What A Disgrace, What A Humiliation!

The following is part of the U.S Department of Justice transcript of press conference on Malaysia's 1MDB and the funding of the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street".

Many officials briefed the press on the matter, including of course, U.S Attorney General, Loretta E.Lynch. The whole transcript is quite long. I have cut and pasted the part that I find very relevant to me as I was very much a Malaysian tax-payer until I retired in 2013.
Andrew Mccabe is the United States Attorney for the Central District of Keefe.

MR. MCCABE: GOOD MORNING. SO I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THE DETAILS OF ONE OF THE ADDITIONAL SCHEMES THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED IN TODAY'S COMPLAINT. AS ALLEGED IN THE COMPLAINT NOT LONG AFTER 1MDB WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2009 CORRUPT OFFICIALS AT 1MDB AND THEIR ASSOCIATES BEGAN A SOPHISTICATED SCHEME TO ENRICH THEMSELVES. IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THEIR EXISTENCE, ALMOST $1 BILLION WAS TRANSFERRED OUT OF 1MDB TO BANK ACCOUNTS IN SHELL CORPORATIONS AND THEY WERE CONTROLLED BY ASSOCIATES OF CORRUPT 1MDB OFFICIALS. THE FUND WERE STOLEN UNDER THE PRETENSE OF HAVING 1MDB INVEST IN AN OIL EXPLORATION JOINT VENTURE WITH A FOREIGN PARTNER. ON PAPER, THE $1 BILLION WAS TO BE 1MDB'S INVESTMENT IN WHAT PURPORTED TO BE NATIONAL RESOURCE RIGHTS. BUT THIS WASN'T A LEGITIMATE INVESTMENT FOR 1MDB OR THE MALAYSIAN PEOPLE. INSTEAD, THE FUNDS TRANSFERRED TO THE SHELL COMPANIES WERE USED TO THE PERSONAL ENRICHMENT OF THE CORRUPT OFFICIALS AND THEIR ASSOCIATES. THEY USED THE MONEY TO PAY GAMBLING DEBTS AT LAS VEGAS CASINOS, THEY RENTED LUXURY YACHTS, THEY HIRED AN INTERIOR DECORATOR IN LONDON AND SPENT MILLIONS ON PROPERTY, SOME OF WHICH IS SUBJECT TO SEIZURE AND FORFEIT YOU ARE. AMONG THE PURCHASES WAS A JET FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE OF $35 MILLION.

SO WHY DOES THIS MATTER SO MUCH TO US? CERTAINLY THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, TERRORIST ATTACKS, VIOLENT CRIME AND SERIOUS THREATS TO AMERICAN CITIZENS AND PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD. WHY DOES THE CORRUPTION CASE HALFWAY RAN THE WORLD MATTERS SO MUCH TO US HERE TODAY? WELL, I'LL TELL YOU FOR A FEW REASONS. FIRST, BECAUSE SOME OF THE PROFITS OF THESE SCHEMES WERE INVESTED IN THE UNITED STATES. AND WHEN CORRUPT OFFICIALS BRING THEIR ILL-GOTTEN GAINS TO THE UNITED STATES, THEY ALSO BRING WITH THEM THEIR CORRUPT PRACTICES AND DISREGARD FOR THE RULE OF LAW AND THAT PRESENTS A THREAT TO OUR ECONOMY AND IMPACTS TRADE AND INVESTMENT AND FUELS THE GROWTH OF CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES AND UNDERMINES OUR FAIR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES. SECOND, BECAUSE THE STABLE, HEALTHY DEMOCRACIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF GLOBAL SECURITY. THE MORE WE CAN DO TO HELP OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN STABLE GOVERNMENTS, ACCOUNTABLE TO THE RULE OF LAW, THE MORE WE DO TO ENSURE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY. AND FINALLY, WE DO IT BECAUSE THE F.B.I. AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND OUR COLLEAGUES AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO PROVIDE THE SORT OF ASSISTANCE. THE MALAYSIAN PEOPLE WERE DEFRAUDED ON AN ENORMOUS SCALE. ITS SCHEMES WHOSE TENTACLES REACHED AROUND THE WORLD. THIS CASE IS BEYOND THE SINGLE -- ANY SINGLE AGENCY'S ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY INVESTIGATE. WE HAVE INVESTIGATORS AND PROSECUTORS WITH DEEP EXPERIENCE WORKING MATTERS LIKE THIS SO OUR INVOLVEMENT IS A NATURAL FIT. LAST YEAR WE ESTABLISHED THREE DEDICATED INTERNATIONAL CORRUPTION SQUADS BASED IN NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, AND HERE IN WASHINGTON. THESE SQUADS INCLUDE AGENTS, ANALYSTS AND ACCOUNTANTS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN COMPLEX FINANCIAL SCHEMES. THESE SPECIALIZED TEAMS ARE SHOWING REAL RESULTS. THIS IS THE LARGEST KLEPTOCRACY SEIZURE IN U.S. HISTORY. WE HOPE THIS INVESTIGATION WILL SEND A MESSAGE TO CORRUPT OFFICIALS AROUND THE WORLD THAT NO PERSON, NO COMPANY, NO ORGANIZATION IS TOO BIG, TOO POWERFUL, OR TOO PROMINENT. NO ONE IS ABOVE OR BEYOND THE LAW.

