It’s not often that one learns anything of godly principles when the TV channel is tuned to a popular TV series.  It’s even less so when you are a native English speaker relying on the limited choices available on the Swiss TV.  But there are a few TV series in Switzerland which, thankfully, are still being relayed in English.  I found myself watching one such series last night - CSI (Las Vegas) - which in my humble opinion, is the best of the 3 CSI series currently available:->

The episode, like all its predecessors, began with a crime scene, where the body of a dead man was found inside an air plane.  The cause of death was not immediately known but unique in this case was that there were 8 eye witnesses, all passengers plus the air stewardess in the first class cabin who must be able to give first hand account of what had transpired.  But everyone was keeping mum and there were contradictions between witnesses’ accounts and physical evidence obtained. So the CSI team recreated the scene, and this was where it gets really interesting.  It turned out that the dead guy was suffering from encephalitis (an acute inflammation of the brain) and at 30,000 feet, the altitude is causing the guy to have the worst migraine of his life.  The aspirins were not helping and he was so delirious at this stage that he tried to open the door to the emergency exit while some of the passengers tried to restrain him; it was chaos, it got physical, there were shouts, cries and screams.  It became a life and death situation ; then it was just the dead guy versus the rest of the first class passengers.  So they did what came as a natural instinct, they kicked the guy down until he succumbed to his death.

But it was the ending which was the clincher for me.  The team discussed what they would’ve done in a situation like that.  Sara was very adamant and said “I would never killed anyone” to which Katherine (who is a single mother) replied “Yeah, I would’ve…I would do anything to protect my child”.  But it was Grissom’s final remark which spoke to me (paraphrasing) “I can’t answer that…the issue here is the victim…no one took the time to ask him what was wrong…he wasn’t threatening (to begin with)…it was an incorrect assumption…he only became threatening later.  It took 5 people to kill the guy but it would’ve only taken 1 person to save his life…”

Like it or not,  we have all behaved like the first class passengers in the CSI episode.  We have incorrectly assumed, misjudged and reacted accordingly.  We elevate and surround ourselves with (apparent) like minded people and any inordinate behaviour is looked upon unfavourably.  To a certain extent, we cocoon ourselves in the relative comfort of the church family and so many times, we fail (miserably might I add) to see, let alone hear, someone’s cries for help…simply because “they are not one of us”.   Yes, one could justify the behaviour of the passengers - they were trying to save themselves and the human instinct took over but gosh, if the human instincts prevailed so strongly in the New Testament times, the deaths of the early apostles would indeed have been meaningless.

We live in challenging times.  Appearance of a person clouts our perception.  How can we rightly determine a situation which requires our help and one where we are placed in harm’s way?  How many of us have driven past a person flagging for help by the roadside because we simply do not know if the call is for genuine help or we expect to be ambushed by robbers and vigilantes?  I don’t have the answers.  But I know I have played it safe many times because frankly the stories I have heard are just frightening.

One thing I have learned is that we must always look beyond the surface and seek the reason(s).  Each of us have been gifted by God in various areas.  When we choose to serve in a ministry - we are serving God’s people, no matter the personality, the background or even the size.  More importantly still, we are all children of God, not just in name, but because we are to embrace His likeness.  Prejudices breed misconceptions.  I have personally fault many - some knowingly, and others ignorantly. And I am so thankful for the constant reminders in God’s word that calls us to love another.  Its a singular command from God with no preconditions attached.

This journey with God is about touching lives - even if it’s just ONE life.

Hi all

I am now at midpoint of my 2 ½ months stint in Amsterdam, how time flies! Attached are some photos of last week’s highlight:->

http://ange2910.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Amsterdam_Wk5_London

Ching and I went back to London on Friday evening for the weekend to celebrate Uncle Tim’s 91st birthday. He is a super and an amazing and man. I cannot stress this enough. Aunty Anne and Uncle Tim are familiar figures to a lot of you in this email loop and if you recall from my London updates years ago, you will realised that any stay at Pepys Road is about food indulgence. In fact, the whole weekend was about food. The photos attached will indicate just how much food we consumed in 2 short days, given that there are more photos of food than there are of people this time round. Hahaha! You can see more photos of the home on www.pepysroad.com Aunty Anne runs a fine B&B from their semi detached Victorian home.

