The first thing to do is to read up a bit and educate yourself a little about how kidneys function and what their purposes are. The kidneys play a large role in maintaining healthy blood and excreting waste in your urine. If you think about this, you will realize how important healthy and high functioning kidneys are to your overall health. Once you have a grasp of the functions and importance of healthy kidneys, find out a little about how problems with kidneys can be caused. The 3 most common causes of kidney disease, frequent urinary tract infections, and diabetes. There are numerous other potential causes, including poisoning and physical damage or trauma. For example, kidney disease could develop after a particularly heavy blow to the kidneys. Some painkillers used regularly for a long time can cause kidney problems, so if you take them regularly check with your doctor. Kidney problems are often hereditary, so if your family has a history of kidney-related health problems you could be at a higher risk.If this is the case, you can talk to your doctor to get more specific medical guidance on how to avoid hereditary kidney problems.

Summary: Understand what kidneys do. Know how kidney problems come about. Ask your parents if there is a history of kidney problems in the family.


Keep in mind the time in Singapore when making a call. The time zone followed in Singapore is UTC/GMT +8, or 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. This means that it is 16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST) so if you were calling at noon from California, it would be 4am in Singapore.  You can download an app or check online clocks for the current time in Singapore. If you are calling a mobile phone you will need to know the mobile code. Also, calling a home phone will require knowing their schedule to ensure that they are home. A landline may be best to ensure that your conversation isn’t dropped or filled with static. Every provider offers different rates for calling long distance. Inquire about special plans and deals if you will be calling Singapore frequently. If you are not with a service provider you may inquire about rates for pay-as-you-go phones. For example ask your service provider how much you will be charged per minute for calling Singapore from your location. You may also ask if there are any calling packages offered for Asia or Singapore specifically if you plan on calling several times a month.

Summary: Know the timezone. Ask your receiver if they are using a mobile or home phone. Contact your phone provider for rates.


Instead of using your wallet as the solution, allow there to be other means of help. For example, if your relative is unemployed, let them know about temporary agencies that match people with temporary work, selling items online, or looking through the yellow pages or online forums to get a job. Your money does not have to be the only solution.   Say, “Let's look at online listings together so we can find you a job.” Say, ”I know you're having a hard time finding a job. What are your interests and how can you put those toward more stable employment?” Find ways to assist them in furthering their career or employment. For example, offer to babysit their kids so that they can attend job interviews or work meetings. If they ask for money to pay for food, invite them over for meals at your house. Find ways you can help that don't involve money. This way, you can show that you care and want to help but in a non-financial way. Say, “At the moment I can't help you financially, but I'd love to help you in different ways. If you need help going to interviews, I can watch the kids or give you a ride.” If your relative has a problem with alcohol, drugs, gambling, or another addiction, recognize that giving them money may be enabling their addiction. If you suspect that addiction is involved, offer to help and support your loved one in other ways. Offer your support in wanting them to break free from addiction and seek professional help. Support their steps to recovery through the ups and downs. If your relative asks for money, say that you are willing to give money in order to help their recovery. For example, say that you are willing to help them seek treatment or see a counselor. Do not give them the money for treatment directly. Offer to help pay for detox and/or rehab, sending payments directly to the facility.

Summary: Refer them to resources. Offer to help out. Recognize if the money is tied to addiction.


When working within a group of people, separate yourselves into smaller teams before tackling a large project or problem.  Small teams are more focused, so they tend to get work done faster and more effectively than large, mismatched groups can. If a new venture requires expertise from several fields, consider creating multiple small teams to handle each of these aspects separately. For instance, one team might handle quality assurance while another might handle the legalities. Representatives from the teams will need to meet occasionally, but most of the work can be done separately. Even though different aspects of a project or company should be primarily handled by different teams, each team will likely have information that could benefit another group. The separate teams must communicate with each other regularly and effectively. Information that can benefit other teams within the larger group should be shared freely. If one team has to search for an answer another team already knows, they end up wasting time that could have been spent better elsewhere. Oddly enough, creativity tends to thrive when it faces a little opposition. A few constraints and project parameters can provide team members with just enough of a foundation to build on. The key is to constrain without suffocating or starving your team. Introduce specific problems that need to be fixed and outline the sort of approach you're looking for. Do not pressure the team with unnecessary restrictions on time and funding. Additionally, if someone figures out a way to approach the problem that differs from your outline but still works effectively, take that concept into consideration rather than rejecting it outright. Innovative minds rarely play it safe. There will be a considerable amount of risk involved at the beginning of a project. The sooner you accept that the sooner you can encourage the rest of your team to accept it. Pitch ideas in a manner that minimizes the perceived risk of trying them while emphasizing the risk of not trying them. Make your teammates (and, by extension, your customers) believe that they will be making a big mistake if they don't jump on the idea you're presenting. Risk is inevitable, but ultimately, you want to reduce the amount of risk a project faces as you continue to build upon it. Providing extra incentive can encourage workers to focus on ways to reduce the risk without compromising the entire project. Monetary incentive can be quite effective. When you're in a position that allows you to make the decisions about how to funds are distributed, start by giving each group the finances it needs to overcome some of the initial risks and uncertainties. As these risks are cleared, grant the group more funding to work with.
Summary: Separate into small teams. Improve communication between groups. Introduce a few constraints. Encourage risk. Reward risk reduction.