SO AT THIS POINT, I'D LIKE TO THANK A FEW OF OUR PARTNERS. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO THANK OUR F.B.I. LEGAL OFFICES, THESE TEAMS ARE STATIONED OVERSEAS TO COORDINATE GLOBAL INVESTIGATIONS LIKE THIS. AND PART OF THEIR JOB IS TO BUILD STRONG PARTNERSHIPS SO WE CAN WORK CLOSELY, QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ON CRIMINAL AND TERRORIST THREATS. I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK OUR PARTNERS WITH THE I.R.S., THE LOS ANGELES U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THE CRIMINAL DIVISION HERE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, AND OF COURSE OUR AGENTS AND ANALYSTS IN THE F.B.I.'S NEW YORK AND LOS ANGELES FIELD OFFICES. THIS CASE IS ONGOING. CORRUPTION, UNFORTUNATELY, WILL NEVER BE ERADICATED BECAUSE, QUITE FRANKLY, GREED NEVER GOES AWAY. BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS HERE AT HOME AND AROUND THE WORLD TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO STOP IT, TO ENSURE THE LEGITIMACY OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND TO CREATE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL. NOW I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE CHIEF RICHARD WEBBER OF THE I.R.S. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION.

K A R I: Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Iniative

My comments:
1) Malaysia is a kleptocracy
kleptocracy: a government or state in which
those in power exploit national resources and
steal; rule by a thief or thieves.

What do we call the thief or thieves?
Probably a kleptocrat or kleptocrats. We are a nation heading towards becoming a banana republic and headed by a kleptocrat.
2) Some people have skins as thick as those of polar animals.

This is from The Star today

Suits Targeting Those Who Allegedly Siphoned Off 1MDB Funds
Home > News > Nation
Friday, 22 July 2016

PETALING JAYA: The civil suits by the US Department of Justice are seeking to seize US$1bil (RM4.02bil) worth of assets allegedly obtained using funds siphoned from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

The lawsuits filed on Wednesday are seeking to recover assets belonging to several high-profile individuals closely linked to the state investment arm that was set up in 2009.

In the 136-page document, US prosecutors led by Attorney-General Loretta Lynch alleged that the individuals had conspired to launder US$3.5bil (RM14.07bil) from 1MDB to fund their lifestyles.

The individuals, some of whom were named while the identities of several others were withheld, had reportedly used a host of offshore bank accounts and shell companies to conceal their activities over a four-year period beginning 2009.

The lawsuits were submitted by the Justice Department’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which deals specifically with the seizure of proceeds obtained from foreign corruption.

Among the allegations in the lawsuits is that US$681mil (RM2.74bil) was transferred to a personal bank account of “Malaysian Official 1”.

The official complaint also revealed that from October 2009 to June 2010, more than US$85mil (RM342mil) was spent by the individuals concerned on gambling in Las Vegas, jet rentals, yachts and other payments.

It said that the US$150mil (RM603mil) used for luxury properties in New York and California came from 1MDB’s collapsed joint venture deal with PetroSaudi International, as did US$44.8mil (RM180mil) to buy a hotel in Beverly Hills and US$35.4mil (RM142mil) for a jet.

It was alleged that money from the Goldman Sachs bond deals was used to purchase US$130mil (RM522.6mil) worth of artwork at auction, as well as an interest in the music rights of EMI.

“The funds diverted from 1MDB were used for the personal benefit of the co-conspirators and their relatives and associates, including to purchase luxury real estate in the United States, pay gambling expenses at Las Vegas casinos, acquire more than US$200mil (RM804mil) to invest in a major New York real estate project and fund the production of major Hollywood films.

