Extreme Makeover @ Pandan Gardens

[csingeu 0]

Woah.....tough training! The elder boys were telling the youngest one that he has a very high chance of posting to Commandos if he is physically fit....but he can reject the offer...is it?

cannot reject offer...

BUT... i teach you something...

when they send letter to ask you to go for vocational assessment at their camp, just keep giving stupid excuse, like got sch activity, or MC, etc, and just ignore... though the letter may state "Order by Law".... it's CRAP...

that time, I "gong-gong", scared they get the military police to catch me, if i don't go, so I went down... and I was then in...

during the 1st month, one of the higher ranking officers (think S2) spoke to all the new recruits and said, "I'm so proud of all of you for volunteering for one of the most challenging vocations...."

WTF!!!??!?!? Only then I realised that I've "volunteered" myself for the vocation, by going for the vocational assessment... Zzzz....

Your answers to those questionnaires at CMPB must be very garang in order to earn you a place in commandos unit

I heard that the training for naval divers are quite 凶！

LOL...

Yeah, that time I anyhow answer one, coz they put the questions as "Given a chance, would you do xxxx xxxx"... of coz parachuting & diving seems attractive to me... since most ppl pay money to get trained... or try out... in the army, you get paid to train for it... LOL...

but yes, my stupid answers were "instrumental" to me receiving the d-a-r-n letter to go for vocational assessment...

and now, I'm left with slipped disc, after I ORD and downgraded from PES A to PES C9L2... due to back injury from prolonged training and carrying of heavy equipment (i was in the anti-armour platoon)... think most of my camp mates, either have knee or back injuries or more...

so now i'm a 20+ with a 50+ back... my slipped disc is diagnosed as "degenerative bone disease", which is common in old ppl in their 50-60s...

1 disc worn out

1 disc got shearing tear

1 disc protruding and was looking like it's pressing on my nerves from the MRI scan

Doc said I'm lucky to be still able to walk, coz i should be in pain or have lower limbs numbness...

I was ordered to stop strenuous activities... my back got better after 6 months of physio-therapy...

but now, still having backache every now and then...

[mae29 2]

so now i'm a 20+ with a 50+ back... my slipped disc is diagnosed as "degenerative bone disease", which is common in old ppl in their 50-60s...

1 disc worn out

1 disc got shearing tear

1 disc protruding and was looking like it's pressing on my nerves from the MRI scan

Doc said I'm lucky to be still able to walk, coz i should be in pain or have lower limbs numbness...

I was ordered to stop strenuous activities... my back got better after 6 months of physio-therapy...

but now, still having backache every now and then...

Hallo, young bro

Serious Wo...so young have severe backache.

My eldest son is also lucky to be healthy today. He was diagnosed with excessive enzymes released into his kidney which may 'overload' & caused failures to important organs like heart, kidneys & liver.

I will write more on his rare condition when I retrieved his file at home.

For the time being, you take care hor...don't carry heavy things during your renovation!

[mae29 2]

cannot reject offer...

BUT... i teach you something...

when they send letter to ask you to go for vocational assessment at their camp, just keep giving stupid excuse, like got sch activity, or MC, etc, and just ignore... though the letter may state "Order by Law".... it's CRAP...

This is a valuable advice & I will convey it to my son.

LoL...he said he answered almost all questions that his interests is in Music only....

[RimBlock 0]

so now i'm a 20+ with a 50+ back... my slipped disc is diagnosed as "degenerative bone disease", which is common in old ppl in their 50-60s...

1 disc worn out

1 disc got shearing tear

1 disc protruding and was looking like it's pressing on my nerves from the MRI scan

Doc said I'm lucky to be still able to walk, coz i should be in pain or have lower limbs numbness...

I was ordered to stop strenuous activities... my back got better after 6 months of physio-therapy...

but now, still having backache every now and then...

Just to offer some advice on this (sorry for the off topic Mae).

In my teens I ended up with a damaged lower back. I my late 20s I stupidly lifted a bag of cement in completely the worst way possible and badly damaged it making it extremely painful to stand lay down or just about anything apart from hang so there was zero weight on my lower back. I ended up with mc for 6 months. What seems to happen is that the muscle tears around the spine and inflames which pushes on the nerves.

Since coming to Singapore I had a couple of x-rays and the bottom two discs are around half the thickness of the rest.

What I have discovered is two fold.

Firstly, if I feel a twinge of pain in my lower back, what I need to do is take a couple of Neurofen (no prescription needed but have to ask pharmacist as they are not on the shelves in Singapore. They are on the shelves in the UK and Thailand though) which are anti inflammatory and lay down straight away. This turned a new tear in to a few days of discomfort rather than weeks of severe pain. I would imagine any reasonably powerful anti inflammatory will do.

Secondly, I got myself to the gym. Light exercise to strengthen the core muscles and gradually build up. Body weight or proper weight training both will work. I tend to use the weights and concentrate on the main compound exercises like full squats (not these namby pamby quarter squats but all the way down) and deadlifts. Since doing this I rarely get any back pain as the lower back muscles are much stronger and can control movement and support the spine much more efficiently. Exrx.com is great for exercises with little gifs to show how to do them.

Now it is worth noting that I am 1 and err around 2/3rds older than csingeu so my body has had longer to ..... deteriorate .

