Book

I review
Your book

You review
My book

We both
Praise
Each other

Is that
Genuine
Praise?

No.

As far as I know
It is quid pro quo

So next time
I write a book
I know where
To go ;-)

For we both know
We reap what we
Sow :-)

Have you heard this song...?!

It's got superb lyrics by Anand Bakshi and superb music by Alokesh Lahiri also known as Bappi Lahiri.

Kishore sings this song as if he's singing only for you :-)

Hothon Pe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGqEnYkDacM

Hope you like it as much as I do.

And have you read this book?

The Wellness Sense by Om Swami

I gifted this to my children this year.

It's available on Amazon and has got good reviews.

I chose it from this list of English books by Indian authors.

https://www.bookgeeks.in/best-english-books-by-indian-authors/

That's all my sharing for now.

Phir Milenge :-)
Yours, APARNA

There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Never

I never knew
Sixteen million
People have read
My poem.

Thanks to Peter James
Who mentioned my poem
In one of his books.

This book of his
Has sold sixteen
Million copies.

I didn't know this
For I haven't read
Any of his thirty-two books.

https://www.peterjames.com/books/

Some Stories and Some Quotes

If you want to read some nice, soul-stirring, heart-breaking, heart-rending, tear-jerking, awe-inspiring, encouraging, funny, witty and humorous real-life stories of success and failure such as Don't Wait, God's Wounds, Connecting, Grief Walking, Choice, April Showers, The Cure, Lessons Learned, Summer in Sweden, Happy Birthday, Taking Risks, Celebration of Hope, Breaking Barriers - you need to buy this book on BC which has a compilation of more than 50 such intriguing stories of men and women grappling with BC.

Now, what is BC? Not only women can have it, men can also get it.

Well, BC is the abbreviation I would rather choose to use for the dreaded disease - Breast Cancer.

This book also elucidates the signs, symptoms, causes, therapies and prognosis for BC.

As they say, charity begins at home. Hence, if any of your loved ones are afflicted with BC, you can use this guide to help them cope with this debilitating illness.

By procuring this book, you'll also be helping the Healing Project which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the health and welfare of people struggling with chronic and life-threatening illnesses as all the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to them.

I bought this book from Amazon

It is also available in the Book Depository which gives free worldwide delivery.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Voices-Breast-Cancer-Healing-Project/9781934184028
_______________________________________________________

And now, as always, I leave you with some nice, quotable quotes:

Be courageous, treat women with respect. - Sotonye Anga

In life, you need either inspiration or desperation. - Anthony Robbins

What Women Want: To be loved, to be listened to, to be desired, to be respected, to be needed, to be trusted, and sometimes, just to be held. What Men Want: Tickets for the World Series. - Dave Barry

When women are depressed, they eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking. - Elayne Boosler

The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost. - G. K. Chesterton

A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life, to be thankful for a good one. - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

We often choose a friend as we do a mistress - for no particular excellence in themselves, but merely from some circumstance that flatters our self-love. - William Hazlitt

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. - Bertrand Russell

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you. - A. A. Milne

At fifteen, life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice. - Maya Angelou

Take Care,
APARNA

--
The AC Daily - Please See

http://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1319026420

Today's News - Please Peruse

https://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1400751156#

Friendship has its illusions no less than love. - Stendhal

What is BP ?!

Well, it means Blood Pressure.

It also stands for British Petroleum and reading this American book, I found that BP also means Bipolar which many people know as Manic Depression or Manic Depressive Psychosis (MDP).

I've already read 2 books from this series, the details of which are here on these Links:

Voices of Alzheimer's

Voices of Multiple Sclerosis

All these books have been published by LaChance Publishing which contributes 100% of its net proceeds to The Healing Project, LLC which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the health and welfare of people struggling with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. It helps develop resources for enhancing their quality of life and the lives of their families.