Aunty Anne organised a dinner party for 11 on Saturday night as a preamble to Uncle Tim’s 91st b’day on 8th November. She designed a five course menu – see photos Ldn_17 to Ldn_27. Aside from dinner parties at Pepys Road, I hardly ever have quails anywhere else. This was the main course for Saturday night. In Malaysia, I guess we are penultimate consumers of quail eggs, but aside from the deep fried version we get at pasar malam, we don’t tend to eat it any other way (at least I have not seen it done any other way – Alvin C may beg to differ:->). They are best eaten, slightly underdone with the flesh still a little pink inside. Absolutely delicious. Aunty Francoise (Aunty Anne’s great friend) brought a plum crumble (Maddie, I can see you salivating!) and blackberries and apple crumble for dessert. The crumble went so nicely with crème chantilly (with grand marnier:->).

On Sunday evening, Ching and I took them out to dinner at Foliage at Mandarin Oriental Hotel (see Ldn_28 onwards) . We did the 4 course tasting menu. London is very good with degustation type menu for good value (but you mustn’t convert:->). You can’t possibly get such good menu in KL on one to one exchange rate. Originally, we wanted to take them to Ubon, but it is closed on Sundays. The food was excellent – the upside being that I get to try another fine restaurant in London, although the service a bit slow (perhaps they wanted us to digest each course before they served another). See the photos to believe it. The menu had enough variety for each of us to try different dish for each course. For starter, I had tuna (with foie gras, ponzu and grapefruit), followed by an intermediate course of scallops with cauliflower, ceps and sherry. Main was beef, with smoked onion, oxtail and garlic and for dessert, I went with the mascarpone which was absolutely delectable with dark chocolate, passion fruit and pistachio. I learned a new word over dinner – grue. This is actually the skin of a cocoa bean. The restaurant served this with the calvados soufflé which Aunty Anne had for dessert. Ching was most brave to try the rabbit with truffle cream for main…I had to pass; I somewhat feel the connection with this little furry creatures even though they are great pests in Australia.

I (of course), managed to squeeze in some shopping over the weekend. Some pretty good bargains but there were some price resistance to certain goods I was eyeing (especially when its “Made in China”). We also managed to catch up over lunch with Suzan, Paul and their lovely twins, Dylan and Yasmin at their cosy home in Swiss Cottage. The twins are so adorable! I continue to count my blessings having had Suzan as a great friend since we were 14 years old!

After the excitement of the last couple of weekends, I think I better lay low for the coming one:-> Anne Frank House and the Rijkmuseum are top on my list of things to do while in Amsterdam so will most likely visit them this Saturday.

Trust you are all keeping well. Take care! Have a good day off on Thursday for Deepavali (and enjoy the jogathon).

To the Philippines mission trip, you guys are in my prayers!!!!! Have an awesome time! Look forward to hearing the updates.

Love Ange

Picture link here

Hi guys,

Just a quick update from me and more photos to share. Work has definitely picked up and I am enjoying the challenges so far. (Not sure if “enjoy” is even the right word, but you catch my drift:->). The weather, while sunny, is becoming increasingly cooler. It was about 4 degrees this morning when we walked along the canals to Central Station.

Had the opportunity to head down to Delft over last weekend. Took the train to Den Haag (the Hague) where I met up with an old high school friend, Belinda, whom I haven’t seen since 1996! (Suzan, Bel and I established that the last time she and I caught up was at your engagement party!). Delft is about 10 mins by train from Den Haag, and it was a beautiful day to just plod around the town square and visit some shops selling famous Delft chinaware (blue and white).