...and before you ask, yes ladies this includes you. As the body ages, if you are not actively exercising you will start to loose muscle mass. This is not just the muscles you see on the outside but the muscles that support your skeleton and organs on the inside. Muscles are one of the principle parts of the body that burns energy so as you loose muscle but still take in the same amount of energy as food you start to gain weight. In guys it is usually called the mid-age spread. By doing some sort of strength training you can maintain your figure, gain some strength making lifes chores easier, improve posture and well being whilst not gaining a muscular body. My wife is dead set against exercise and luckily here genes are very good so she stays fairly slim, at least for now. One of the excuses against doing nay exercise is that she doesn't want to be muscular and if you do some research then you can exercise strengthening rather than building muscle. Yoga is also another popular activity for strength and suppleness but be aware, none of this will work very well without a decent diet of the right amount of the right things. Take a look here for some more info.

Remember, for the ladies, strength training does not mean muscle building but more muscle strengthening. You can maintain your slim skinny figure if that is what you like but you could also be able to beat him arm wrestling . Personally I prefer ladies that are slim but firm rather than skinny and like marshmallow and who complain after 20 minute walking that they cant go any further, but that is just me .

RB

Edited March 14, 2011 by RimBlock

[mae29 2]

Just to offer some advice on this (sorry for the off topic Mae).

No problem, it is good to share any topics here for discussion. This is a common syndrome and I came across many who suffered from lower backache.

Remember, for the ladies, strength training does not mean muscle building but more muscle strengthening. You can maintain your slim skinny figure if that is what you like but you could also be able to beat him arm wrestling . Personally I prefer ladies that are slim but firm rather than skinny and like marshmallow and who complain after 20 minute walking that they cant go any further, but that is just me .

I am the type who can walk and walk the whole day without complaining! Perhaps my daily 20 mins to & fro work (and even during lunch time buying food back for my son, total min 80 mins walk) does help to keep up my stamina.

[mae29 2]

The Extreme MakeOver Series - Before & After photographs:

Master Bedroom

Before - The direction of bed was in direct clashes with my zodiac animal!!

Never thought that my bedroom can turn out to be well spaced, feng shui'd wise, and the cool color theme. Kudos to my ID, Donny, for being able to whipped out a palette of beautiful colours according to Feng Shui report.

[mae29 2]

Hi,

Thank you for a friend here who sms'd to inform my mailbox is full.

I have now archived & cleared most messages which I have already replied.

For rest of non-replied messages, I will attend to them asap....have been busy like bees today with the resignation of 2 colleagues including one who works closely with me.

Edited March 14, 2011 by mae29

[mae29 2]

Hi,

Thank you for a friend here who sms'd to inform my mailbox is full.

I have now archived & cleared most messages which I have already replied.

For rest of non-replied messages, I will attend to them asap....have been busy like bees today with the resignation of 2 colleagues including one who works closely with me.

According to my BaZi chart, there will be ' major movements ' in my workplace affecting the 'senior' positions....hmmm, I am wondering my workplace will be like "earthquake" in the next few months with key staffs' departure...

[mae29 2]

The long waited Super Single Mattress (LaContessa) ordered from X'Clusive Home for my youngest son has finally arrived after 2 months of delay and will be delivered tomorrow!

This is the mattress in dispute.....

Seen here is Nicolas of X'Clusive Home who came to swop the mattress. The 'superior comfort' mattress is leaning against the wall, whilst Nicolas unwrapped the 'ContourMatic' mattress. Can you tell the difference in the thickness of both mattresses?

I can accept this 'temporary' mattress for the next 2 months until the one we ordered is delivered to us.

[cutebebe 0]

Mae, Abbong here again. Can I have the electrician's contact too? Email: abbong@gmail.com

Hi, can pm me abbong's contact? Thanks!

[mae29 2]

Hi, can pm me abbong's contact? Thanks!

Hi, cutebebe

If you don't mind, can you PM me your contact & I will convey to Abb Ong?

[mae29 2]

The big Luo Pan recommended by FSM to place in the dining area, which I ordered since 4th September 2010, is now ready & will be installed tomorrow from 1pm to 3pm.

It is really very expensive

[mae29 2]

I agreed with my forum friend here that there is a new trouble maker on RT forum.

He has such a bad attitude that we both couldn't stand his arrogance. He talks like all the fengshui masters owe him a living.

We get really chissed off when we see those insinuating remarks that he has written about us and the rest whom he thinks has "done him wrong".

A typical aggressive creature with a poor attitude in life. *sigh*

[mae29 2]

I agreed with my forum friend here that there is a new trouble maker on RT forum.

He has such a bad attitude that we both couldn't stand his arrogance. He talks like all the fengshui masters owe him a living.

We get really chissed off when we see those insinuating remarks that he has written about us and the rest whom he thinks has "done him wrong".

A typical aggressive creature with a poor attitude in life. *sigh*

There's something terribly wrong with that trouble maker. People like him are prone to depression because they are very unhappy.

People who are happy & who have attained inner peace, will never ever utter such unkind words to hurt others.

With our work experiences, we have seen people from all walks of life and we do often come across eccentric ones like this chap.

When such people crossed our paths, we just have to take it with a pinch of salt.

Edited March 16, 2011 by mae29

[mae29 2]

The big Luo Pan recommended by FSM to place in the dining area, which I ordered since 4th September 2010, is now ready & will be installed tomorrow from 1pm to 3pm.

It is really very expensive

Have just completed the installation of the big Luo Pan.

I took a few photos and will be uploading here soon...