This book about Bipolar Disorder is a very helpful guide for not only the patients but also their friends, family and caregivers as it helps them understand the signs, symptoms, causes, diagnosis and prognosis of this intriguing mental illness of extreme mood swings characterised by euphoric manic episodes followed by extreme bouts of depression.
The majority of people with Bipolar Disorder have recurrent episodes but in between episodes, most people don’t experience any symptoms. While some people may have only one or two mood episodes in their lifetime and lead relatively unaffected lives, others may have multiple episodes, often several times a year.

Mood Disorders are of 2 types: Unipolar Disorder also known as Depression and Bipolar Disorder in which the person's mood alternates between the 2 states of being abnormally low (depression) and abnormally high (mania).

Here are some interesting facts about Bipolar Disorder that I have gathered from the websites: Pendulum, DBSA, Treatment Advocacy Center, WebMD and Mental Health Care 

As of today, around 51 million people all over the world suffer from Bipolar Disorder with the top 3 affected countries being China, India and USA.

The median age of onset for Bipolar Disorder is 25 years although the illness can start in early childhood or in late adulthood (40s/50s). In rare cases, children as young as five can develop Bipolar Disorder.

An equal number of men and women develop Bipolar Disorder and it is found in all ages, races, ethnic groups and social classes.

More than 2/3rds of people with Bipolar Disorder have at least one close relative with the illness or with unipolar major depression, indicating that the disease is hereditary and can be inherited through genes. Bipolar Disorder is more likely to affect the children of parents who have the disorder. When one parent has Bipolar Disorder, the risk to each child is l5%-30%. When both parents have Bipolar Disorder, the risk increases to 50%-75%.

Bipolar Disorder is one of the leading causes of disability in the world. This neurobiological illness results in 9.2 years reduction in expected life span, and 1 in every 5 patients with Bipolar Disorder dies by suicide due to lack of proper therapy and social support as their pain exceeds the resources for coping with the pain.

Not everyone’s symptoms are the same, and there is no simple physiological test to confirm the disorder. Bipolar Disorder can deceptively appear to be unipolar depression or even schizophrenia (another type of mental illness). Hence, diagnosing Bipolar Disorder is often difficult, even for mental health professionals. On an average, people with Bipolar Disorder consult 3-4 doctors and spend more than 8-10 years seeking the right treatment before they receive an accurate diagnosis.

Anti-psychotic drugs consisting of mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety pills and antidepressants are usually recommended for treating Bipolar Disorder. If medication is discontinued, the relapse rate could be about 80% within 2 years. With continued drug treatment, only about 40% of recovered patients could suffer relapses. Moreover, proactive lifestyle strategies and self-management skills such as regular aerobic exercises, a regular bedtime, a healthy diet, and paying attention to personal warning signs that a shift to depression or mania is coming can all help a person manage his Bipolar Disorder better. For e.g. if after a certain period of normalcy, a bipolar person on medication suddenly starts losing sleep, he may pay attention to his pattern of sleeplessness and contact his doctor for a change in drug or dosage.

Talking therapies designed for Bipolar Disorder or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and/or Family Therapy can help stabilise patients' moods and help them recognise signs that they are becoming unwell so that they can try to prevent new episodes. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is also offered if all other therapies have failed to produce the desired effect and the patient is still experiencing severe psychotic symptoms. If someone’s behaviour is very extreme and destructive, and if he's considered a danger to himself and to others, he may be admitted to the hospital for treatment against his will, under the Mental Health Act.

Some famous figures who've lived with Bipolar Disorder are Beethoven, Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Vivien Leigh, Florence Nightingale, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley, Jim Carrey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stephen Fry, Mel Gibson, Frank Sinatra and Britney Spears. You can find a more extensive list on Wiki

Coming back to my view about the book, it showcases some very real life stories of people who've grappled with their mind-boggling symptoms for years before being able to reach a correct diagnosis with their doctors, of people trying to make some sense of their debilitating manic episodes and how they've managed to hold on to life despite all odds, making some major life-changing decisions, hoping to see some light at the end of the tunnel and striving to live even if death seemed to be the only option during moments of crisis. Kudos to them and also to their friends, family and caregivers (who with their unwavering love and support) made sure they lived thru it all....and came out of it all....with their heads held high.