WE didn’t do any sight-seeing as Ching and Bel had been to Delft previously; but I will most probably return another day to do a tour of the Royal Delft factory, given that I am so fascinated with chinaware. Delft is a lovely and very pretty town, and on a day like last Saturday where the sun was out, it was nice to sit around one of the cafes surrounding the square. Ate really yummy pancakes there. I was very good…didn’t buy anything :-> I had my eyes set on lovely plates, but at EUR180 a piece, I am not even going to give it another look!

This coming weekend, Ching and I are most likely to head to Brugge, a picturesque town in Belgium. So will send more updates after. Next weekend, we are going back to London for a short trip, for Uncle Tim’s 91st b’day (can you believe it!).

Trust you are all keeping well. Take care!

Love Ange

Just like to share an email I sent out to the young adults before our camp this weekend:

I hope this reaches at least one of you guys before you clock off for the weekend…LONG email, so apologies from me!!

Anyways, one of our next prayer agenda should be to pray for the destruction of all teleconferencing infrastructure!

Thanks David, Angeline and Jon for yesterday’ s session, really had a great time worshiping and praying with you folks, and its a shame it had to end so soon, no thanks to my 10 pm meeting =(

The scripture I was searching for was actually 2 Tim 3. It’s not exactly the most inspiring words to come before a retreat but it’s just been in my mind the past few days.

The first part of the chapter talks about the deceitfulness of this age.

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

Those are some of the things I sometimes find even myself in: proud, rash, unforgiving. It’s a list that really isn’t very exclusive to the most terrible people, in fact all of us fall into this, except that we are transformed by His grace. Paul wasn’t writing about a particular group of people or person, but was talking about the times to come, times that he would not face, but Timothy will need to face. He tells timothy to not be deceived, and be armed with the Scripture and not dabble with false teachings of religious appearances.

“having a form of godliness but denying its power” — this has really been going on in my mind for some time. Yes, Paul warns about spiritual deception by writing this, but in my own walk, I am convicted and reminded that we too, as ministers are susceptible to this. Even as I write this, I am thinking back of what I’ve done this morning, or what I’ve said, or what I’ve thought about such and such a person. And this is right after our prayer meet yesterday, when we prayed we would be armed and protected in our thoughts!

Yes, we are all work in progress, but it’s a reminder that at the end of the day, whether its us, or the pastors, its easy for us to fall into procedures, into choosing songs that work, into saying things that work, into crying at the right time, into playing the right chords, right progression. Nobody would actually know. And people might be touched too, because the spirit will work regardless of what man puts in as an obstacle, but the annointing will be removed, like Saul. (like that funny pastor who came couple of months back, from US, forgot his name)

We can have the FORM, but yet in our walk, denying the power. Power to overcome temptation, strongholds; power to evangelise, to heal to deliver, etc. “Denying its power” means not accepting something that is already existing. The power is existing, when the Holy Spirit dwells in us. (Acts 1:8), so why do we still deny it?

Before crossing over, the Israelites had to circumcise, they had to consecrate. Likewise, before we CrossOver in Frasers, as leaders first, look into why we serve. Is our ministry just a form, and not a practice of our walk?

Also, we should pray for each other, protect and cover each other, physically and spiritually from situations and attacks before we head up to Frasers. I’m not so much into praying for good weather, because that’s up to God if he wants to keep us indoor for some reason hehe, but lets pray that in all things, His Will be done.

Thanks for your service!

Hi All,
Arrived in Amsterdam safe and sound early yesterday morning. It was great to see my friend, Ching again. We went for a nice long walk along the canals and had lunch in a lovely cafe. Its good to eat properly made pesto again!!! The apartment is situated in lovely place called Jordaan, which is supposedly a “chic” place in the centre of Amsterdam. Lovely art galleries and some pretty amazing things to buy. I am not sure how I am going to go home without any excess luggage!
Just setting up in new office. Office is about 30 mins door to door. Getting to know new colleagues who all come from diverse backgrounds. There are Brits, Argentinians, Australians, Dutch and of course the two Malaysians being Ching and myself.

