Keep Mr. Alhzeimer away.

To ensure they are not the victims of this insidious disease, an elderly couple* followed a simple routine to keep their brain active.

Twice a day, they give their tongue a workout.  After practicing their enhanced version of the regime for more than a year, they felt the simple exercise that moves their tongue in and out of their mouth beneficial to their healthy in many ways.  Besides experiencing  improvements in digestion and becoming less bothered by nasal drippings, they also felt that they can think better and find  their eyesight brighter.  Even their stiff limbs are becoming more flexible.

The workout this proactive couple followed was the enhanced version of the original exercise.  This diligent couple  included in their routine with techniques from others like meditation, chi-kung, and accu-pressure. But the original version from their doctor friend  is much simpler.  And it goes like this:

Stand in front of a mirror or sit down on a chair as this couple does.
Stick the tongue out like you are making a funny face to someone for at least ten times.
With the tongue outside of the mouth, wiggle it like a windshield wiper from left to right and right to left for at least ten times each.
And do this twice a day.

This sure sounds easy, right?

- Ayee
*
The above post is not a direct translation of an Internet posting in Chinese, "Tongue Exercise, - Simple, Easy and Effective," by Mr. Si Chien Wong, "Family Medicine - Healthy Living," circa unknown.

The editor of the publication thought the beneficial results this couple experienced from this simple exercise plausible.  As the tongue sits in front of Hippocampus, the bottom part of the brain that helps us think and form memories. When the tongue moves,the brain moves too. 

Farley Mowat 1921-2014

I want to join millions of others to mourn the loss of a Canadian icon.  The master storyteller cum animal lover, Farley Mowat, passed away five days before his 93th birthday in Ontario, Canada.

I did not make acquaintance with Mr. Mowat's great books until 2009.  Among the 14 or so books I read that year, six (see below) of them are penned by Mr. Mowat.

His early works on growing up in the Canadian prairie with his four-legged pal, Mutt, and two horned owls, Weep and Wol, mesmerized me.  The hilarious happenstance of his childhood made me yearn to relieve my growing-up years just like the young Farley did.

Among the many stories Mr. Mowat told on the harsh life the people in the Canadian north had to endure, there are at least two of them continued bringing chills to my bones.

One of them is an old Eskimo tradition.

Years ago, the people of the north would leave canoes snugged between the calm coves by the sea.  It is told that canoes outfitted with provisions were beached there for the departed as well as the stray explorers of the eerie and unpredictable sea.

Another poignant lore that Mr. Mowat told of the Canadian north is about a lifelong bond between a man and his pet wolf.  Amidst starvation and death, the man had to trade his best friend's lustrous coat for food and fuels to keep his family alive.

Through his many books, Mr. Mowat told us how difficult the life was in the Canadian north.  Canada's premier storyteller had also spoken out vehemently on the plights of the wildlife in the Canadian north.  In addition to his staunch stand against the seal hunt, his disgust on how a stranded whale was tortured to death off the Newfoundland coast had made him an outcast of the land he loved.

Thank you, Mr. Mowat!

-  Ayee

*
1.  "A Dog Who Wouldn't Be"
2   "Owls of the Family"
3.  "Tje Boat Who Wouldn't Float"
4.  "Bay of Spirit"
5.  "The OUtport People"
6.  "The Snow Walker"