7 Secrets Your Body Could Tell You

Did you know that your sense of smell or finger length could affect your future health? Neither did I, but scientists are discovering that certain physical traits could indicate an increased risk of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer. If any of these apply to you don’t panic—just take a few precautions:

1. Finger length
Women whose index fingers are shorter than their ring fingers may be twice as prone to osteoarthritis in the knees, found British researchers. Those with this predominately male characteristic tend to have lower levels of estrogen, which may also play a role in the development of osteoarthritis, say researchers.

Take this precaution: Strengthen the muscles surrounding your knees. While sitting, straighten each leg parallel to the floor 10 times; hold each rep for 5 to 10 seconds.

2. Leg length
If your legs are on the stocky side, you may need to take better care of your liver. In a 2008 study, British researchers found that women with legs between 20 and 29 inches long tended to have higher levels of four enzymes that indicate liver disease. Factors such as childhood nutrition may influence not only growth patterns but also liver development well into adulthood, say researchers.

Take this precaution: Avoid exposure to toxins your liver has to process, which will keep it healthier, longer. Wear a mask and gloves while cleaning or working with any type of harsh chemical. Limit alcohol intake to one 5-ounce glass of wine or 12-ounce bottle of beer daily.

3. Sense of smell
Older adults who couldn’t identify the scent of bananas, lemons, cinnamon, or other items were 5 times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease within 4 years, according to a 2008 study. The researchers believe that the area of the brain responsible for olfactory function may be one of the first impacted by Parkinson’s disease—somewhere between 2 and 7 years prior to diagnosis.

Take this precaution: Pop a fish oil supplement. Omega-3 fatty acids can boost your brain’s resistance to MPTP, a toxic compound responsible for Parkinson’s.

4. Arm length
Have a hard time touching your toes (even though you're flexible)? Women with the shortest arm spans were 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with longer reaches, found a recent study. (Find yours by spreading your arms parallel to the floor and having someone measure fingertips to fingertips; the shortest spans were less than 60 inches.) Nutritional or other deficits during the critical growing years, possibly responsible for shorter arms, may also predispose a person to cognitive decline later in life, say Tufts University researchers.

Take this precaution: Put your appendages to good use with a hobby such as painting or pottery. A 5-year study from the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center found that adults who spent the most time engaged in stimulating leisure activities were more than 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who spent less time challenging their brains.

5. Earlobe crease
Linear wrinkles in one or both lobes may predict future cardiovascular events (heart attack, bypass surgery, or cardiac death). A crease on one lobe raises the risk by 33%; a crease on both lobes increases it by 77%, even after adjusting for other known risk factors. Though experts aren’t exactly sure, they suspect a loss of elastic fibers may cause both the crease and the hardening of arteries.

Take this precaution: Keep your heart healthy in other ways: Slim down, and exercise regularly, which can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

6. Jeans size
Adults who have larger abdomens in their 40s are up to 3.6 times as likely to develop dementia in their 70s, even if they weren’t overweight, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. One possible reason for the link is that, compared with subcutaneous fat (the noticeable fat that lies just below the skin), visceral fat (the dangerous fat that surrounds the organs) secretes more of the inflammatory hormones that are associated with cognitive decline.

Take this precaution: Eat a portion-controlled Mediterranean-style diet. Research shows that the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in foods such as olives, nuts, seeds, avocado, and dark chocolate prevent the accumulation of visceral fat.

7. Calf size
Though it sounds counterintuitive, a French study found that women with small calves (13 inches or less around) tended to develop more carotid plaques, a known risk factor for stroke. The subcutaneous fat in larger calves may pull fatty acids from the bloodstream and store them where they are less of a risk factor, say researchers.

Take this precaution: No need to bulk up your legs, but sip green tea to stay heart healthy. In a study of more than 40,500 Japanese men and women, those who drank five or more cups of green tea every day had the lowest risk of dying of heart disease and stroke.

21st Birthday!

Finally, I am 21. I am old. Neh. Still feel the same actually. Only richer. Haha. Anwyay, I celebrated my birthday in Melaka and yes, my dinosaurs tagged along! Man, I love them so much. Overall, it was a small party that saw Sandra and Sara coming and my relatives too but it was still a great one. And I would like to thank everyone who came and especially my family for holding the party for me. Love you guys!!!

A Reebok t-shirt from my beloved dinosaurs.

An Arsenal shirt from Sara!

Cards from Spike and Chomper!

Xiao niu from PJ!

Milk from Soo Chen.

Funny cow from darling.

A good photo with Matthew and fellow dinosaurs.

A Little Update On My Semester

As the title suggest, this is a little update on my life in my third sem.

One word to sum it all up.

SUCKS

Two words to sum it up.

