Brain and life itself

人類的記憶會隨著內容的不同，而被儲存於大腦皮質的各個區域中。物體的形狀是儲存於顳葉聯絡區、物體的所在位置是位於額葉聯絡區、至於身體的運動方式則是於運動聯絡區。而各種記憶會再加以細分，儲存於不同的神經元內。

記憶大致可分為四種，分別是「含意記憶」、「步驟記憶」、「插曲記憶」、「恐懼記憶」。從學問性知識和自我體驗所得來的「含意記憶」，與額葉、海馬、頂葉、顳葉前部等處有關，腳踏車的騎法、樂器演奏，以及條件反射之類的生理和肉體反應之「步驟記憶」，則是與所有的中樞神經系統有關。自身所體驗的「插曲記憶」主要是儲存於海馬中，而「恐懼記憶」則是儲存於扁桃核內。（《人體學習大百科》，P.32）


I have always had a special taste on the brain and memory. For human, it is the source of the universe where intelligence, awareness, memories and emotions reside.

I have lately flipped through some information on the brain. If god would take away some sections of my brain and keep me still alive, I hope it would be the 扁桃核 so that I would lose all the sensations of fear to face life with courage; second one is of course the very hidden part which controls lust and desire, so that I would be totally free from those stupid human attachments. What is it for that I am determined not to have babies of myself, when seeing that living on earth is pain, is suffering.

Life is beautiful, it is beautiful because deep down it is painful. It is its nature and it is where Buddhism sets in to your heart.

Joaquin Cortes

靚仔弗蘭明高世界舞王，really靚到癲！

Straps_trap

On the train to home the other day, I got a call from my acup-good friend who had lately visited my blog and read my article on straps. She commented on the straps she saw on the pictures, calling for a cool-minded-ness that I should better take and said, “Why would they be helpful or beneficial? The straps wouldn’t get you anything, only to tighten the muscles and slow down the flow of blood and energy around that acup-point. Those who designed these straps actually knew nothing about acupuncture and it is just a scam for money.”

I trust my friend and I trust my insight after her opinions. When holding those acu-straps, my attention was put onto the plastic pins only and forgot the straps themselves which are for stabilizing the “effect”. In yoga, as in any other relaxation exercise, what we look for is mainly the relaxation of the muscles, which in the end brings forth the total relaxation of the mind and body. As such, if anything tightens our bodies, relaxation would never be achieved.

I don’t have any knowledge on Chinese acupuncture yet. Being innocent may not be dangerous, but when someone is smart enough, when he or she is willing to keep learning and pursuit for a better life, he or she will definitely save a lot more time (and money) to make a better shopper.

Straps

These 2 are no ordinary straps. They are made use of Chinese acupuncture (中醫針灸), a topic I fall head-over-feet-ly these days. When worn on specific parts of the body, it is said that certain discomfort or symptoms of disease could be relieved without any side effects as we used to face during medication.

I bought these little things out of curiosity a few years ago. They were highly recommended by a friend of mine who used to have special interest in alternative healings, and who, by twist of fate, became my latest working partner in the magazine.

Time has changed. We are no longer partner now because to our disappointment the magazine has been folded lately. Losing a job may not be a bad thing, losing an opportunity to work closely with a talented and beautiful person, however, is surely a pain waiting for one to heal.

Pain. It is something we tend to avoid or run away from. However, pain is part of life, part of being human, as are office politics, relationships, love and hate; those make up life and make it whole.

I still remember they were not a bargain. Each cost more than $100, and they were rare stuff- not easy to be found in common dispensary. The light-brown strap, which is for PMS & menstrual problem, was a gift from my friend. After trying on it, I then bought the green strap. They look very similar, but are different in the degree of treating the specific symptoms they separately target. The green one, looking surprisingly stylish when wearing on the palm, is for curing/lessening the pain and irritation caused by headache. It is also said to be able to lift one’s spirit.

The 2 straps look like fashion, and fashion doesn’t last, and so my fancy for them soon diminished and they ended up idling in my corset for years.

Though they are comfortable, they will definitely leave you dark spots after removing it from your skin, as if someone had hit and punched you in your face! It is a good idea that I take a snap shot next time to show you how it looks like (I am not wearing it right now).

Acupuncture and amazement (奇妙的中醫針灸)

These 2 photos were taken last night at my middle-school-classmate’s new home in Tin Shui Wai, the so-called “City of Sadness” which should actually be re-named as “City of Windiness”,in my opinion.

