us in town, tragically in not too good a physical condition. Just the previous night he had suffered injury on his left hand and his back, when a drunken driver had knocked him down brutally with his car. Even so Subodh was generous and gracious, he led our bus to the river side from where we were ferried across in a boat to an island (off and around Basrur on the main land) in the middle of the river. The island owned by one of Dr Malli's friends, has been developed as a resort, with modern cottages located amidst cashew and coconut groves, and other green wild life and a bird sanctuary – accessed only by a bamboo pole-driven boat. The boatman had to do two trips to ferry across all our group – and this I must say was not without its own share of fear, fun and intrigue on the part of some of the ladies (especially Stany's wife Shirley) who had their own inhibitions about large water-bodies.

I with most of the ladies was in the first boat trip – and once on the island, spared no time exploring right away the lay out and the facilities available on this resort. Some of us without hesitation raided the cashew trees for the ripe and juicy cashew fruit and dug our teeth into them warning each other even as we ate of the consequences if the squirting juices spilt on to our clothes. There were cottages spread across the island (…one even on stilts over the flowing water with a sit-out deck too) with electricity and running water in taps, with all the modern fittings, furniture and linen one would envisage at a suave tourist facility. For the price we paid for each room, it was evident to me that we had hit the jackpot by any standards. Without hesitation I selected for myself the cottage on stilts above the waters – and was surprised that others for some reason had thought fit to avoid.

Peter Fernandes took a picture of me at this cottage on his blackberry and I promptly shared it on email with my children in UK and USA. This was another thing – I was thrilled to find internet facility too on this island, through the Reliance NetConnect stick I had carried for my little laptop. Thanks to which, I could share more emails and pictures from this very island with family and friends.

After the second boat trip had arrived and all had chosen their respective rooms for the overnight bags we had carried, and the inevitably looked forward to night on the island….. we all assembled for some drinks and a lovely meal of course, at the makeshift gazibo on the island. This, after a good some time spent on island exploration for quaint fauna and flora and also for the birds we were told it was a sanctuary for. Apart from the central gazebo, there were hammocks spawning the stretch between trees – where Arun of course lost no opportunity to gently swing the ladies atop it.

By this time we had christened Narayan the boatman who had ferried us across the river as Captain Narayan. His efficient but very talkative wife Muthu was dubbed the favourite of all; she was found to be the chef and chief manager of the whole resort; and their lovely little 15 year old daughter Radhika was there too helping her out with the cooking in the open kitchen on the resort. Despite her confidence and efficient demeanour, Muthu found cooking for a group like ours quite daunting and intimidating – going by the manner in which we were polishing every dish she managed to put before us. The mackerel curry she had produced for the afternoon lunch was out of this world (I have not polished as many fish-heads in a long time, as I did that day).

The ladies, it appeared, had taken over and were totally in command by now – there was a clamour for toddy, and a little disappointment over its non-availability being already afternoon – but there was a promise of toddy the first thing next morning, so everyone made do with the beer and whiskies that Harry and Subodh had arranged for to raise our spirits. Coming back to the ladies, one wondered whether at all we'll survive the trip with the amount of leg pulling the ladies were up to!

'Am not really privy to what the others did and how they occupied themselves after lunch, having myself adjourned to my log cabin over the waters for my session on the laptop. I assume most must have gone to their own cottages too for a well-earned siesta or done something else that interested them. Till of course there were emissaries landing up to drag me out of my room with a clamour for tea. By the time I joined the rest at the gazebo, I thought the tea hour was well past; and before one knew, the bottles with glasses had made their appearance. The ladies had dreamed up a version of dumb-charades and pitted themselves against the men asking us to perform and enact words like 'circumcision' and 'lesbian' etc – which they were floored when we did! Then they made fools of themselvestotally trying to enact the word 'circumstances' I had chosen for them, and yet guessed the answer right – which evidently was just not possible without cheating! We all concluded Lennie the leader of the women's team was mischievously competent at this feat.

As 'schaknne', Muthu produced the 'Khube-sukhen' that she had promised for our evening drinks, and fried 'kaane'(lady fish). In addition and among other things like 'mogen saar', salads and vegetables, there was chicken fry, boiled red-rice and chapattis too for dinner. While we all hogged like pigs, to ensure he wud not drown his sorrows with drinks alone, somebody made sure there was enough vegetarian fare too for Prabhakar – the only veggie in the group.

Before I crashed out for the night, did hear sounds of some others arriving at the other room in my cottage over the waters, but not until morning of Day-3 when I dragged them out of the room from the deck side to take in the serene and calm river waters did I know that three of them – Leo, Siggie and Lionel, had shared the facility. Remembered that Siggie had stepped in to recce my room but said he preferred the loft in the other room for his yoga exercises in the morning, and had departed. We used the deck-chairs and watched the calmly flowing river and told the rest how deceivingly placid the night waters had appeared, and of the plop plop and plop of the fish jumping on the waters that disturbed my senses even while lulling me into deep slumber. Watching the king-fisher dive for their catch, we heard the peacock call on the opposite beach, and commented on the lack of adequate bird life to really call the island a bird sanctuary. Soon the ladies' raiding party arrived with all their 'oohs' and 'aahs', to inspect what they'd all missed at the cabin over the waters – and ended up taking pictures of the waterfront from over the deck.