“1MDB maintained no interest in these assets and saw no returns on these investments,” the suits read.

A key individual named in the official complaint by U.S. prosecutors was Riza Aziz, who is the stepson of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Riza is the founder of Red Granite Pictures, which produced the Oscar-nominated The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013.

Others named in the suits included prominent Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as “Jho Low”, and Abu Dhabi government officials Khadem Abdulla Al-Qubaisi and Mohammed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny as “relevant individuals” in the case.

Al-Qubaisi and Al-Husseiny were former officials at a sovereign wealth fund in the United Arab Emirates that was involved in deals with 1MDB in that period.

Disgrace

Disgrace is the first book by South African writer J.M.Coetzee that I have read. Coetzee is a frequent award winner. Among his notable wins are two Booker Prizes and a Nobel Prize. In 1984 he won the Booker Prize for The Life and Times of Michael K and in 1999 he won The Booker again for Disgrace. In 2003 he was awarded The Nobel Prize for Literature. The judges motivation for the Nobel Prize win was put into a sentence describing Coetzee as someone " who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider". Hmm...... whatever that sentence really means. My interest is peaked when Coetzee is described as a reclusive and avoids publicity to such an extent that he did not collect either of his two Booker Prizes in person. I always feel a camaraderie with individuals who shunned the limelight, who are not much into small talks, who tend to be quiet and who need solitude in order to recharge their energies. Coetzee most probably is an introvert too.

I finished this book at the end of 2015. Have taken the synopsis from various sites on the net. Lazy to write it myself. Seven months have passed since I last read the book and I have forgotten some parts of the plot or I am mixed up as to what comes first and what comes next in the story.

My Take On This Book
Love the book even if it is bit dark for me. It is about a South African English professor David Lurie who is not a very nice person. He is a randy old man who keeps a prostitute and even tries to be romantically involved with her even when she rebuffs him.In my opinion he has the habit of making people do whatever he prefers even if that person is reluctant to comply. And he doesn't feel bad about that. He is arrogant and conceited. He has sex with a woman and then simply dumps her off. He has sex with a woman, even when he finds her unattractive. He even manipulated and seduced a young female student. He diligently pursues her even when it is clear that she is reluctant and he was then threatened by her boyfriend.

There are a lot of questions on my mind as to why David's daughter, Lucy, refuses to report the attack on her homestead as well as her rape to the police. She even refuses to abort the baby she was carrying as a result of the gang rape. The horrible incidence however prompted David into apologising to the parents of Melissa Isaacs, the student he had seduced.

Synopsis of Disgrace
David Lurie is a South African professor of English who is twice-divorced and dissatisfied with his job as a 'communications' lecturer, teaching one class in romantic literature at a technical university in Cape Town in post-apartheid South Africa. Lurie's sexual activities are all inherently risky. Before the sexual affair that will ruin him, he becomes attached to a prostitute and attempts to have a romantic relationship with her (despite her having a family), which she rebuffs. He then seduces a secretary at his university, only to completely ignore her afterwards. His "disgrace" comes when he seduces one of his more vulnerable students, a girl named Melanie Isaacs, plying her with alcohol and later, when she stops attending his class, falsifying her grades. Lurie refuses to stop the affair, even after being threatened by Melanie's erstwhile boyfriend, who knocks all the papers off Lurie's desk, and her father, who confronts him but whom David runs from. This affair is thereafter revealed to the school, amidst a climate of condemnation for his allegedly predatory acts, and a committee is convened to pass judgement on his actions. David refuses to read Melanie's statement, defend himself, or apologize in any sincere form and so is forced to resign from his post. Lurie is working on an opera concerning Lord Byron's final phase of life in Italy which mirrors his own life in that Byron is living a life of hedonism and excess and is having an affair with a married woman.

He is dismissed from his teaching position, after which he takes refuge on his lesbian daughter Lucy's farm in the Eastern Cape. For a time, his daughter's influence and natural rhythms of the farm promise to harmonise his discordant life, for example, in attending farmers markets where Lucy sells her wares, and in working with Petrus, a polygamously-married black African whose farm borders Lucy's and who nominally works for Lucy as a "dog-man" (Lucy boards dogs). But the balance of power in the country is shifting. Shortly after becoming comfortable with rural life, he is forced to come to terms with the aftermath of an attack on the farm. Three men, who claim to need Lucy's phone to call for aid for a sick sister, force their way into the farmhouse. The men are armed with firearms, rape Lucy, and attempt to kill David by setting him on fire. In addition to these actions, they also shoot a collection of caged dogs which Lucy is boarding, in an action which David later muses was done since black people in South Africa are taught to fear dogs as symbols of white power and oppression. The men drive off in David's car: it is never recovered and they are never caught, although police once contact David to come pick up "his" car, which is in fact evidently not his car (different colour and registration number). Newspapers spell Lurie's name inaccurately ("Lourie"), meaning nothing will tie his persona of disgraced academic to the attack.

