H1N1 Flu Outbreak : A Lesson to be Learnt

As I was reading yesterday's papers, I came across an article on the rise of H1N1 flu outbreak cases may signal community break. And my mind kept wandering back to an incident that happened on my flight back from Bangkok to Singapore.

On that flight, I wore a facial mask as a preventive measures even though I was perfectly healthy. In my mind, I thought that I was doing some socially-responsible act. However, the two passengers who were sitting next to me starting to feel uncomfortable the moment they see me coming in wearing a mask. Immediately, they started to converse in Hokkien among themselves and also with a group of friends which were sitting in the same row across the aisle.

"Yuck, how can they (the air crew) let sick people boarding the train? Dunno how serious is her condition. Very scared later I got affected with H1N1 too"...

This is a part of their conversations. All along, they kept condemning me and the staff's irresponsibility for letting me into the aircraft. Sometimes, they even show their smirking faces. Sometimes, I even wonder whether they purposely converse in loud voices so that I could hear them.

After that, they started switching to other empty seats and left me alone in that row for the whole flight journey.

All this while, I just sit there listening and doing my own stuffs, ignoring their antics, even though I speak the same language as them. All the while, I was thinking to myself ...


1. Don't they know that twearing face mask in flu outbreak is a preventive measure to curb infection and spreading of virus?

2. I wasn't even coughing or having flu. What makes them think I was sick?

3. Yes, they have the right of speech, but not to the extend of slandering and condemning others without a valid reason.

4. They look like in their 20-30s yet their thoughts were not mature enough to handle this kind of situation. They could first verify with me, prior to making such a silly assumption as scared themselves to death.

5. And their remarks were so unfounded and targetted at the wrong party. Why should the aircrew be condemned in this case?


Well, initially I was annoyed by their ignoramus behaviour but after some time, I feel it is no use being affected by their shallow minds.


So my message to all of you here is :

If you happened to see someone in face mask, DO NOT IMMEDIATELY JUMPED TO CONCLUSION that the wearer is suffering from H1N1 flu. Verify first by noticing whether the wearer is really unwell or just wearing for prevention. Even if the wearer is really infected, please spare those smirking remarks and just go away from him/her quietly.

I am back...but will be travelling again!

Yeah I am back again. This time just return from Malaysia. Will be off to Thailand again in the next few days ....

In fact I have been thinking whether I have to cancel my Thailand trip due to current spreading of H1N1 virus. But as I have not been to Thailand before, and I had long booked my air ticket, I think my travel bug triumph in the end. Just need to get some precaution measures ready.

So I'll be going to Thailand soon and now am thinking thinking thinking very hard what to buy and see over there ;P

Busy Week Doing Cleaning

Busy, busy, busy ....

I have been cleaning the house since Monday. Gonna do more cleaning these few days till Friday. Jiayou! ;)

A New Week

Here's the start of another new week. Have been feeling quite guilty as I have not done much housework last week. So this week I am going to dedicate most of my time tidying and cleaning up my house. Jia you !!

Scent of a Woman

I am not going to talk about Scent of a Women : The Movie today. I am actually going to talk about something that we find it disgusting in our daily lives. Guess what I am going to discuss about?


Body odour (did you guess it right?).


This thought came to me yesterday when I found that my whole kitchen was "conquered" by the oily smell after a long struggle whipping up dishes in that small space of mine, even the cooking hood's filtering system had proven useless. And what makes me annoyed was I smelled like my grease-enveloped kitchen too, even after a bath :(

Then I started to ponder. Ever since I have become a full time housewife, I have been frequently surrounded by smells of cooking oil, laundry detergent, cleaning liquid, etc. And these scents started to become part of my "body odour". Yuck, what a gruesome thought !!

No, I cannot let these spoil the olfactory delights of those who stand near me. So I'll go in search for ways to infuse fragrance around me.

Of course, the easiest method is for me to get a daytime wear feminine scent (such as Bob Mackie perfume) which I can easily get it online. I could also get to choose a wide variety of perfumes at any shopping centers.

And another alternative is for me to create my own.

Now, are you starting to think what I am thinking? (*winks*)

My Reproductive Health Diet Plan for This Week

Following will be my plan for my reproductive Health Diet for this week

1. CARBOHYDRATES
Choose : low glycaemic carbohydrates - whole (not refined) grains
Avoid : Sugar and white/refined grain

2. PROTEIN
Need : an average sized serving (equivalent to the palm of your hand) of protein-providing food at least 2x a day before conception

Fish : Salmon
Dairy : Natural Cultured non-flavored yoghurt / Goat's milk
Legumes/Pulses : Tofu
Eggs : Organic
Nuts/Seeds : Juices

3. VEGETABLES
Need : minimum 40% of total food intake
Choose : organic whenever possible. A wide variety, especially dark green leafy, red and orange.
Avoid : Pre-prepared salads