Keep in touch. I will send news as often as I can:->
PS:
Ai ling pls fwd email to the rest of TPI group as I don’t have everyone’s external email add.
Stevie - I think I may have missed out some of our cell members so if you want to fwd this email to them that would be great too:->
Mei, pls fwd to choir. Thanks
Take care
Ange

Hi all

Since the start of yesterday morning, I have received no less than 5 telephone calls from church members asking me about Borang BE and Borang B and more importantly how to fill in the forms, when is tax due, what does dependents mean for tax purposes, how much can claim for books, computers, reliefs, “why do i still need to pay tax even tho every month i pay tax already” and the list goes on….

The most common problem is that a number of people are trying to figure out how to fill in the Borang using the Explanatory and Guidance notes which are in Bahasa Malaysia. I think tax on its own is a hard enough subject but its harder if you are trying to work it out by reading the Malay booklets which uses a lot of tax technical jargon that even I don’t fully understand (My Malay is a Standard 6 level! haha).

So this email is being sent out because help is in the way…. For those that have never been to the LHDN website, the link is below - it takes u straight to the ENGLISH version of the booklets which should ease your frustration immensely in filling out the forms. The booklets are really good and they tell you what figure to put where on the Borang.

http://www.hasilnet.org.my/english/eng_NO5_1.asp

*Stevie’s Notes*

Borang BE and Borang B has different deadlines, so if you’re a Borang B guy, i.e business owner, you have till June to sort yourself out before the IRB agents come to your house with the electrical baton.

Deadlines:

http://www.hasilnet.org.my/cP/upload/Announcement/JadualBNCPBI2006.pdf

Also here are the infamous borangs to download:

Borang B (Business owners, sole proprietorship)

Borang BE (Income earners)

They are all in BM, so for those of you who failed or nearly flunk your BM, like me, you’ll need to hire a smarter person to interpret it for you. I mean seriously, can someone tell me what “Helaian Kerja HK-3 (juga dilampirkan) serta baucar dividen asal yang berkenaan” means?? What on earth is a baucar??!!? *E.G.E kicking in…*

*End of Stevie’s Notes*

A few pertinent points:

1) Deadline for submission of tax return is 30 April. Any tax liability is also due on 30 April 2007. (Deadline for business owners, borang B is June 30)

2) Borang B - for those who have sole proprietorship income AND employment income

3) Borang BE - for those who have only employment income

4) You can file on line - however, you will need a pin number (either your employer has obtained pin for you or u need to apply). However, the system still suffers from teething glitches so you may still want to submit a hardcopy to avoid any unnecessary pains later.

4) YES, you still need to fill in Borang BE or Borang B, even if you have no tax to pay for the year. Penalty for non compliance if you are ever caught under personal tax audit for not submitting returns ranges from RM 50 to RM3,000 depending on how many offences you have committed. Also if you are caught to have outstanding tax due, then the rate of penalty ranges from 2% to 20%.

http://www.hasilnet.org.my/english/eng_NO4_6.asp

5) If you do not wish to read through the booklets, then you can seek help from any of the IRB counters at Jalan Duta, Pandan Indah, Kelana Jaya etc (wherever that is more convenient to you). All the best to you if you seek this route because be prepared for some imcompetency and long wait. Some companies even have the IRB officers setting up booths at their premise to help employees.

6) Forward this email to others you think may benefit from this email.

7) I actually don’t deal with personal income tax matters but will help where I can (no charge but within waking hours) . However, I will not be setting up a tax booth at church like some of you have suggested.

All the best!

