A man's legacy

The passing away of LKY has brought along with it many tributes about his contribution to Singapore and family.Not withstanding this of course there are also critics who did not like his style of governance and what he tried to do for his country.That aside , I have not seen or read about people who criticized him as a person , a loving husband , father and grandfather.His legacy to his family , to me , should also take prominence. To the Chinese , leaving this world is inevitable but leaving behind something which will last for generations is something else.the Chinese believe that every man worth his salt will leave behind the home which he built for the children.The house is usually built through the sheer effort of the man without any help most of the time. It is the symbol of his achievements and the need to provide a roof over the heads of his family.The house represents all the efforts of the man and is something which he proudly leaves for his children and grandchildren. Sad to say , sometimes the children feel that the house which the man built is not good enough so as soon as he is gone they tear it down and destroy the vary fabric of the home.In the case of LKY its fortunate neither one of the parents is around so they cant see what will happen to the house which they both built being torn apart.Can you imagine how one partner will feel if he is around to see the children tearing down the house.They say the soul of the man will always come back to his house but what happens when he does so and finds a totally different house.Where is the respect for him? , where is the sentiment which should be attached to the house ? and where is the consideration for the feelings of the remaining spouse? I am sure that LKY's family will want to ensure that the house which their parents built and spent so much happy time will not be touched and I am quite sure , out of love and respect for their parents they will retain as much of the things in the house as possible.This is what the Chinese call filial piety and holding dear all that was precious to their parents. Yes, LKY's legacy is the values and principles which he lived by and its a learning eye opener for us all.Respect, filial piety , consideration for the feelings of the elders are age old values which must not be lost.I feel that what we should learn from LKY is not so much about the way of governance but how to be a true man and how despite being so busy he was able to run his family and impart the values and principles which one should live by.

New lifestyle

Since my sugar level went up I had been hospitalized, and give immediate treatment.But the treatment process is slow and hence the doctors advised strict control of my lifestyle which means first of all a complete change of habits.No sugar based food, exercise and of course discipline. To stay away from all the things which one wants to eat is not easy but with the right mind set its not that difficult.Just dont look at these types of food and you will be able to control.Eating the right food is not easy as if you want to avoid a less sugar diet , you will find that almost everything contains sugar and so its a matter of cutting down which means eat less of certain food .I have also been trying all types of traditional cures and getting opinions from those who are suffering from this illness.Drink coconut water, blend fruits and vegetables especially bitter gourd , go on vegetarian diet ...the opinions are varied and quite confusing.But if you are sick and if you want to return to normal your mind tells you to give everything a shot , which is what I am doing now. I assume the right formula will be found through trail and error and through a period of time. Looking back , the diabetic problem started when I had a craving for isotonic drinks and fruit juices which I consumed in quite big doses.The thirst was different and on top of that I could not sleep well at night as there were too many toilet breaks.This made me decide to go for a check up and when the doctor read my sugar level he said " Uncle , you should go to the hospital immediately".The way he said it scared me and so I went to the hospital and they immediately admitted me. I am now at the recovery period and must lead a life of discipline with no indulgence in food which to me is not a big issue as I dont eat much anyway.the only problem is with the controlled diet you are hungry all the time .This is something which I have to cope with I guess .Just hope that the sugar level will come down .