The Danger of Flip Flops

When I was young, I was told that the slippers' name (left pic) is called Japanese slippers. Those days you can't find so many kind of designs for it.

As it's easy to wear, casual, flexible and with various designs that suit all ages, this is the only kind of dressing that hasn't change much since the yesteryears.

But all this may change when wearing slippers is linked to health concerns. Ever heard of contracting skin cancer when wearing such flip flops? No? How does it happen?

Most people would be wearing leather shoes (men) and high heeled shoes (ladies) or properly covered shoes for almost a year. Once these people go for their holidays, they would expose their feet out of a sudden to high temperature sunlight by wearing the easy to wear flip flops or sandals.

Due to this, the skin at your feet which is quite sensitive at that point of time may not be able to protect the feet. Normal kind of skin cancer at the feet is known as "acral melanoma". Such skin cancer may occur at the sole of the foot, between the toes or under the toenails. To protect, it's encourage to apply factor 15 sunscreen.

And if flip flops were not produced with clean plastic materials, it could affect your feet badly as highlighted by a USA consumer (be forewarned of unsightly pictures).

Must walk a lot more under sunshades and away from the sunglight. Will go out during night time ...... (ending up like a dracula).

Reading: Flip-flops linked to skin cancer - Telegraph UK
Tags: Health, Flip Flops, Sandals, Skin Cancer, Acral Melanoma, Sunscreen, Japanese Slippers

French Has The Secret For Prolongation

Keen to live beyond 100 years old? If you do, the French people have the secret for such life prolongation thing.

So, I was wrong to mention that Malaysia has the most oldest people in one nation. Looks like France has as many as 20,115 people that are above 100 years old. My my ...... and in Britain itself, there are about 11,000 of them. What's their secret? Not that I'm aiming to have that age. But I do wonder how would I look like (not as handsome like now definitely) and what would be the condition of my bones / muscles by then?

I knew that personal lifestyle do make a difference. Personally, keeping my body fit is my main goal. My motivation was seeing a 80 year old man finishing the New York marathon within the 6 hours qualifying time for a certificate. That kept me on.

Many people that I came into contact with do tell me that they wanted to do this or that but would be exhausted by the time they reach home from work. They would just rather laze around the house or be a couch potato especially the weekends.

For me, it would be meeting friends, going to the gym, running around doing my chores, blogging till late night and able to watch middle of the night live football matches. That's life! My secret - just need to do simple exercise throughout the week.

But for the French, they did the following to 'preserve' their precious life:-
* diet rich in olive oil
* ability to "keep smiling"
* play boules
* and cycle
* serious lunch hour – a proper, sit-down, three- or four-course meal from an early age
* red wine
* poultry
* fish
* haricots of the typical French south-western diet
* sign of contentment
* eat better quality and more variety of food
* exercise

France has predicted a great great granny-boom.

Reading: Want to see your 100th birthday? Be like the French and drink red wine - The Independent
Tags: Old Age, Life Prolongation, Oldest People, Health, Centenarian, Red Wine, France, French, Britain

How to Resuscitate with Your Hands Only?

I have been taught the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation method or the norm is known as CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) when I took up my lifeguard badge and thus far, haven't got the chance to practise my skills ............ haha. Yeah, if I had wished so it's like I was hoping for someone to drown when I'm around....... no no no I have a good heart.

The American heart experts have now said that the mouth-to-mouth method is not the only way to save someone. Merely pressing repeatedly at the middle of a person's chest will do now. How? I don't get to use my mouth-to-mouth anymore? What a waste!

The alternative method - "hands-only CPR — rapid, deep presses on the victim's chest until help arrives — works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest in adults."

The experts said that this method was easier and people would be more willing to help if compared to the mouth-to-mouth method.

Its method - "calls for uninterrupted chest presses — 100 a minute — until paramedics take over or an automated external defibrillator is available to restore a normal heart rhythm."

But then it did qualify the hands only CPR method as such action would be applicable for adults who unexpectedly collapse, stop breathing and are unresponsive.

The mouth-to-mouth method would still have to be used for:-
* a child who collapses is more likely to primarily have breathing problems — and in that case, mouth-to-mouth breathing should be used.
* adults who suffer lack of oxygen from a near-drowning, drug overdose, or carbon monoxide poisoning to get air into their lungs and bloodstream.