Got this from Uncle Tony via email to the choir team - A good reminder to all

A Heart Without Idols 

Francis Frangipane 

When we first come to Jesus, He accepts us just as we are: problems, sins, and all. As our needs are met, however, we gradually discover that God is seeking something from our lives. What He seeks is our worship. But true worship is the consequence, the result, of seeing God as He is. It springs naturally from a soul purified by love; it rises like incense from a heart without idols. 

The God Whose Name Is Jealous 

Christ does not personally destroy the idols of sin and self within us. Rather, He points to them and tells us to destroy them. 

This message is about repentance. If you withdraw from the sound of that word, it is because you need a fresh cleansing of your soul. In fact, we are talking about a type of repentance that is uncommon to those who only seek forgiveness but not change. We are speaking of deep repentance - a vigilant, contrite attitude that refuses to allow sin or self to become an idol in our hearts. 

In Exodus we see Christ’s view of idols. He warns, 

“Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim - for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:12-14). 

There are many aspects to the nature of Christ. He is the Good Shepherd, our Deliverer, and our Healer. We perceive God through the filter of our need of Him. And thus He has ordained, for He Himself is our one answer to a thousand needs. 

But how does Jesus see us? Looking through His eyes, the church is His bride: bone of His bones and flesh of His flesh (Eph. 5:22-32). He has not saved us so we can live for ourselves again; He has saved us for Himself (Col. 1:16). True salvation is a betrothal. He purifies us for our marriage. From His perspective, our independent ways are idolatrous. They kindle the fires of His jealousy. 

An idol is not an occasional sin; it is something that rules us and makes us its slave. For some, fear is an idol; for others it is lust; for still others it is rebellion or pride. Whatever challenges Jesus’ right to our hearts becomes His enemy, which He will confront. Because of His jealousy toward us as His bride, in regard to these false gods, the Lord demands we destroy these idols ourselves. 

From the above Scriptures we see that Jesus does not want us to “carefully” take down that hidden altar of sin so we will not break it; rather He commands that we “TEAR DOWN” what is offensive. He is not politely asking us to dismantle, bolt-by-bolt, our pillars of pride; instead, He demands that we “SMASH” them to pieces. When He shows us an inner idol, we must demolish it completely. We cannot secretly harbor the slightest intention of ever using that idol again. It must be destroyed. 

You may feel you are not worshiping any idols. You do not stand, morning by morning, before a statue of Baal and praise it as your god. Indeed, we do not worship the idols of the ancient heathen. Like everything in our modern world, man has sophisticated idolatry as well. Paul talks of the antichrist who will appear in the last days as that one “who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thess. 2:4). 

Where is the temple of God on earth - is it a building? Perhaps, but in no other place in Paul’s teaching does he refer to the temple of God as anything other than the church. Yet, even if Paul is referring to a man seated as a god in Jerusalem, somewhere in that man’s life he had to first think of himself as “being God.” 

Let us perceive the antichrist as did the apostle John, who saw it not only as one who was coming, but also as a spiritual enemy that sought to infiltrate and then replace true Christianity (1 John 2:18; 4:3). The antichrist spirit is a religious spirit; it is manifested in that thinking which refuses to be taught and corrected by Christ or anyone else. The spirit of antichrist is resident in much of the church today, opposing the move of God, displaying itself as being God. 

Simply put, the spirit of antichrist is that spirit which exalts self as deity. You see, the spirit of antichrist is much more subtle than someone suddenly announcing to the world he is the Creator. Again, our world is far too sophisticated for that. For us today, we must look for the influence of antichrist in our religious traditions: are those traditions founded upon Scripture or upon man? And then, beyond our traditions, in the immediacy of our own hearts, we must discern the disposition of the antichrist spirit in the thought structure of our flesh nature. Is there something in your soul which opposes and exalts itself above God, taking its seat in the human temple of God, displaying itself as being God? The resistance in you against God is an idol. It is the most powerful idol in the human heart. 