Then the inevitable call for breakfast came, and we joined the rest at the gazebo dining facility for our morning cuppa, and a whopping breakfast produced by Muthu – idlis with lots of sambaar and authentic coconut chutney (the likes of which I hadn't tasted for a long time – bringing to mind mummy's well-ground narlachi chutney with green chilli and ginger for the morning pez); deep-fried Mangalore buns which I found to be just a local version of the north-Indian Batura which one has with Chole; and some mildly sweet exotic ksheera. With stomachs quite heavy under our belts we hurriedly bid farewell to the island after another inevitable philanthropic gesture of a tidy sum for Muthu, collected impromptu with the passing of the hat around!.

Boat rides again back to main land – we men breathed a sigh of relief watching the girls had conquered their fear of the water by now – and then by the same bus into Kundapur and to Malli's mansion there; where Norman's taxi was waiting to ferry him and Maisie for a wedding in Koppa up in the ghats. At the house we met Subodh's gracious but shy wife Jayashree – and experienced Arun to the fore once again to discover how small the world really is, with serious discussions with Jayshree over how many mutual connections their two families had and knew! Subodh escorted the ladies into town once again, the load their handbags with the famed Kundapur chicken and fish masalas – and some I spied had bought enough to last at least a thousand days! I owe one to Lennie, who brought a packet of chicken masala for me too to carry back to Delhi.

By which time arrived the much-awaited fresh and frothing toddy with which we all but got drunk; warranting a beeline to the washrooms by one and all before we set our course back to Mangalore. With the queue-ing up that resulted, at a particular point in time one heard one of the ladies even ask loudly "…are there no more bathrooms in the house?" Arun the naughty even remarked that he spied one of the ladies standing cross-legged too.

The trip back to Mangalore seemed all too short – and it was time now for farewells. It was good-bye to the Mangalore crowd anyway on Jan-26 night itself, as most from Mangalore (apart from Harry, Stany and Shirley) had not joined us for Kundapur. Then Peter Fernandes and Claudy Pais who had made the trip to the island, had already left the previous evening without spending the night on the island; and then while we left behind Subodh and Jayashree at their abode, it was good-bye to Norman and Maisie too from Kundapur. On reaching Mangalore around half past one pm, one by one the bus dropped Prabhakar and Arun at their respective stops before reaching the Fatima Retreat House to dislodge the Bangalore gang. I was the next in Falnir, followed by Stany and Shirley and then Harry the last – also in Falnir. All too soon, our fabulous reunion get-together of 2012 had come to an end.

Before I end, a sincere thanks to all – especially Harry, Walter and Subodh – who pitched in their time, energy and effort to make all this happen. Thanks also to all those who made it to the reunion, without whose arrival and participation it really wouldn't have been the fun and frolic filled event it ultimately turned out to be! And my special thanks are reserved of course to all the better-halfs that accompanied their spouses – Victor's wife Rosemary included, without whose presence and leadership we men would all have ended as mere damp squibs…


When is the next reunion, by the way? ….and when really are we meeting again? Soon, I hope!



Maxie

Life's HAND BOOK 2012

Life HAND BOOK THIS YEAR 2012
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that
is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in last years.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours. (or more)
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day.. And while you walk, smile. .

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead
invest your energy in the positive present moment
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her
mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems
are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like
algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends
will Stay in touch,

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful..
34. God heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Stupidity

Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the
store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front?
Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Why do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Why do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in our driveways and
put our useless junk in the garage.
EVER WONDER ...
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavoring, and dish washing
liquid made with real lemons?
Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food? Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why
don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If flying is so safe,why do they call the airport the terminal?
Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the
stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe
even a chuckle)...in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to
smile every once in a while

Safety Awareness

A good reminder to share with your family, friends and colleagues...

This is a shocking episode that happened on 13th May 2011 in Pune. This may be a good, useful lesson in safety for all of us.       
A housewife died due to burns sustained in the kitchen. Her husband too was hospitalized for injuries due to burns while 

trying to rescue his wife. 
How it happened:-The gas stove was on and cooking under process. The lady observed some cockroaches near the sink and 

grabbed a can of insect repellent and sprayed it near the gas stove, which was on. There was an explosion and in no time the 

poor woman was covered in flames, sustaining 65% burns. Her husband rushed in, tried to douse the flames and his clothes 

too caught fire. The husband still in hospital in the burns ward, was unaware that his wife was declared dead on arrival. 
Let us understand:- All insect repellents such as "Hit", "Mortein" etc. have highly volatile and inflammable solvents.  The 

atomised nano spary particles spread extremely rapidly and one spark is enough to ignite this explosive mixture with oxygen 

present in air. Did the poor lady realise the hazard involved? Apparently not! 
Please educate your family about this and spread the word around.... who knows you may save more than a life….