I want to give my 2 cents viewpoint - training is still required. Just press the chest? Which part of the chest? Middle is where? If one has not seen / heard, that person surely won't know the how-to and could cause more complications.

Secondly, if that person was a CPR-trained fella, it would be inhuman not to jump in to help out if a person was dying just because the thought of catching a disease or infection came to mind. Train for what then if there was so much concern. There is a method to mitigate that issue.

The writer who wrote this article should have furnish the whole CPR steps instead of halfway through. I knew how to write an article too just like this blog entry but where does it lead people to.
Tags: CPR, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Mouth To Mouth, Hands Only CPR, Heart Experts, Heart, Chest

Tragedy of Restlessness

If I were to ask you to just rest and do nothing all of today, what will you do?
Grab a newspaper, turn on the TV, logon the web, maybe do some shopping or balance your accounts?

If I told you, your food & clothing for all of this year is taken care of - what will you do with your life?
Book a holiday? Climb the Himalayas? Read all the books you've bought in the last year?

The tragedy of our ultra-modern life is there simply is no time for rest, and even if there was - we no longer know how to. Our culture is such that we are constantly distracted - by ads, newsflashes, SMS-es, latest movie releases, etc. We have made life so zippingly fast-paced, that we can't catch up with ourselves any more.

Anything we do, buy, read today is obsolete by the time we lay hands on it - somebody is inventing something better right now, a new discovery is being published today, the way you operate has been superceded by a smarter method. Sadly, though we are so breathless playing catch-up trying to stay focussed we no longer know what is rest much less how to get it.

At a time when we need to recover our humanity and meaning the most, we are swept away by a tide of artificial substitutes. Hollywood, MTV, the tourism and food industry make sure of that. What entertainment and every kind of sensual indulgence offers is a quick-fix, temporary relief, fleeting moments of pleasurable but imaginary escape which leaves us only more hungry, empty and lonely than before. But then, we've got to get back to work - who has time to think about it?

In a similar situation of exhaustion and starvation, Jesus, recognising the urgent need for recovery and nourishment intervened:'"Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)

And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. (Mark 6:31-32, NASB)'I love the passage for what it doesn't say as much as what it does. Jesus doesn't say, 'Go away for awhile and come back ready to work again.' He doesn't send you away only when you are fatigued beyond use, and for the sole purpose of rehabilitating the workforce. And it isn't one of those company motivation and indoctrination retreats just to make you more aggressive and productive.

Source: Around The Fire by Dr Y.Y. Yap. "The Tragedy of Restlesness" was delivered at the Headstart Leaders' Spiritual Retreat, 16-18 September 2005.

After reading the above, there are times that we really do need a break if not, stress and burn out could occur thus causing sickness or demotivation to set in. I'm very careful in this area and when I work I could go all out. And when I play I do go all out too even in friendly games (doesn't mean I can't lose but frankly, I don't play to lose in the first place).

As for me, a rest day could involve going for a good massage to relief me from the stress. Soothing music with your muscles getting relaxed would be the choice for me. Holidays - well, it meant strolling around with family and friends with no fixed timing for anything and going for my favourite dishes. Yeah, I like to eat. How do you de-stress yourself?
Tags: Stress, Breathless, Exhaustion, Restlessness, Health

A.A.A.D.D. Strain Symptom

For those of you that don't get this, you will, your day is coming.

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:-

* I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
* As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the table that I collected from the letter box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
* I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the rubbish binunder the table, and notice that it is full.
* So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish first.
* But then I think, since I'm going to be near the post-box when I take out the rubbish anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
* I take my cheque book off the table, and see that there is only 1 cheque left. My extra cheques are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.
* I'm going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the fridge to keep it cold.
* As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the worktop catches my eye - they need water.
* I put the Coke on the worktop and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
* I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the worktop, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote control. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realise that tonight when we watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote control, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the front room where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
* So, I set the remote control back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
* Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
* At the end of the day:-
- the car isn't washed
- the bills aren't paid
- there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the worktop
- the flowers don't have enough water
- there is still only 1 cheque in my cheque book
- I can't find the remote control
- I can't find my glasses
- and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.

I realise this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it,but first I'll check my e-mail.

Do me a favour. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who I've sent it to.