But the false god of self-rule does not stand alone in man. The ancient god Mercury would be hard pressed to keep pace with today’s gods of Anxiety and Haste. The world has taken its bloodlust out of the ancient Roman arenas and put it into violent movies. They have taken the goddesses of fertility from the Greek hillsides only to idolize sex in our theaters and televisions. What mankind has done is move the pagan temples from the high places of the countryside to the hidden places of the human heart. 

If we exalt money, status, or sex above the Word of God, we are living in idolatry. Every time we inwardly submit to the strongholds of fear, bitterness, and pride, we are bowing to the rulers of darkness. Each of these idols must be smashed, splintered, and obliterated from the landscape of our hearts. 

“I Am a Jealous God” 

“You shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God!” (Ex. 34:14) The Lord did not say He was, at times, jealous; He said His Name, which reveals His nature, is Jealous. Right next to His Name “I AM” is His Name “JEALOUS.” His love is not some ethereal principle of “higher cosmic consciousness.” His love is focused upon us, actually jealous for us as individuals. He “calls his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). Jesus knows your name. He loves you personally. The fact that Christ is jealous for us as individuals, caring and providing for each aspect of our lives, and that He suffered humiliation and death on the cross to pay for our sins, demonstrates how great a love it is with which He loves us. He gave all. He deserves all. 

His jealousy for us is perfect. It is not the same as human jealousy: petty, possessive, and insecure. He is not sitting in heaven wringing His hands, wondering what we really think of Him. His jealousy is based upon His pure love for us and His desire to bless us and fulfill our lives in Him. He understands us, yet knowing our weaknesses, He still “jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us” (James 4:5). His promise to us is faithful: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5 KJV). He refuses to stop loving us. You may think of yourself as a sinner, as unlovable - as though no one wants you, but Jesus desires you. 

Early in my ministry, upon occasion I gave up on certain individuals, people who seemed to me hopelessly unreceptive to God. As the years passed, I would later discover these same individuals were now walking with God. Jesus is faithful. He loves you with a love that is jealous for you as a person. 

God knows, however, that in order for you to experience His love, the idols of self and sin must be destroyed. And to prove our intentions and love for Him, He tells us to smash these idols. Would you be holy? 

Remove the idols of self and sin from within you. For holiness exists in a soul purified by love; it exudes like incense from a heart without idols. 

This  is interesting.

well, after reading this, guess you will never look at a banana in the same way again. Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research  has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes. But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.    

PMS: Forget the  pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.    

Anemia: Forget the  pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it  perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain  Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it  perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official  claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke..  High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.      

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your  system.      

Heartburn: One of the quickest Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.  

Morning  Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.    

Mosquito  bites: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness. Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.    

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.  

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at wor k leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers:  The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.      

Temperature  control: Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal  Affective Disorder (SAD): Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical  and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature. Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.    

Smoking  &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.    

Stress: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.    

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!      

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a  piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!  

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”      

PASS  IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS, K  

PS: Guess bananas must be the reason why monkeys are so happy-go-lucky all the time! Here, I just wanna add something I discovered - so, wanna a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin and rub directly on the shoe…then polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit, huh!

Green tea has increasingly become a very popular drink worldwide because of its immensely powerful health benefits. It is extraordinarily amazing what green tea can do for your health. And if you’re not drinking 3 to 4 cups of green tea today, you’re definitely NOT doing your health a big favor

Here Are The 25 Reasons Why You Should Start Drinking Green Tea Right Now:

1. Green Tea and Cancer
Green tea helps reduce the risk of cancer. The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E. This helps your body at protecting cells from damage believed to be linked to cancer.

2. Green Tea and Heart Disease
Green tea helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol. Even after the heart attack, it prevents cell deaths and speeds up the recovery of heart cells.

3. Green Tea and Anti-Aging
Green tea contains antioxidant known as polyphenols which fight against free radicals. What this means it helps you fight against aging and promotes longevity.