BLOODY HELL

-Sigh-

All the subjects are boring if not the lecturers themselves. And I believe some of my lecturers are cuckoos. (Sorry, TJ if you are reading this.) Anyway, it just sucks and I am wishing it will all end soon. However, thinking about it ending soon will mean, I will only have a year and a half with my dinosaurs left! And that is SAD!! A few days ago (just 2 days actually), I attended the graduation thingy of some seniors (PH, Siew Fong and 38 Senior) and it was awesome and again, I can't wait to graduate. And again, graduating soon will mean I will have to bid farewell to my dinosaurs soon and I would hate that. -Sigh-

Anyway, in short, this semester sucks and the only thing I am enjoying is the time with my fellow beloved dinosaurs.

My Brother The Warden

As a requirement to his confirmation this year, my brother took up the position of a warden and here are some pictures of him. He looks so freaking good!!



Cute ain't he? Lol

Coffee Time With Dinosaurs

Another memorable event for the dinosaurs and I. Last Thurday, all of us headed to Starbucks and had wonderful coffee (except Soo Chen. Always chocolate). Anyway, we had an awesome time there. And we even crafted our names on the wall of Starbucks. It was just pure good fun and the memory of it will probably last in my head forever. Especially the part where we vandalised the wall. Lol.



Love you, dinosaurs!

Pictures!

The bloody car at the back parked behind my car like he was king of the road. After waiting for him for about 10 minutes, Soo Chen decided to honk and he came out showing his bloody idiotic face.



A leg dangling down the rooftop. Lol. The school employed some guys to fix the roof and I saw this outside my window.


Ancient egg. Lol. It should have been century egg. Lol.


Recently, painters were employed to paint all the buildings in the school, mainly the faculties. And the one who did my faculty took off the notice boards and put them back this way. Tilt your heads to read, mates!

A LOOOOONG Break..

I know it has been a really long time since I blog and to make it up to my readers, I would be posting a few soon. Posts on my birthday, dinosaurs' trip to "Dinosaur Land" and Sagil Waterfall and also my grandmother's 80th birthday. And also one that involves cofee and dinosaurs. All will be posted real soon!

A Farmer, A Donkey And A Well

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided since the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. So, the farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed shovels, and began to shovel dirt into the well.

All the other farm animals were very upset about this, because the donkey was their friend. But they discovered there was nothing they could do to help him. At first, when the donkey realized what was happening, he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well, and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off, and take a step up on the dirt as it piled up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well, and trotted off!

MORAL: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. But each trouble can be a stepping stone. What happens to you isn't nearly as important as how you react to it. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not giving up!

Shake it off, and take a step up!

Obstacles are challenges for winners and excuses for losers.

I Am LITTLE FOOT!!!

As mentioned earlier, my second round match took place today and we won!! 3-1 was the final score and I scored 2 again!! Yay! I set the other too. Lol. Anyway, darling came to watch today. Lol. Thanks, darling. Lol. And overall, I am satisfied with my team's performance today although I think we shouldn't have let in a goal. Nonetheless, a win is still a win in the end and I am HAPPY!

However, I shall get nervous again tomorrow. Going against KRP. That is an athletes' college by the way. And they kinda puzzle me. Today, they defeated KTC 6-0, making me very afraid to face them. However, in their first match, they couldn't brake the deadlock and won through penalties. So, are they good or not? -Sigh- I am bound to be nervous again tomorrow. But tonight, I am LITTLE FOOT!!! And thank you to all my supporters. You guys are great. love y'all!!!

Arsenal Wins The Emirates Cup

A brace from 17 year old, Jack Wilshere, sealed a comfortable victory for Arsenal as they continue their superb form entering into the new season of the Barclay's Premier League. The 3-0 win over Rangers, which also saw Eduardo scoring, helped Arsenal lift their first thophy of the season.



Elsewhere, Aston Villa downed Juventus to lift their first cup, the Peace Cup. And in Spain, Liverpool was thrashed by Espanyol 3-0 courtesy of goals from Ben Sahar (2) and ex-Reds, Luis Garcia (1).

SUKAM Round Up (So Far)

So paintball took place last Sunday and darling's team was knocked out due to a lousy call by the referee. They were eventually edged out by KTC.

In basketball, Foon Yee's team won their first match and then slumped to a defeat in their second. However, they came back strongly against K11 and booked their knock out round berth.

Lastly, I sucked as a manager. My first 2 teams crashed out purely because they weren't good enough. I had to just pick random people to play to fill in 5 teams. Lol. My 3rd team won. My team that is. Lol. 3-0 and I scored 2! I am Little Foot! And my last 2 teams lost because I screwed up with the fixtures. -Sigh- So I sucked.

Anyway, I am already feeling the nerves because my match against K11 is today!! PALAPES!! -Sigh-