We were house-warming. We were sitting in the living room. Next to me was another middle-school-classmate. I cropped the photo into half because I am not sure if she would be willing to have her face appeared on this blog.

But it is not the point here, not so much as I want to have everyone’s attention on my shiny-freaky left leg with a needle on it. Inserted by another middle-school-classmate of mine who has just finished an acup-course, this is an acup-point called the “足三里”said to have involved and controlled the well-being of ones health (plus beauty benefits).

After 10 minutes sitting with a needle on my leg, something strange inside started happening- I felt more energetic, alive and focused. The energy level was going up and all the tiredness and boredom after the windy move earlier that day seemed to have gone in an instant. When I took to the washroom, I saw my eyes were rounder and my face brightened. I told my classmate how amazing the effect was then she replied it was because needling that point is what the Chinese physicians usually prescribe to improve chi and blood flow, i.e. 大補氣血! (So, this is the “point” and I can’t help poking it over and over again right now.)

Upon hearing this benefit (that neither any yoga asana nor massage can achieve this), as always a health enthusiast, I was interested and excited immediately, hoping to take a course as soon as possible to learn more about acupuncture and how it relates to other healing systems.

I just hope my friends would join me- even if they are not interested to learn, they would be willing to be my guinea pigs to have needles on their bodies …

先多休息，才運動

前陣子買了生平第一部單車（自行車），自此開始，每天/平日運動的場地，就直載了當由室內健身室轉到室外充滿鳥語花香的單車徑上進行。

近日無論是情緒、精神和精力都很欠佳。因生氣、沮喪和偶而的一種孤寂感，人彷彿縮水了似的，變得十分不可愛，連帶在體適能上，也彷彿變了另一個人。

近這三次踏單車，都因為體力和專注力欠佳而頻生撞車意外。第一次擦傷了手掌，掉了一小片外皮、流了一張小手帕的血、撞瘀青了左右小腿的肌肉；第二次，較輕微，只撞損了左手姆指；第三次，可能最嚴重，整個人倒在車的一旁，膝蓋瘀青了，兩個坐骨直墜地上，不但痛，還震動了骨盆一帶，現在該部分暗「痛」處處，有點可怕——怕震傷了腰椎不自知。

人體最脆弱的地方，未必是心靈，但腰椎，一定可以被列入「應小心呵護」的部分。因為它活動幅度大，因為它活動幅度大所以也特別易受傷。意外、退化、勞損、姿勢不當，它最容易成為第一受害人，甚至叫你痛不欲生。

無論是誰，平日都該多做伸展和一些強化肌肉的運動，才能在各大小意外跌跌撞撞間懂得協調，利用強與韌，把意外的損害減至最低。

當然，運動還是要在精神和集中力不太差的時候進行才安全。否則就會像我般，意外接踵而來。

阻力

大家知道嗎？肌肉必須鍛鍊，正所謂if you don’t use it you lose it，缺乏鍛鍊、年過三十（約數），肌肉很快就會萎縮，形同虛設，令關節過勞，增加受傷機會……

大家亦知道嗎？即使你明白處境嚴重，下一秒就躍躍嚷著要鍛鍊，也必須鍊得有其法，肌肉才會聽話強壯起來。

最基本也最重要的竅門是，明白甚麼叫阻力（law of gravity），逆阻力而循序漸進鍛鍊某一組相應的肌肉，就能「逆境」而自強！

像不像人生呢？咬緊牙關逆流而上，乘風破浪，笑渡難關，窮則變，變則通，柳暗花明又一村。（其實寫這篇，除了是想重新磨練文筆外，也不過是借此自我鼓勵自己）

靜態人士(sedentary people)_ 2

b) 改善姿勢，強調正確姿勢（尤其是坐姿，因為需要長時間工作的關係）的重要（可利用健身球來講解）：
Improve posture, be aware of the importance of alignment (esp sitting posture, as you are spending most of your time sitting everyday). Using fitball to correct the posture is specially useful.

b1) 伸展運動－幫助改善柔韌度，增加身體的活動幅度
Stretching exercise can help improve flexibility and increase body's range of motion

*膕繩肌（幫助改善下背自然弧度，減少因腰椎弧度減少而導致之腰背痛）
hamstrings (improve alignment on the lower back, reduce the risk of backpain due to loss of neutral spine)

*髂腰肌（同上，減少因腰椎弧度增加而導致之腰背痛）
hip flexors (ditto)

