Archive for 2013

Wrote by Kyawijewardena

Hello once again everyone. How are we all feeling? If you're holding any form of fatty substance whilst reading this, I apologise. I wanted to discuss this within a blogpost, because I want to see what others think about the topic of obesity. I am mainly concentrating on obesity in children, but comments on obesity as a whole are welcome, as I just want to see what other's opinions are. I recently watched a programme done by the BBC about obesity in India. Apparently, due to the rapid modernisation of the big cities in India (especially Mumbai), there is an increased risk of obesity in both children and adults. The show concentrated around two boys of thirteen and twenty or so, who were both classed as overweight/obese. Kaleb, the thirteen year old boy ended up having surgery in order to place a gastric band around his stomach. This was in order to help him lose weight and to enable him to get a head-start in his weight-loss programme. According to the doctor that performed the surgery, Kaleb was one of his youngest patients and he claimed that he was initially quite reluctant to go through with it. But, with permission from his mother, the operation went ahead. Upon passing the news on to his grandparents, they seemed saddened that Kaleb and his mother, Dimple, had to resort to surgery. But it was clear to the viewers of the show that there really was no other option. Kaleb's father had passed away when he was quite young and food had been his comfort. It seemed like a vicious cycle for him, as the more he ate, the bigger he got, and the more people started to bully him. But, yet again he turned to food for comfort. Hopefully he is doing a lot better and is now on a good path towards reducing his weight and he will thus lessen the risk of the onset of diabetes in later life.

The second boy, was a university student called Adit. He told the lady who was narrating the show that he weighed around 126kg and that his favourite snack restaurant was McDonalds. Later on, when she persuaded him to visit the doctor's and undergo a general check-up, his weight had plummeted to 142kg. He then had a meeting with the doctor and was alarmed when the doctor claimed that he could identify physical features on Adit that hinted towards diabetes. It wasn't particularly surprising because India apparently has the largest number of diabetics in the world (around 50 million they say, which is estimated to rise to 100 million if the epidemic continues). He seemed blissfully unaware of all the risks posed on his health by his bad eating habits. But, his excuse was that as he was able to do what his much thinner/healthier friends could do and so he claimed that his weight wasn't causing him any harm. It was tragic to see that he didn't take the consequences seriously. His mother even refused to allow him to revisit the doctor's the next day for a blood sample, because she was convinced that the doctor was only frightening him to get money, by performing costly surgeries. Later on in the show, the doctor warned the lady who narrated the show, that cases like this were common and that Adit would definitely return for some form of weight-loss surgery, but probably when he weighs a lot more and he has no other options whatsoever.

It's sad to see that people so freely ignore their health. Obesity is everywhere. I only chose this programme in particular because it featured 'Supersize kids' in India, a country that seems unlikely to be suffering from such a problem. However, within the more westernised countries, the problem of obesity seems to be targeting the people who are less educated, that live in the poorer communities. The case is completely the opposite in India and probably most Asian countries. The affluent people are the ones falling into the trap. They have the money to spend in places like KFC and McDonalds, unlike the people suffering from poverty who have to make do with the street food (which is generally much healthier). These people that are becoming overweight/obese are actually fairly educated, but they seem to neglect their health. Adit being a university student should have known the consequences, but chose to ignore them.

When questioning the food agencies, they all argue that their menus always offer healthier options, but the people are never keen to opt for those. In Britain there are policies preventing McDonalds and other such companies from advertising on kid's televisions. But, unfortunately, such restrictions have not been placed in India. The food agencies need to make money and they do this by selling the people what they want. The 'health' factor doesn't seem to play a very important role. In fact, when the lady went and spoke to someone who was part of a particular food agency, he admitted that no attempts were really being made to improve the food being sold in these places. He confessed that it wasn't one of their priorities. I suppose they have no need to emphasise balanced diets, if they're making enough and more money by selling the food that they are currently selling. I just hope the situation doesn't get too uncontrollable. Personally, I don't think there's any point in getting to the root of who to blame for obesity. It's more important for each particular section in society; be it doctors, restaurant owners, food agencies or even people, to combat the crisis together. Hopefully more effort will be focused on getting rid of the problem, rather than getting to the bottom of the cause of it. What do you think?

Adios. xxx

Wrote by Kyawijewardena

Hello once again my friends, how's life? Is everything okay? Is it just me, or is the world spinning slightly faster? I can't spin my head around (see what I did there) just how fast the world works. From dawn till dusk, different people in different countries will be doing completely different things from one another. Some will be making life-changing decisions on their future, whilst others are making far more significant decisions that are to change the lives of many. Some will be living according to a routine, waking up, going to work to do the same monotonous job that they've been doing for what seems like a lifetime, hoping and praying that they'll land their 'dream job' someday. Others are working non-stop to make ends meet for their growing family, whilst feeling trapped under heavy financial problems. Others are living life for the fun of it, doing just what they love and not committing themselves to a particular lifestyle. They are experimenting with everything that life is throwing at them, trying to consume their youth with as many daredevil stunts as possible. They are living for the moment. Others are coming to the end of their life and they are fully aware of it. They've experienced some highs and some lows, they've seen their loved ones grow up around them and they are treasuring the memories that were made. Whatever stage of life you're in, there is something going on, be it wonderfully fulfilling or depressingly tedious. No matter what it is that you do, time is the ultimate decider.