Don't laugh - if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!
Tags: Funny, Humour, Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder, Forgetfulness

Migraine Attacks

At times I do suffer migraine attacks where the worst could result in me lying in bed. Slight movement will cause terrible poundings on my head and sometimes, nauseactic too. To some people, a medical leave is a time to relax but medical leave due to migraine is no relaxation at all. I'm like paralysed, either have to sit tight or lie down on bed to rest.

Most of the time I knew how my migraine came about and usually due to a change of cold-hot-cold-warm- stuffy-cool within a short period of time. As my body has yet to adapt the new environment, it changes again within the next few minutes. I knew that coffee and those strong cheese are my weaknesses too.

Some migraine info:-
* 1 in 10 people suffers from migraine attack, an average of 13 times a year
* Attacks last up to 72 hours
* An attack involves a throbbing headache with at least two other symptoms: nausea, raised sensitivity to light, sound or smell
* The pain is made worse by movement and sufferers want to rest and keep still in darkness
* Some sufferers have neurological disturbances, or auras, before the headache starts such as flashing lights, blind spots and zig-zag patterns but also including tingling, pins and needles and numbness
* Some people experience the auras only, or with only a mild headache
* Migraine is more common among women and is often linked to hormonal changes

A British doctor said that a particular drug on trial now could spell the end of the misery endured (John Chambers, a consultant cardiologist at Guy's Hospital London). I wonder how true?

As for me, the Panadol (a.ka. Paracetamol) or Ponstan pill won't relieft me at all and Sibelium did help. Local doctors have various kinds of prescriptions till I have forgotten the name of the current drug that I'm taking.
Tags: Health, Migraine, John Chambers, Guy's Hospital London, Panadol, Paracetamol, Ponstan, Sibelium, Headache, Nausea

Anything Could Be Outsourced to India

India is known for their cheap labour plus they have lots of people that are highly skilled in the computer technology sector. Hence, lots of call centres for software/hardware/information technology businesses from throughout the world are based in India. India is known as the outsourcing king in the world.

Besides the hi-tech sector, a city in India is gaining fame for outsourcing in the health sector. In the city of Anand in India, there is this Akanksha Infertility & IVF Clinic based at Kaival Hospital where it's known for a unique service - outsourcing of pregnancies.

Their mode of operation - will match a lady in Anand city with an infertile couple which could come from United States, Taiwan, Britain and local Indians. The surrogate mother will then be cared for by a team of maids, cooks and doctors during pregnancy and delivery. Post-natal counselling would be provided too. The cost - US$20,000.

Commercial surrogacy (also known as 'wombs for rent'), the jargon for such business, has opened an avenue for the ladies in Anand to earn an income where it will take 15 years for an average lady in Anand. Nowadays, the list of future surrogate mothers are neverending.

What will other countries outsource to India in time to come?
Reading: Pregnancy becomes latest job outsourced to India - USA Today

Tags: Akanksha Infertility & IVF Clinic, Kaival Hospital, IVF, Infertility, In-Vitro Fertilization, India, Anand, Outsourcing King, Outsourced Pregnancies, Surrogate Mother, Commercial Surrogacy, Wombs For Rent

Seven Great Medical Myths

Rachel Vreeman of the Indiana University School of Medicine and Aaron Carroll of the Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, wrote in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, that the following medical myths have been heard in many generations but medical evidence didn't proof anything correct but neither has it been proven wrong:-

Drink at least eight glasses of water a day
This advice derives from a 1945 recommendation that adults should consume 2.5 litres of the stuff daily, or one millilitre for every calorie consumed. The crucial part of the recommendation – "most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods" – is often ignored. Drinking too much water can be dangerous.

My comments - That's what my mom has been telling since I was young.

Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
It causes eye strain, difficulty in focusing and dries the eyes because of reduced blinking while squinting but there is no evidence it causes lasting damage.

My comments - Same thing I have hearing from my mom and many other concerned adults. Is this one of the main reasons that caused countless of people wearing glasses today?

We only use 10 per cent of our brains
Studies of patients with brain damage suggest damage to any area of the brain has lasting effects. Brain imaging studies have shown no area of the brain is completely inactive and despite "detailed probing" the non-functioning 90 per cent has not been located.

My comments - I agree on this for certain people that I meet in my path of life.

Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
They don't. It is an illusion caused by the dehydration of the body which results in the skin retracting. This gives the appearance of increased length to the hair and nails – actual growth requires hormonal regulation which is not sustained after death.