*背部豎棘肌、背闊肌（放鬆因長期伏案而收縮之肌肉群，增加肌肉的柔韌性，減少背痛）
back muscle groups (stretch the muscle groups which are tight as the result of sitting and slouching; improve flexiblity and reduce backpain)

*胸大肌（打開因長期伏案而收縮之肌肉群，增加柔韌性，改善呼吸容易，減少肩痛和寒背等問題）
chest muscle (open the chest to improve the flexibility which helps improve breathing, lessen shoulder pain and improve posture)

*斜方肌（伸展因長期伏案而收縮之肌肉群，增加柔韌性，減少頸痛、背痛等問題）
trapezius (stretch these muscles so as to increase flexibility, reduce neck and back pain)

*頸部側屈肌（同上）
neck side flexors (ditto)


*軀幹側屈肌（伸展兩旁肌肉群，改善柔韌度和姿勢問題）
torso side flexors (stretch the muscle groups on each side and improve flexibility and posture)


*腕屈／腕伸肌（舒緩網球肘問題）
wrist flexors and extensors (lessen the pain caused by tennis elbow)


b2) 強化肌肉運動－提升肌肉力量，穩定姿勢，保護關節
Muscle strengthening exercise - increase muscle strength, stablize the posture and protect joint structure

*背闊肌
Latissiumus dorsi

*腹直肌
Rectus abdominis

*腹內／外斜肌
Internal/External Obliques

*腹橫肌
Transversus abdomonis

*深層頸屈肌
Deep neck flexors

*臀大肌
Gluteus Maximus

*斜方肌
Trapezius

靜態人士 (sedentary people)_1

只要你符合以下條件，你就屬於靜態人士的組別
(If you answer "yes" to any of the following condition, you are nothing but a sedentary animal, or simply a couch potato)：

1.長時間坐著工作，包括打電腦、寫字和閱讀
(long hours sitting at desk, typing, computing, writing, reading...)；

2.生活缺乏運動，不論是由於沒時間，抑或本身懶惰或缺乏動力
(lack of exercise, no time, lazy, lack of motivation [all is just excuse]) 。


典型人士：辦公室工作的上班一族、書呆子
(special group: office workers, "great" readers)


較常出現的健康問題：缺乏運動病症（例如高血壓、低血壓、心肺功能偏差、失眠、姿勢不良引致的腰痛、背痛、頸痛、肩痛、網頭肘……）
(Health problems identified: hypokinetic disease, such as high/low blood pressure, poor cardio-vesular condition, insomnia, poor posture, back pain, neck pain, tennis elbow...)


運動治療方案 (exercise programme)：
a) 心肺耐力訓練，例如：
 各類球類活動
 游泳
 跑步
 踏單車
 急步行

(cardio workout, such as ball games, swimming, jogging, cycling, walking)

It is not yoga

It is not yoga. Simply put, it is just acrobatics or just circus.

大休息絮語

對很多習瑜伽的人來說，大休息是式子中看似最容易，其實卻是最困難的式子。因為它講求的，不單是放鬆，也是意識的集中。兩者同一時間互存，互惠互長，就是難度所在。

人在集中的時候（例如工作、說話、期待），肌肉總會不期然繃緊起來，肩胛骨向上提、頭向胸口縮、胸大肌過緊、頸部的深層肌（頸屈肌）過弱，做成所謂「上交叉綜合症」的問題——寒背、縮頸、壓迫脊椎關節、打亂整個人姿勢的重心，久而久之造成頸痛、腰痛、膝痛等辦公室症候群。

當人安安靜靜地躺在地上做大休息時，所有因為姿勢不良而過勞的肌肉會得以放鬆——放鬆，不單是肉體的放鬆，卻也是精神的放鬆。這時候積壓在胸中的鬱悶悲傷慢慢被釋放出來，慢慢由心輪流瀉往身體四肢其餘地方。人放鬆，意識同時又要集中，自然會集中在當下身體的感覺上，那就是大休息最難熬所在——你無可逃避要再一次面對那些複雜的情緒。

感覺到那種長年累月的沉重和壓力嗎？感覺到你的悲傷浮現出來了嗎？感到身體在抽搐嗎？你的淚水已淚流滿臉？

放心，請放鬆吧！讓要釋放的盡情釋放，讓該被洗滌的盡情洗滌。就像我，在某個失望的深夜裡，坦然讓自己躺在大休息的懷裡，心一邊痛哭著，一邊說，隨它去吧，因為你將再一次得到平靜和真正的快樂。