Lucy becomes apathetic and agoraphobic after the attack. David presses her to report the full circumstances to the police, but she does not. She has become pregnant by one of the rapists, but ignores advice to terminate the pregnancy. She does not want to, and in fact does not, discuss the attack with David until much later. Meanwhile, David suspects Petrus of orchestrating the attack. This suspicion is apparently confirmed when one of the attackers, a young man named Pollux, attends one of Petrus's parties and is claimed by Petrus as a kinsman. Pollux ultimately comes to live with Petrus, and spies on Lucy bathing. When David catches Pollux doing this, Lucy forces David to desist from any retribution. David surmises that ultimately, Lucy will be forced into marrying Petrus and giving him her land, and it appears that Lucy is resigned to this contingency.

Returning home to his house in Cape Town, David finds that his house has been broken into in his long absence, by either looters or students protesting his affair with Melanie. Either way, his house is in shambles. He attempts to attend a theatre performance starring Melanie, but is harassed into leaving by the same boyfriend who had earlier threatened him. He also attempts to apologize to Melanie's father, leading to an awkward meeting with Melanie's little sister, and Melanie's father, who insists he stay for dinner. Melanie's father insists that his forgiveness is irrelevant: Lurie must follow his own path to redemption.

At novel's end, Lurie has returned to Lucy's farm. He works with Bev Shaw, a friend of Lucy's, who keeps an animal shelter and who frequently has to euthanize animals, which David then disposes of. Shaw has earlier had an affair with Lurie, despite David finding her physically unattractive. Lurie has been keeping a resilient stray from being euthanized, but at the end of the novel "gives him up" to Bev Shaw's euthanasia.

A Little Bit on J.M.Coetzee
John Maxwell Coetzee was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 9 February 1940, the elder of two children. His mother was a primary school teacher. His father was trained as an attorney, but practiced as such only intermittently; during the years 1941–45 he served with the South African forces in North Africa and Italy. Though Coetzee's parents were not of British descent, the language spoken at home was English.

Coetzee received his primary schooling in Cape Town and in the nearby town of Worcester. For his secondary education he attended a school in Cape Town run by a Catholic order, the Marist Brothers. He matriculated in 1956.

Coetzee entered the University of Cape Town in 1957, and in 1960 and 1961 graduated successively with honours degrees in English and mathematics. He spent the years 1962–65 in England, working as a computer programmer while doing research for a thesis on the English novelist Ford Madox Ford.

In 1963 he married Philippa Jubber (1939–1991). They had two children, Nicolas (1966–1989) and Gisela (b. 1968).

In 1965 Coetzee entered the graduate school of the University of Texas at Austin, and in 1968 graduated with a PhD in English, linguistics, and Germanic languages. His doctoral dissertation was on the early fiction of Samuel Beckett.

For three years (1968–71) Coetzee was assistant professor of English at the State University of New York in Buffalo. After an application for permanent residence in the United States was denied, he returned to South Africa. From 1972 until 2000 he held a series of positions at the University of Cape Town, the last of them as Distinguished Professor of Literature.

Between 1984 and 2003 he also taught frequently in the United States: at the State University of New York, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago, where for six years he was a member of the Committee on Social Thought.

Coetzee began writing fiction in 1969. His first book, Dusklands, was published in South Africa in 1974. In the Heart of the Country (1977) won South Africa's then principal literary award, the CNA Prize, and was published in Britain and the USA.Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) received international notice. His reputation was confirmed by Life & Times of Michael K (1983), which won Britain's Booker Prize. It was followed by Foe(1986), Age of Iron (1990), The Master of Petersburg (1994), and Disgrace (1999), which again won the Booker Prize.

Coetzee also wrote two fictionalized memoirs,Boyhood (1997) and Youth (2002). The Lives of Animals (1999) is a fictionalized lecture, later absorbed into Elizabeth Costello (2003). White Writing (1988) is a set of essays on South African literature and culture. Doubling the Point (1992) consists of essays and interviews with David Attwell. Giving Offense (1996) is a study of literary censorship. Stranger Shores (2001) collects his later literary essays.