My comments - That's what the Hong Kong movies potray especially on those ghost movies where the vampires (geong si) came to life with long fingernails jumping around the town looking for blood.

Shaving causes hair to grow back faster or coarser
Shaved hair lacks the finer taper seen at the end of unshaved hair. It has also not been lightened by the sun, so it appears darker.

My comments - Couldn't care, just shave only when I think it's required. I think the ladies will worry more on this.

Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals
Many hospitals still ban them, despite the lack of evidence that they interfere with electronic equipment, except in rare instances and at close quarters. Technological improvements have reduced the risk further.

My comments - Hospitals in Malaysia do put up this sign where mobile phones are prohibited to be switched on especially at Intensive Care Units ("ICU") area. I do switch it off just in case it caused malfunction on equipments. Imagine you were the one lying inside the ICU. If this was a myth, on what medical basis did our hospital relied on?

Eating turkey makes people drowsy
This myth is based on the assertion that turkey contains high amounts of tryptophan, an amino acid involved in sleep. But turkey contains no more than chicken or beef. Its sleep-inducing effects are due to the quantities eaten.

My comments - Seldom eat turkey so unable to comment on this.
Tags: Health, Medical Myths, Medical Evidence

Maintaining Fitness

Though I was tired from the weekend bliss owing to the dramas' preparations, I made an effort to pay a visit to my gym. Haven't been there for the last 2 weeks due to my left's arm situation.

When the gym owner asked why I was missing for so long, I told him about my left arm. When he took a look at it, he asked when did it happen. "Three Sundays ago" I replied.

He said "You better go and check your elbow with the doctor again. If it was still swollen after 3 weeks, I suspect that it is dislocated now."

Ouch! Yeah, if you were to press on one particular spot, I would still feel the pain and I can't rest that part of my elbow on my office desk.

One question, how do you recover from a dislocated elbow?
Tags: Gym, Dislocated Elbow

New AIDS Drug by Merck & Co

After conducting certain drug testing through human beings in Africa, Merck & Co has finally won the Food and Drug Administration's ("FDA") approval on their AIDS drug called Isentress, an HIV suppressor.

It was mentioned that the first group of people to benefit from this medical breakthrough would be people who had went through Merck & Co's drug trials earlier. I hope Merck & Co would be responsible towards the African people as these are the people who won't be able to afford such expensive drugs.

The drug, Isentress, though considered a medical breakthrough will only be admired by many. The new drug will not come cheap at all. Merck & Co is trying to market the product at US$27 for a day's prescription or US$9,850 per year. Their intention is very good but it brings no meaning to those infected by AIDS especially the African people whose income level is way below the average. It's only catered for those who are able to afford it not the mass.

Reading: FDA approves important new AIDS drug Isentress - San Francisco Chronicle
Tags: Health, AIDS, HIV, AIDS Vaccine, AIDS Virus, HIV Suppresor, Drug, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Merck & Co, Isentress

Warning on Beer

Police are warning all men who frequent clubs, parties and local pubs to be alert and stay cautious when offered a drink from any woman. Many females use a date #### drug on the market called "Beer."

The drug is found in liquid form and is available anywhere. It comes in bottles, cans, or from taps and in large "kegs". Beer is used by female sexual predators at parties and bars to persuade their male victims to go home and sleep with them. A woman needs only to get a guy to consume a few units of Beer and then simply ask him home for no strings attached sex.

Men are rendered helpless against this approach. After several beers, men will often succumb to the desires to sleep with horrific looking women whom they would never normally be attracted. After drinking beer, men often awaken with only hazy memories of exactly what happened to them the night before, often with just a vague feeling that "something bad" occurred.

At other times these unfortunate men are swindled out of their life's savings, in a familiar scam known as "a relationship". In extreme cases, the female may even be shrewd enough to entrap the unsuspecting male into a longer term form of servitude and punishment referred to as "marriage". Men are much more susceptible to this scam after beer is administered and sex is offered by the predatory females.

Please! Forward this warning to every male you know. If you fall victim to this "Beer" scam and the women administering it, there are male support groups where you can discuss the details of your shocking encounter with similarly victimized men.

Click the picture below to see the effect when you are over dozed with Beer.