I bought this interesting, informative and inspiring collection from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Voices-Bipolar-Disorder-Companion-Strength/dp/1934184071

You can also buy it from The Book Depository which gives free worldwide delivery.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Voices-Bipolar-Disorder-Judith-Cohen/9781934184073

And before I take leave of you, as always, here are some nice, new Quotes for you that I've noted from my newspaper NPPQ

One should not use the name of God mechanically and superficially without the feeling of devotion. - Ramana Maharshi

The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago...had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands. - Havelock Ellis

A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. - Oscar Wilde

When love is suppressed, hate takes its place. - Havelock Ellis

Sometimes the person you'd take a bullet for is the person behind the trigger. - Taylor Swift

Man...cannot learn to forget, but hangs on the past: however far or fast he runs, that chain runs with him. - Friedrich Nietzsche

There is no great genius without a mixture of madness. - Aristotle

I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Every man of genius sees the world at a different angle from his fellows, and there is his tragedy. - Havelock Ellis

One can promise actions, but not feelings, for the latter are involuntary. He who promises to love forever or hate forever or be forever faithful to someone is promising something that is not in his power. - Friedrich Nietzsche

It is only the great men who are truly obscene. If they had not dared to be obscene, they could never have dared to be great. - Havelock Ellis

Cheers
Aparna

--
The AC Daily - Please See

http://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1319026420

Today's News - Please Peruse

https://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1400751156#

Do everything with so much love in your heart that you would never want to do it any other way. - Yogi Desai

Guinness Book of World Records

There are now more than 20,000 poems on Boloji. Time and again I've thought of giving my name to Guinness Book to see if I hold the world record for editing and publishing more than 17,000 poems :-) When I joined Boloji in April 2005, there were a little over 2000 poems. It's gonna be my 10th year with Boloji next year. Till date I've edited and published on Boloji almost daily except the days when I've been really unwell or when I've been out of station on holidays. Till date I've edited and published on Boloji almost daily except the days when I've been really unwell or when I've been out of station on holidays. Not that I've enjoyed it every day because a daily reading & writing routine can get tedious and monotonous but those moments when I get to read some really good poems making them Ed's Choice I feel so contented. When I had joined Boloji, Rajender Ji used to picturise the poems and he kept doing it for some more years till I took over. Finding a befitting picture for a particular poem does take time but when it all beautifully matches and falls in place, the feeling is so sublime. I feel immensely pleased being able to decorate a poem with a nice picture. Moments like these keep me attracted to Boloji poetry even though all my work is voluntary. It's a non-paid role and I'm not in it for monetary remuneration. My love for good poetry and good pics from our Getty Images gallery keeps me going despite the hard work I need to put in every day juggling my familial responsibilities of taking care of my 2 children for whom I'm their primary carer as my hubby has very long working and commuting hours. Life and health permitting, I'll go on....till death comes my way. Hence with regard to Boloji, even my children keep egging me to put my name for Guinness Book :-)

But I won't do it as Name and Fame have always given me hiccups because I've always had a bad reputation ;-)

LOL

I and hubby keep joking that as a business analyst, he's donated his eyes to IT, being in front of the PC 24/7 as there's always so much of work pressure, so many deadlines to meet, so many projects to complete. Sometimes I really feel sorry for him as he has to wake up nights to finish pending work. Being a team leader, even though he delegates some tasks to his subordinates, but he is responsible for the overall performance because if anything goes wrong, he'll be held accountable. Hence, he's always on edge to see if all's working OK. I also wonder if those organ donation people will be interested in my eyes after my death, as I've already donated my eyes to Boloji and hence, the person receiving my eyes might feel dreadful opening them if all he gets to see are lines and lines of prolific poetry ;-) esp. if he's not a poetic person. Imagine his plight, thanks to me ;-)

LOL

Anyway jokes apart, just wanted to update you that not all of my 1400+ poems are on Boloji as my permanent database has always been PH because it allows me to make an E-Book of my poems which I diligently do after every 3-4 months so that I have the latest copy with myself and of course, I've circulated this E-Book amongst my trusted pals so that they can preserve it for posterity.