4. FRUITS
Need : 2 - 3 pieces daily as a maximum because of the high sugar content
Choose : organic and low glycaemic whenever possible
Avoid : Dried fruits

5. FATS
Choose : lots of cold-pressed oils on salads (extra virgin olive or flaxseed). These oils are high in beneficial essential fatty acids if never heated. They can be poured over food after cooking, and used on bread as a butter substitute. They should be kept out of light (in dark containers) & in the fridge (except olive). Add lemon/pepper/garlic/herbs to dressing.
Avoid : saturated and trans fats

6. BEVERAGES
Choose : Purified water – drink 8 to 12 glasses daily
Avoid : Alcohol, coffee, tea

7. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Exercise - Yoga (minimum 30 minutes 3-4 times every week)

Guangzhou (Canton) : Oh, Glorious Food !

Remember I mentioned about me envying the life of people in China in one of my previous posts? In fact one of the cities in China that make me feel most like staying for good is Guangzhou (which is also called Canton). Why?

First of all, there is too much good food around. Guangdong, the province where Guangzhou is located, is famous for the best cuisine and delicacy in China. Thus, people there get to taste mouth-watering spread anywhere and anytime of the day.

And of course I won't let myself be left out of the train when I was there ;)

One of my Dim Sum breakfasts in Guangzhou

Basically I was eating most of the time when I was in Guangzhou (Canton). Every early morning was marked by Dim Sum breakfasts in some of the famous restaurants there. And mind you, I really have to be very early to beat the crowd. So every morning I reach the restaurants at around 7am and thought that I will be able to catch the worms (you see, I never start taking breakfasts so early back when I am in Singapore).

But how wrong was I! The restaurants were fully packed most of the time. And I ended up either waiting for the next available empty table or had to share tables with others.

"Tao Tao Ju"
A famous age old Dim Sum restaurant since Qing Dynasty

The ambience makes me wanna linger on even when I am full

And I had some culture shock! When the locals are having breakfasts at the restaurants, they will be sitting there for hours, sometimes till nearly noon time. This is because most of them are either retrenched or retired. Unlike the elders in Singapore (who are mostly too busy looking after their grandchildren), those in Guangzhou enjoys a leisure life as the ratio of grandparents to kids is 4:1 and the kids are either at nurseries or schools on weekday mornings.

Fully occupied restaurant - with elders and retrenched

There was even one lady in early forties that I came across, who were retrenched and is now living on a pension of more than RMB1,000 per month! For someone who is not working but getting paid that much monthly (in comparison to Chinese living standard), isn't that an envy for those who are caught in the rat race like us?

With good food and relaxed lifestyle, that's why I said the Chinese are enjoying their lives there!

How to Swallow Big Pills?

For the past few weeks I have been consuming some pills ...

.

Some big pills ... !

.

Some very big pills ... !!

.

Some very very big pills !!!


And worse is to take 2 DIFFERENT BIG PILLS together everytime !!! *crying*

PILL 1 - A Big Blood Red Capsule

Pill 2 - A Huge Pinky Tablet

Initially I had difficulty swallowing them down my teeny weeny little throat.

Then I start chewing the Pink Tablet into smaller pieces before gulping them down one by one. But the taste is sooooo unbearable !

Luckily the capsule is not much an event for me as the smooth surface could easily glide down my throat.

Can anyone gimme some tips on how to swallow the pink one easily?


PS. I am not unwell. These pills are just supplements :)

Cheap pseudo Crocs Beach Clogs

Guess what I had done when I was in China? Of course lots of shopping! In the end I ended up buying 2 new luggage bags to fit in all my stuffs to bring back home :)

In fact I had been thinking of getting this Crocs Beach Clog for quite some time. I tried it in one of Crocs' store at Plaza Singapura last month. But the price was around SGD 55 !

Then I found it at a range of USD 18 - 30 at Amazon, as shown below :

But in the end, I found something that looks a bit different but feels about the same in comfort level at one of the city in China for less than SGD 20 per pair!


And of course in the end I bought nearly a dozen of them back in different sizes and colors for relatives ;)

Thoughts on China and Hong Kong

Here I am again after MIA for some long period of time ;)

Just came back from overseas trips, in fact from China and Hong Kong.

Actually this is not the first time of me visiting these two places. But this time, the feeling is very much different from previous trips. In most of the trips before, I was always too preoccupied with business agendas, travelling non stop from one place to another.

As I am able to stroll leisurely at my own pace this time round, I begin to see China and Hong Kong from another different perspectives.