Coetzee has also been active as a translator of Dutch and Afrikaans literature.
In 2002 Coetzee emigrated to Australia. He lives with his partner Dorothy Driver in Adelaide, South Australia, where he holds an honorary position at the University of Adelaide.

My Nephews and Nieces

I have many nephews and nieces. The eldest of my nephews and nieces is Azmi. I called him Atan because that is the nickname given to him when he was like six-months old. The nickname however stuck until now. He will be 45 this coming November and living in Precint 9, Putrajaya with his wife Normah. When he was growing up, Atan lived with me and therefore, perhaps, closest to me among my nephew and nieces.

Now let's look at my other nephews and nieces. My eldest brother, Aziz the cassanova, has six children. There are Zatul Iffah, Zatul Ima, Ahmad Yusof, Siti Ainin Sofia, Syuhadah and Iqbal. These are followed by the children of my other five brothers. I have no sister and therefore I am the only aunt for all my nephews and nieces on their father's side.

Let me see if I can remember all the names of my nephews and nieces. From my brother Aziman there are Ahmad Danial, Ahmad Dasila and Diana. Then there are Ahmad Nur Azrul, Ahmad Nur Izwan and Nur Asyikin from my brother Azmi. My late brother Azlan had two boys, Ahmad Nur Hakim and Ahmad Nur Hazim. When Hakim was about two and Hazim was eight-months old, my bother Azlan and his wife Yati were killed in a road accident somewhere near Changkat Jering back in 1994. Both boys were then adopted by my brother Azmi. Hakim and Hazim are presently young gentlemen of 28 and 25 respectively.

My brother Azhar has two boys and two girls. There are Ahmad Firdaus, Ahmad Zulkarnain, Athirah and I forgot the name of the youngest girl. What a terrible auntie ha ha ha. My youngest brother Azmir also has four children which are Ahmad Afik Lokman, Ahmad Arif Iskandar, Ahmad Nur Imran and the youngest is called Manja. Altogether I have 23 nephews and nieces.

Image 1

Image 1: This photo was Whatsapped to me by my niece Syikin two days ago. She was around 5 at that time (front row cream-coloured baju kurung) and it was, if I am not mistaken, Hari Raya of 1994. It was a very sombre and subdued Hari Raya for all of us because my brother Azlan and my sister-in-law Yati passed away in a road accident three weeks previously, on the third day of Ramadhan of that year. Their boys Hakim and Hazim can be seen in this photo. Hakim in blue baju Melayu while Hazim is the baby in the photo being held by his cousin Ahmad Yusof. Can be seen one of Hazim's legs is still in plaster cast as a result of the accident.

Image 2

Image 2: This is my nephew Atan and his wife Normah at KLIA. Sending me off to Bali for a short holiday around April 2014 

Image 3

Image 3: This photo was about 5 years ago in the Lada Hijau restaurant in Damansara. From left to right: Iskandar, Manja, Imran, Along, Lokman and Hazim. I think it was the birthdays of Along, Hazim and Lokman celebrated together.

Image 4

Image 4: In this photo standing in the back row from left to right is me, my late sisters-in-law Yati and Kak Non and at the right is my brother Aziz. Sitting next to my dad is my niece Ima and sitting next to my late mum is my niece Iffah. The two boys sitting on the floor are my nephews Azrul and Yusof. 

Image 5

Image 5: My late mum and my dad. This photo was taken most probably in either 1992 or 1993 when my brother Azlan was still around. There was some contentment on mum's face in this photo. The unexpected and sudden passing of my brother and my sister-in-law later on, took a huge toll on mum and I believe a part of her was never the same after that.

Image 6

Image 6: This was a photo studio of me and my nephew Atan. I think I had already started working but I still did not have a camera at this time. A camera was a luxury item then. Me and Atan, we went through a lot of conflicts, struggles and crisis together. Ranging from the instability and unhappiness of my adopted parents' marriage, their constant bickerings, my adopted father's never-ending financial problems, my adopted mother's acute insecurity issues with me and my biological parents, her inability to relate properly to her own siblings, her psychosis to her obsession of getting me married at whatever cost. I felt very alone and my self-esteem took a massive dive. It is during this period that I began to learn the hard truth, that the only person I can count on in this life is myself and myself alone.
Looking back, on the positive side however, whatever little strength I have as a person right now, probably resulted from having to deal with all those hurdles and predicaments. The saying goes, whatever doesn't kill you, is going to make you stronger. I don't agree with that. I think I made a very conscious decision to fight the adversity and to survive. It was never passive participation.