PH has not always been good with publishing. There have been many software bugs that have time and again made the formatting of my poems look awry and despite repeated attempts at fresh submissions, those HTML errors stay. Also, if you notice, poems with the same titles have to be always put with some kind of symbols otherwise the PH online publishing software doesn't accept it thinking those are repeats of old poems. For e.g. if I write a poem with the Title: You the next time I submit a different poem with a different content but with the same title You, I have to submit it to PH as - You - and then the next time as ~ You ~ and then as > You < and then again as < You > and so on and so forth....Many times, I keep running out of symbols and of course, all this symbolizing does make my poems look stupid but I have no way out. I've even written to them regarding this major flaw but they haven't been able to sort this out. Thankfully, on Boloji, you can see that many of my different poems with the same Titles don't have any silly symbols attached to them.

http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Writers&WriterID=2140

I think the online PH software is akin to the Microsoft word software wherein if we want to save 2 documents with the same names, it will tell us that the document already exists and do we need to replace the old file with the new one even though the content in both the files may be different, only the Titles are the same. Just as Microsoft doesn't recognize that the 2 same titled Files could have different content, similarly, PH cannot recognize that 2/3/4 poems with the same title can have different content. I wish PH gets rid of such online bugs and limitations so that it becomes more progressive in publishing. It is giving us an excellent service with the PDF facility and also the facility that helps us download all our poems and save those in a Text File. I wish it all success and a lot more progress in all its poetic endeavours.

That's a lot of PH analysis for now.

Wishing you all a Happy Diwali :-)



Love always,
As Ever, AC

--
The AC Daily - Please See

http://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1319026420

Today's News - Please Peruse

https://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1400751156#

NPPQ - For You To View :-)

https://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1411211241#

Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives, and remembering what one receives. - Dumas

Image © Getty Images dot Com (Courtesy: Boloji)

What is MS ?!

No, it is not manuscript just because PS stands for postscript ;-)

Jokes apart, on a serious note, if you or any of your acquaintances are suffering from weakness or paralysis, have walking, balance and coordination problems, there is numbness in your face, body and other extremities, you also have vision problems, fatigue and pain, and to worsen it all, you are also suffering from bladder or bowel dysfunction, dizziness, vertigo, involuntary muscle spasms and feelings of stiffness (which could be spasticity), sexual dysfunction, cognitive difficulties, depression and other emotional changes - to add to this list of symptoms, you could also be experiencing abnormal sensations like "pins and needles", "electric shocks", speech disorders, swallowing difficulties, headaches, seizures, hearing loss, tremors, breathing problems and itching, then it's time to head straight for some important blood tests, neurological examinations, VEPs and MRIs to see if it is the early onset of MS or some other dreaded disease. MS (Multiple Sclerosis), if detected early, can be managed and its fast progression can be slowed down using some phenomenal therapeutic techniques that are now available to us, thanks to the dedicated research of the scientific community.

Now, what is MS or Multiple Sclerosis? It is a chronic, disabling, autoimmune disease of the CNS - Central Nervous System. In MS, the immune system attacks the CNS and so in this inflammatory disease, the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged and this damage adversely affects vision, balance, strength, sensation, coordination and many other basic bodily functions.

I'm not scare-mongering here and I'm not writing this article to scare you off but I want to drive home the point that if at any point of time you are experiencing a whole host of symptoms similar to the ones enlisted above, instead of sitting upon those and playing the endurance game, it's time you took immediate action for a good prognosis rather than leaving it a tad too late when nothing can be done to ease off the pain and suffering.

I came to know about MS and a lot more....especially about all those brave people who are down with MS but with their strength, grit, resilience and determination they try to keep their spirits up. Every day, they pledge to live it on....fight it on....and take on MS as if they are in a war-zone striving to succeed against all odds. My hats off to them. If you want to read their inspiring life stories, this is the book you need to buy.