Tags: Beer, Sexual Predator

Everyday Heroes Who Changed Lives

NOT YOUR COMMON HOUSEWIFE
--------------
Life has not been that easy for Isang, a 40 years old housewife who lives in a nipa hut located in a muddy hill in Barangay Bagumbayan, Loboc, a village 29 kilometers away from the capital of Bohol province, Philippines.

Her husband only earns Php150.00 for every 1,000 pieces of coconut he can peel in a day. Food and education expenses for the three children are paid thru this daily income of Isang's husband.

Yet this economic difficulty did not stop Isang from helping those in need, particularly those sick with Tuberculosis ("TB"). She tirelessly walks two (2) kilometers just to visit people with TB symptoms in their village and convinces them to submit their phlegm or sputum to the health center for examination.

Like a doctor, she is on-call and would even visit TB patients at night when they need her. Like a philanthropist, she continuously helps those who are sick even without financial returns because she has a vision for her village – a place free of TB, a disease that killed both her grandfather and uncle.

Isang is a member of the Bagumbayan TB Task Force, a group of TB community volunteers organized by World Vision's Social Mobilization on TB (SMT) Project to assist in finding and curing TB patients. She is only one of the many TB task force members in the country.

The TB Task Force members are not doctors, nurses, or professional health workers. They are ordinary villagers – fishermen, farmers, teachers, housewives, and others – who do something more than ordinary in their lives. They change lives by helping TB patients get cured.

AN ABLE DISABLED
--------------
Disability has never been a liability for Perfecto in making a difference in his community.

Perfecto Cacho, 48 years old, met an accident in 1985. His right leg had been amputated after being trapped in his seat inside a jeepney rammed by a delivery truck. But being disabled did not stop him to be productive in life and to do public service.

"I can still walk and I can still talk," he confidently said.

He is currently a purok (village) leader in the village of Burgos, San Antonio, Zambales, a province located in the Western coast of Luzon and also a member of the Burgos Bagong Lakas TB Task Force (Burgos' New Strength TB Task Force)

In the village under his authority, health had always been his priority.

"My first project was to encourage teenagers to stay away from drinking liquor and doing drugs, and to stay fit," he said. As a purok leader, he is always involved in barangay (village) meetings with other leaders. This is where he learned about World Vision and its SMT Project.

"I volunteered in the project because I know this will greatly help in improving the health of the people," he said.

During the 2006 World TB Day commemoration in their municipality, Perfecto ignored the dust and the prickly heat of the sun as he actively helped in distributing flyers and comics to people in the streets and in each house he passed by.

Aided with wooden crutches, he easily maneuvered his way to join in the election-style campaign parade conducted by their task force in the community just to be able to give information on TB prevention and control.

"I will continue to be part of this project as long as I can, as long as I am healthy," he remarked, "I knew a friend who died because of TB."

Perfecto may not be physically perfect with his disability but he is definitely contributing in making his community TB-free.

Since 2003, the SMT project had been mobilizing communities by organizing TB Task forces nationwide to assist the National TB Program in increasing the number of TB cases discovered and cured.

World Vision trains TB task forces to identify people with TB symptoms for referral to public health facilities, to act as treatment partners to TB patients, to conduct health education in villages, and to implement the Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse (DOTS). World Vision also creates TB and DOTS awareness in the community to increase demand for DOTS services.

At present, there are already 268 TB task forces organized by the project with over one million Filipinos as beneficiaries.
Tags: Tuberculosis, TB, Health, Barangay Bagumbayan, Loboc, Philippines, Burgos, San Antonio, Zambales, Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse, World Vision, TB Task Force

AIDS Vaccine Went Awfully WRONG!

Merck & Co who tested their one of the latest vaccine in which was related to AIDS, found that the vaccine had instead caused people without AIDS to contract AIDS. They later abandon that vaccine testing programme. Where is the punishment against Merck & Co? They can just go scot free?

If you have watched the movie called Constant Gardener, it depicts the same scenario where international pharmaceutical companies tested their latest products in Kenya which caused many Kenyans to die later on. Africans were used as the guinea pigs or a trial ground. Aren't they humans? In the movie, the government authorities and pharmaceutical companies' officials were implicated but investigators' life were threatened when they wanted to expose the scheme.

Is Merck & Co doing the same thing in Africa now? Or was the movie actually relaying a message behind the movie that in fact, it is happening.