Previously, China to me was a country furiously trying to build its nation via industrialisation and pseudo-capitalism. That was because most of the places I visited previously were more of industrial estates and corporate organisations type of nature. However, China to me now is a buzzing place full of its own culture, history and way of life. Chatting with locals and living their lives open up my eyes on how advance China can be and how some of their people actually enjoy their lives better than us in Singapore, in general. At one point, I was even entertaining the idea of retiring in China. (But I know I won't as I still prefer my own motherland and the place I am in now at this moment) ;P

And Hong Kong sets me thinking in the other direction. As I shun normal hotels this time, I am staying much closer to the real lives of Hong Kongers. I can really feel the stress and hectics of life and crampyness of space. Glad I am not forever living this kind of life. Not that I don't like Hong Kong. It is just that it does not suit my palate in long run. But definitely, I am open to visiting Hong Kong again in future :)

Thoughts of The Day

The following phrases are my thoughts of the day for you to ponder on :

Footnote : Especially when I am your God

Footnote : Instead, they make you too angry to remember to cry

Footnote : So does that means everyone on this earth love me?

Hope the phrases above brings you to the deeper meaning in life and the footnotes gives you a good day's laugh ;)

Planning for my Holiday Trips

Well I will be going for holiday trips again soon!

First will be in China. In fact I'll be going to Guangdong Province. Have been there a couple of times before but was for business trips. Now finally I will be there for personal holiday. Can get to savour all those exotic food again!

BTW, contemplating of buying some branded bags and comfy shoes from California, US, this month too. Can anyone advise which brands that I should be considering? Bags will be for investment purpose and shoes will be for my own use ;)

Random Thoughts on Homemaking

Well the past few weeks have been quite busy for me ... and I think it's time for me to have some reflections.

After a few months of becoming a full time homemaker, I think I am starting to get into the daily rhythm of homemaking. And I am definite becoming more and more aunty-like to the extent of me finding myself nagging more and more! (Disclaimer : I do not mean that all aunties nag a lot, just that I am beginning to fall into the category of the nagging type). And the worse is that I am now finding my brain degenerating, maybe due to less thought stimulants around me. I must do something to prevent further deterioration!

Maybe one way of doing it is for me to setup a network of homemakers in Singapore (I believe this will be able to help preventing my little brain and social circle from shrinking further). Is there anyone out there seconding me on this?

Getting Rid of Conficker Worm

Haven't been blogging for a few days. You know why? It is all because of the Malicious Conficker Worm !!!

For the past few days I have been updating and checking my computer and laptop security system and programs till late last night after receiving some urgent updating messages ...

Anyway for those who aren't aware about Conficker (I think some called it Conflicker too) or have not done anything on it, here I list out the things that I have been doing to my system up till now, and hope it could still able of help to you people out there :)

Please follow the step-by-step guide below :

1. Update or upgrade your Anti-Virus Scanning Program and virus / malware / adware (and whatever ware ...) definition files to the latest version into your system.

2. Scan your whole system using your Anti-Virus Scanning Program (in full scan mode).

3. To be sure that you got a wider coverage, run similar check via this online anti-virus checking website called Housecall.

4. Clean up all found virus and whatever-ware in your system.

5. Run "Windows Update" to update your OS to the latest version.

6. Update your Adobe Reader, Java Runtime and internet browser.

7. Pray hard that your computer / laptop system is safe.

That's all.

For those who have been busy due to Conficker too, hope you can advise further if there are things that I should be doing but is not. Thanks!

Do Not Let This Happen To You !

Learn from the videos below and do not follow their footsteps !

Would you DARE to be adventurous?

Would you try this adventurous stunt? Drop me your comments !

The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx

Of course not forgetting the highlights of Egypt - The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx.

"You little birdies don't shit on my head !"

Related posts :

• What Lies Beneath
• Egypt here I come !
  
• Egypt Adventure : The Etihad Flight
• Egypt Adventure : Mummy Tomb Raider

What Lies Beneath ...

Wait for me here honey. I promise to bring back with me the lost treasures ....


hidden beneath the mammoth tomb of ancient civilization aka The Step Pyramid (forefather of The Great Pyramid).

Egypt here I come !

Me : Roger! Roger! Mr Pilot! Where on earth is this? Ain't I supposed to be reaching Egypt? Looks like I am reaching another planet!

Heeelllpppp!!!


Mr Pilot : Don't worry. Just zoom out your camera lens ....

Me : Phew! Now this looks more like Egypt *wiping beads of sweats rolling down my forehead*

Egypt Adventure : The Etihad Flight

That's right! As most of you had guessed from my previous post, I am actually going to talk about my trip in Egypt in this post. Me in Egypt definitely not because of the new found Mummy Tomb. I know some of you already seen through my joke in previous post :) But for those who are still wondering what's happening, you could actually know that I was pulling your leg when I categorized the post as "fiction" and also the tale-telling "advertisement".
Ho ho ho ....

So here's on Egypt after a long wait!

What a cozy ambiance!

This is my first time on Etihad Airways (an UAE Airline). Never thought that there are other Airline providing service and in-flight facilities better than Singapore Airlines!

The cabin lighting changes color prior to takeoff, providing a techno but yet relaxed feel. The inflight entertainment system is using touch screen. The Safety Procedure was shown in 3D Animation. And the best? And the Air Stewards are also very handsome! *my saliva all dripping from watching them at work*