I bought it from Amazon

This book has been edited by The Healing Project and all proceeds from the sale of this book would be donated to them. They are a non-profit organization founded in 2005 to support those challenged with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
__________________________________________________________________

And now, let me take leave of you by sharing some nice, new quotes with you :-)

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however. - Richard Bach

If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get. -  Frank A. Clark

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. - Albert Einstein

Every problem has a gift for you in its hands. - Richard Bach

Don't settle for a life that doesn't bring you cheers but tears. - Philip T. M.

Cheers
Aparna

--
The AC Daily - Please See

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Google Posting - Happy Perusing :-)

https://plus.google.com/117466581567846877904/posts

People who are sensible about love are incapable of it. -  Douglas Yates

Today

Today while exchanging our regular weekly news, I heard from my parents that one of our elderly close relations has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

After my phone-conversation, I immediately wrote to that relation's son, expressing my deep anguish on hearing this sad news and mentioning about this book that I have in my home, asking him to procure it as soon as possible so that he has all the guidance he needs in coping with his father's tragic illness.

Thought of blogging about it also, so that others who are unaware of this treasure-trove of knowledge pertaining to Alzheimer's, can now access it.

It's called

The 36-Hour Day (Fifth Edition)

available in The Book Depository

http://www.bookdepository.com/36-Hour-Day-Nancy-Mace/9781455521159

and also on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/36-Hour-Day-Alzheimer-Disease-Dementias/dp/1455521159/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408022015&sr=1-4&keywords=The+36-Hour+Day%2C+5th+Edition

It's a Family Guide to Caring for People who have Alzheimer's Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss

Here is what its Blurb says:

When someone in your family suffers from Alzheimer disease or other related memory loss diseases, both you and your loved one face immense challenges. For over thirty years, this book has been the trusted Bible for families affected by dementia disorders. This guide features the latest information on the causes of dementia, managing the early stages of dementia, the prevention of dementia, and finding appropriate living arrangements for the person who has dementia when home care is no longer an option.

This book has the following info:

The basic facts about dementia
How to deal with problems arising in daily care -- meals, exercise, personal hygiene, and safety
How to cope with an impaired person's false ideas, suspicion, anger, and other mood problems
How to get outside help from support groups, friends, and agencies
Financial and legal issues you must address.

If any of your friends or acquaintances have been afflicted by Dementia or Alzheimer's, you can suggest this book to their near 'n' dear ones, so that they are well-prepared to cope with this debilitating disease which robs oneself of precious memories.

That's all I had to share with you for now.

Tk Care,
Aparna

--

The AC Daily - Please See

http://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1319026420

Today's News - Please Peruse

https://paper.li/alwaysaparna/1400751156#

Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change. - Athena Orchard

Thursday March 6th 2014 was World Book Day

Thought of sharing with you this book on that day

But I could only finish reading it day before yesterday

So here it is for you today

Voices of Alzheimer's

This was judged as the Best Consumer Health Book of 2007 by the Library Journal.

It's got a compilation of real life stories of people who have been thru the painful process of Alzheimer's amidst their kith and kin, friends and family and how they coped with this debilitating disease.

This book has been edited by The Healing Project and all proceeds from the sale of this book would be donated to them. They are a non-profit organization founded in 2005 to support those challenged with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

I bought this book from The Book Depository who give free worldwide delivery.

This book offers us a lot to learn about Alzheimer's - its various stages, symptoms, therapy and palliative care and how we should treat every Alzheimer's case based on the individual's life experiences as every person has a different set of memories to relate to, and it will be a method of trial and error before we see what care plan is the most optimal for the patient. It will never be a case of one shoe that fits all....what will succeed is a person-centred approach, as a treatment that may work well for person A may not be at all working for person B even though both may be suffering from Alzheimer's. Why? Because both of them come from different backgrounds having different lifestyles and an entirely different set of memories related to their upbringing, family, career, relationships, jobs, environment, culture, society, etc.

I've gained some precious insights going thru this book. Hope it also inspires you to become a good carer or caregiver.

That's all I had to share for now.

Cheers
Aparna