Merck's scheme, called Step, started its trial way back in 2004 and it was tested on 3,000 HIV-negative volunteers that came from ages of 18 and 45 band. Out of a sudden, 24 of the volunteers became infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids. Another 21 was also infected with AIDS when a dummy version of the jab was given.

So, they were just testing whether their products were effective or not. Why didn't Merck & Co test it in USA first? No talks about compensation to the victims? Those are human beings just like you and me!!
Tags: Merck & Co, Pharmaceutical, Medicine, HIV Virus, AIDS, Africa, Guinea Pig, Trial Ground

Rubella outbreak in Klang Valley?

What outbreak? What's Rubella?

Picked this up from Uncle Lim's blog where a University of Malaya internal email has warned their staff/students about the Rubella virus which has infected a number of students:-

Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:03:23 +0800
From: International & Corporate Relations Office
To: uminfo@list.um.edu.my
Subject: [Uminfo] RUBELLA ON CAMPUS
YBhg. Dato’/Datuk/Datin/Profesor/Tuan/Puan,

Please be informed that a number of students had been infected with Rubella, an infectious disease caused by a virus. A main concern with the rubella disease is the effect it has on pregnant ladies as it can be very harmful to the foetus. Therefore, it is imperative for staff and students who are pregnant to seek consultation at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).

The symptoms of Rubella are fever and rashes. Apart from that, there may also be:
1. Conjunctivitis
2. Sore throat
3. Headache
4. Nausea
5. Tenderlymphadenopathy (particularly behind the ear areas - posterior auricular and suboccipital lymph nodes)

The University Management has taken several steps to address this issue and would like to seek lecturers’ assistance to inform and advise students of the above.

Thank you.
************************************************
International & Corporate Relations Office (ICR)
Level 1, Chancellery Building
University of Malaya
50603 Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA
Tel: 603-7967 3273 / 3423 / 3575 / 3334
Fax: 7956 0027
E-mail: icr@um.edu.my
Website: http://www.um.edu.my/

In that case, I would appreciate if blog readers who has friends/contacts in University of Malaya to verify the seriousness of the situation there and then share with us here. And if you are lazy to comment back here, at least inform your friend/contact to be careful if it's true.
Tags: Rubella, Rubella Outbreak, University of Malaya, Rubella Virus, Rubella Disease, Pregnant Ladies, Foetus, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinic, Health, University Malaya Medical Centre

Do You Use Disposable Wooden Chopsticks?

Tags:I'm sure you have used those disposable wooden chopsticks before in one of those meals, right? Depends on how it was manufactured, those disposable wooden chopsticks could be very deadly in terms of the sort of chemicals that had been retained in the tiny holes of the disposable wooden chopsticks.

Reading: Chopsticks picked up in new China scare - Reuters

Tags: Disposable Chopsticks, Hygiene, Health

Lung Condition: To Save It or Not?

Terrible picture I'm putting in here......yucks!!! On the left, is the condition of my lungs BUT on the right hand side is the condition of a diseased lung.

A diseased lung is usually due to smoking of cigarettes. Though we can't see the lungs with our own eyes, the picture below showed two dried up lungs for comparison sake.
When I was in school, a small number of schoolmates were already smoking. I was not thinking about it as I was actively involved in sports, be it athletics, basketball, football and swimming. All this required endurance. Partly also owing to my 'want-to-win' attitude. Or you can say 'cannot afford to lose'..... hehehe

I could see that those who were involved in sports didn't do well in their games due to their habits. From those days, I knew it was not good for my health. As of today, I'm still playing football. Thank God for that.

The Department of Health in UK has embarked on this picture images campaign to drive the message across to the general public on the danger of smoking. To my friends who are reading this posting, I'm not condemning or excommunicating you but as an advice for the sake of your health.
Tags: Smoke, Smoking, Cigarettes, Lung Cancer, Health, Endurance, Department of Health

Drowsy After Lunch? / China's Me Generation

Interesting articles for reading:-

Drowsy after lunch? Don't worry - it's natural
Ever wondered why do you feel sleepy especially after lunch and worst of all, at your workplace. Something wrong with your health? It's universally known as the "post-lunch dip" due to a collision of biology and economics. Wow, how scientific.

Will your company tolerate your sleepiness which people tend to relate it to laziness? Maybe you could suggest to your company to purchase this superb power nap chair called the Energy Pod which will benefit every staff for sure.