Time governs everyone and everything. The synthetic world of money, materials and machines still bow down to the immeasurable power of time. It isn't something that we can take lightly. Do we really understand it? After all, it was us that constrained it to hours, minutes and seconds. But, our power over time ends there. There are new technologies that are so advanced which enable us to theoretically go back in time and witness history in the modern world, but that is simply a weak substitute for time-travelling. As for the future, we can only predict using (yet again) some machines built by us. Despite these machines being highly advanced, can they really compare to the strength of time? I think not. But, the day we learn to bend time, then I shall reconsider my opinion on man's stronghold on time. It seems like yesterday when I was celebrating my ninth birthday. Opening the presents, seeing the cake, blowing out the candles. Those memories remain within my mind, within some photos and a video, but reliving that moment is a task that is virtually impossible. It is bound within the framework of time itself, slipping further and further from my reach as I type this. But, that phenomenon is something that we have grown to accept.

I've come to respect the power of time over the years. Sooner rather than later, I'll be looking back on this post and remembering the thoughts rushing through my head as I typed it. As I write, those thoughts are in the past. Scary thought isn't it? People around me, that I remember as toddlers are soon growing to heights above me. Their thoughts are becoming more mature and you can see their once childish nature being snatched from them, by none another than time itself. People I look up to are now ageing slowly and the signs of this are becoming even more evident. But I can't do anything about that, it's just the way of life. You want to hold them close and stop any of the changes, but you can't trap yourself in one moment in time. The world is changing at a fast pace, which to me seems like it is contributing to the acceleration of time (if that's even possible). Days, weeks, months and years pass you by, while you sit there wondering, how you have managed to live this long on earth. But, for most teenagers and youngsters out there, our lives are just beginning. What we make of the time that we have been given on this earth is up to us. I understand that not everyone in the world has the same opportunities, but I do know that everyone has one life. Despite the ubiquity of time, we must be able to forge a future for ourselves, so that we make most of what little time we actually have. Don't you think?

There we have it, my little musings on time and it's profound effect on the life we lead and the people that we lead it with. I apologise for it being so long, but I had so many different thoughts that were essential to this post. Once again, thanks for reading. Have a good day and be nice to everyone.

Adios. xxx

Wrote by Kyawijewardena

Hello once again comrades. Does that sound too forced? I'm trying to devise some sort of new introduction, but I'm not getting very far in my attempt. If anyone has suggestions, they would be most welcome. This is a sort of on-the-spot/inspiration-based post. I just watched the speeches given by Michelle and Barack Obama to kids/teenagers in Belfast, ahead of 39th G8 summit, which was held at the Lough Erne Resort. They were both speaking to students and teachers in a large assembly hall. I think the speech was actually held on the 17th of June, I was just late to watch it (on the BBC, if anyone wanted to know). I'm not going to discuss the main theme which revolved around achieving peace in Northern Ireland and the way in which the US were promising to work with the people of Northern Ireland, in order to retain the peace. Instead I'm going to discuss the main 'topics' of the speech. They discussed peace in great detail, and how our generation can contribute to enable people of all races and religions to experience the freedom that comes with it.

One important factor that the President touched on was the fragility of peace. The historical stereotype of peace is an angel clad in white, to represent its metaphorical purity, often trapped by those who are oppressing it in reality. It's a difficult and even more controversial topic for me to discuss, but it's important and even more pertinent to this day and age. You and I are all living in a different age (if that's an appropriate word for it) than our ancestors. And with that comes great advantages and disadvantages. The advances we are making daily in the fields of medicine, engineering and climate science are ensuring a safer world for all of us, where we have the ability to enjoy comforts that would seem almost alien to our ancestors. But, we are also making advances in weapons and various other technologies of mass destruction? Why?

Surely if there were no wars to fight, then what would be the point in weapons? If there was no need for countries to defend themselves against their fellow species, then what would be the use of weapons? But, you and I both know, that our people have not reached such a stage... yet. Mr and Mrs. Obama stressed the importance of the younger generation in forging the way to achieve such a status. They reiterated that we play a key role in the future of not only our people, but our planet. The experiences of their childhood were described as very different from that of their daughters, Sasha and Malia. I agree wholeheartedly. Not only does life change as generations advance, but it changes rapidly. The segregation between ethnic minorities has decreased so much so that the world feels as free as it ever has been. But is that actually true? Are we all free, or is it just those that are born in a developed country, to a stable family? Do we all have the same human rights? If not, then, why not? These are all difficult questions, that all have an answer, which you and I tend to overlook because those are politician's problems. Or are they?

For most of us, we have our own more personal problems to deal with. I'll admit it myself, I write this, but I'm no devoted humanitarian. But it's not a case of whether we should, or shouldn't or whether we can or can't. More importantly, we have a duty to contribute to our society. There is no need to move mountains, the occasional stone will add up to mean so much more. It's the age-old proverb; 'two heads are better than one'. I suppose it has been entrusted to us, to maintain the peace that has already been achieved. You might be sitting there wondering how on earth such a thing may be executed, but don't fret, people are at it as we speak. They are trying to achieve the seemingly impossible because they believe in what the future will hold, their capability and the responsibility that they have been awarded. But, let's be honest, do we really hold such a power in our hands? Here I am typing this into a laptop, in order to upload it onto a blog, which can be viewed by people all over the world. Strange as it may seem, even that was a brilliant breakthrough at some point in history. People achieved the seemingly impossible. There have been great people with great minds and a great belief that have been beating the word 'impossible' throughout history. What makes us different from any one of them?

Well, there's one thing that I can think of. We have the power to accumulate the discoveries and breakthroughs of history to our advantage. We can use the successes of those before us, to shape the lives of those that are to come after us. Now that's a cool superpower. Don't you think?