Image 7

Image 7: This is a precious photo of the four boys. From left Danial, Along, Wan and Dasila. Danial, Wan and Dasila are married. Wan has one child and Dasila has two. Presently, from my 23 nephews and nieces, I have 12 grandchildren. I am an Atah. In my family Atah is an endearment term for grandmother. So I am a Wan Nyah as well as an Atah Nyah. 

Trying To Be Healthier

I had left this blog for ages. Reason? No reason. I just tend to be sporadic at times in my writing habit. There were times I feel like I just want to write and write, about everything and anything that I care about. Which is dangerous actually. There are times I just let ideas blow away into nothingness. People say that, in an ideal universe, everyone should be able to express his or her own opinion as long as he or she does not cause harm or injustice to others with that opinion. Frankly, even I do not believe there is such a place. An ideal universe, I mean. We do not need an ideal world. We just need to be rationale, just and peaceful.

It is better then to write about myself. Lately, I have a lot of thought about the state of affairs of my health. It started with my blood pressure reading which nowadays seemed to fluctuate towards the higher than normal reading, despite the fact that I am on medication. I take only one medication and I really hope that it will stay that way for always. Because there are people who have to be on two or three medications just for hypertension alone. Even if my reading is not that high, for example 160/85 about one and half months ago, still I feel that my body is telling me to do something about it. Hypertension is one of the many metabolic syndromes that should tell us to be careful and to take measures to prevent the situation from becoming worse. It can lead to cardivascular disease if I do not take care, despite the medication.

I want to be healthier than what I am now. My idea of aging gracefully is being able to live independently on my own, being able to do what I love. It means having a quality life without being afflicted with any chronic disease. Have I had those so far? Well, so far so good. For a 61 year-old I think I am doing ok. Besides the hypertension, and the osteoarthritis which has been partly tackled, I have no other medical conditions that need special attention.

Back to the hypertension. How do I bring my BP reading to normal? I have read a lot of literature on that topic. Hypertension is the condition when the heart has to pump harder in order to send oxygenated blood to various parts of the body. If left untreated hypertension can lead to the narrowing of the arteries carrying blood from the heart to other parts of the body. The term for the narrowing or hardening if the arteries is atherosclerosis. What causes atherosclerosis? Whenever there is an inflammation on the cells of the walls of the arteries, cholesterol will patch up that inflammation by depositing itself at the cell. It is this cholesterol deposits or plug that tend to obstruct the path of blood flow by making the path smaller. In the incidence of the cholesterol plug being run over by the particles in the blood and get broken off, more cholesterol will be deposited there to the extend that the artery is totally blocked at that point. This will result in a stroke. The latest researches on cardio-vascular diseses have ceased demonising cholesterol as the Darth Varder of strokes contrary to previous beliefs.

What causes hypertension? The exact causes of high blood pressure are not really known, but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development including:
- Smoking
- Being overweight or obese
- Lack of physical activities
- Too much salt in the diet
- Too much alcohol consumption
- Stress
- Older age
- Genetics
- Family history
- Chronic kidney disease
- Adrenal and thyroid disorders
- Sleep apnea

Okay, I know all the facts. Where do I begin to make some changes towards being healthier? That is, where hypertension in concerned. I have decided to tackle the obesity issue. Since losing weight has a lot of health benefits and is very much suggested to me by my regular GP.

As the caption in the image above says, I use this photo
to motivate and encourage myself in the process

The above selfie was taken, if I am not wrong, about 3 months after my retirement in late 2013 and just before the TKR surgery. I looked fat, too fat in fact. That is just considering the face only. I think, my weight at that time was around 71 kg. At 71 kg. my BMI was 30.33 which was already in the obese category.So, about two months ago, I decided to choose to do something about my weight. I am responsible for myself and nobody else. The choice is mine and mine alone.

The chubby Wan Nyah

In the second image above, can also be clearly seen in all the 5 facial snapshots that I needed to lose some weight. I looked just very very chubby and chubby is cute for small children only.

Managed to lose a little weight. Still making all effort.
Determined to reach a healthy BMI.

So, after about two months, I did manage to lose some weight. In the above image, the right-most section was when I was 71 kg, the middle section was about 3 weeks ago and the one on the left was about 5 days ago. Trying to lose weight is not an easy journey and there were times I am just not sure, whether I can do it. Will perhaps write about it in 2 or 3 months time.