4. Green Tea and Weight Loss
Green tea helps with your body weight loss. Green tea burns fat and boosts your metabolism rate naturally. It can help you burn up to 70 calories in just one day. That translates to 7 pounds in one year.

5. Green Tea and Skin
Antioxidant in green tea protects the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals, which cause wrinkling and skin aging. Green tea also helps fight against skin cancer.

6. Green Tea and Arthritis
Green tea can help prevent and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Green tea has benefit for your health as it protects the cartilage by blocking the enzyme that destroys cartilage.

7. Green Tea and Bones
The very key to this is high fluoride content found in green tea. It helps keep your bones strong. If you drink green tea every day, this will help you preserve your bone density.

8. Green Tea and Cholesterol
Green tea can help lower cholesterol level. It also improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, by reducing bad cholesterol level.

9. Green Tea and Obesity
Green tea prevents obesity by stopping the movement of glucose in fat cells. If you are on a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink green tea, it is unlikely you’ll be obese.

10. Green Tea and Diabetes
Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate. Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate 

11. Green Tea and Alzheimer’s
Green tea helps boost your memory. And although there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, it helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer’s. Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate.Green tea helps boost your memory. And although there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, it helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer’s. 

12. Green Tea and Parkinson’s
Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson’s. People drinking green tea also are less likely to progress with Parkinson’s.Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate.Green tea helps boost your memory. And although there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, it helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer’s.Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson’s. People drinking green tea also are less likely to progress with Parkinson’s. 

13. Green Tea and Liver Disease
Green tea helps prevent transplant failure in people with liver failure. Researches showed that green tea destroys harmful free radicals in fatty livers.

14. Green Tea and High Blood Pressure
Green tea helps prevent high blood pressure. Drinking green tea helps keep your blood pressure down by repressing angiotensin, which leads to high blood pressure. 

15. Green Tea and Food Poisoning
Catechin found in green tea can kill bacteria which causes food poisoning and kills the toxins produced by those bacteria.

16. Green Tea and Blood Sugar
Blood sugar tends to increase with age, but polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea help lower your blood sugar level. 

17. Green Tea and Immunity
Polyphenols and flavenoids found in green tea help boost your immune system, making your health stronger in fighting against infections  

18. Green Tea and Cold and Flu
Green tea prevents you from getting a cold or flu. Vitamin C in green tea helps you treat the flu and the common cold  

19. Green Tea and Asthma
Theophylline in green tea relaxes the muscles which support the bronchial tubes, reducing the severity of asthma. 

20. Green Tea and Ear Infection
Green Tea helps with ear infection problem. For natural ear cleaning, soak a cutton ball in green tea and clean the infected ear.

21. Green Tea and Herpes
Green tea increases the effectiveness of topical interferon treatment of herpes. First green tea compress is applied, and then let the skin dry before the interferon treatment.

22. Green Tea and Tooth Decay
Green tea destroys bacteria and viruses that cause many dental diseases. It also slows the growth of bacteria which leads to bad breath.

23. Green Tea and Stress
L-theanine, which is a kind of amino acids in green tea, can help relieve stress and anxiety.

24. Green Tea and Allergies
EGCG found in green tea relieves allergies. So, if you have allergies, you should really consider drinking green tea.

25. Green Tea and HIV
Scientists in Japan have found that EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) in green tea can stop HIV from binding to healthy immune cells. What this means is that green tea can help stop the HIV virus from spreading.

How’s that for only some of the health benefits that green tea has to offer you? Almost miraculous, I would say.

Well, well, well, your health is in your hands. You know you are smart. So, start drinking three to four cups of green tea every day for a drug-free and healthier YOU!

Visit http://www.finegreentea.com/ now for more free information about green tea. You will learn more about the health benefits of green tea, green tea diet, green tea weight loss and green tea extract. Good luck, people….