China's Me Generation
With seafood plentiful during a meal, conversation amongst young Chinese would be about exotic overseas trip, snowboarding, credit facilities provided by local banks while another would be assessing internet via the 3G technology.

It seems that the young urban Chinese would usually be found drinking their favourite coffee in Starbucks, wearing Nike shoes and blogging excessively.

Once you asked them about politics, their response would be "We can't do anything about it." It's exactly the same reaction in Malaysia. In China, the young generation is the driver and main beneficiaries of the current strong economy and who wouldn't want it to be changed especially the estimated 300 million 20-29 years old band of the young urban Chinese.
Tags: Drowsy, Post-Lunch Dip, Sleepiness, Nap, Power Nap, Energy Pod, Health, Me Generation, China, Young Urban Chinese

Getting the Best Out of My Life

Not feeling that for the last 2 days......the throat was not at its best. Just that I'm gulping down plenty of water coupled with supplements, the sore throat can't show its ugly head.

Hopefully it gets better by Sunday. The worse thing is lunch or dinner without chilli , it would be tasteless......... and have to consider my throat too.......sigh!!!!

Hmmmm I'll be on leave for the whole of next week. One thing I need to settle is to finalise the Christmas Drama 2007's script. Have to put it in details then sit down with the Music Director to fit in the right songs. Calling the right people to play the respective roles. Yeah, no Christmas holiday for me during that period but I'm sure it'll be fun seeing the guys/gals having their practices, getting their props/costumes, there will surely be times of rolling on the floor laughing over misquoted lines.

Going to take the role of a wedding planner as well for a close friend. His big day - 22 Sept 07 to be held in church too. We normally have a core group helping out in each wedding so it'll be quite easy with the team assisting. The groom-to-be will be the one who panics, not me....hehe... but there's a checklist to follow. As long as all the steps are taken, it should be smooth sailing.
Tags: Sore Throat, Christmas Drama, Christmas, Wedding Planner, Wedding

Indian Yoga vs. Australian Yoga

With the craze going on for all sorts of Yoga practice, the Australians have caught up with it too not wanting to be left behind. The Indian Yoga was said to be the original.

At my place of stay, Yogazone is doing quite well. Yeah, my place has lots of things lately, booming! Yoga is a hot thing and even a Yoga Conference will be held in November.

Tags: Yoga, Indian Yoga, Australian Yoga, Yogazone, Yoga Conference

Major Disaster

Firstly, diarrhoea struck right on early Thursday morning (close to 7am). Well, I didn't visit the toilet numerous times from 7am to 8am (latest time I need to leave house in order to reach office on time). Actually I stayed in the toilet from 7am to 8am. No chance to leave the toilet at all.

By the time I came out, I was so weak and the radar directed me straight to my bed again. Lied down there for maybe 20 minutes and the alarm bell rang again.............. oh man.....what a way to start my day. What did I eat the night before? What did I do?

I remembered me going for my first gym experience on Wednesday night (yeah, never joined a gym before). FYI, I have joined Impressive Fitness (5 mins walk from my condo). Passed my fitness test and went through 1 full round of the circuit trying out all the machines. Set my weights for each equipment with a trainer so that I know how much I should go for in my next visit.

Went home and ate some food (not home cooked) at home. After thinking back, definitely it was not the gym but the food that I ate. It was common food like rendang chicken, sambal prawn, some fried meehoon and got some home-cooked soup (proper one). Next thing I knew on Thursday morning was toilet visitation.

Then tried to log on to the internet at home. As the battery was waning out, I plug in the power cable. Didn't realise power was not connected properly and a warning window splased across my screen. HUUUUUUUUUUH???

No power supply? What happened? True enough, the power cable/adaptor has gone kaput. Before I can do anything further, might as well keep all. Went out to get some light breakfast at about 10am. Thought everything was over untiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil - good thing my toilet is clean. Visiting it was not a problem.

Well each toilet visit was greeted with stomach cramp (so I thought) until the doctor (paid a visit later) said it was the intestines that could not take the food poisoning effect any longer. Couldn't even sit up straight at times when the pain hits me during the toilet visits.

By afternoon, everything has cleared, no more food intake mean no output ...... yeah, will keep it that way. Only fluid. But I could hear a big typhoon storm in my stomach. You could have hear it if you were beside me.

Rested well in the afternoon after a strainous day. By evening, the storm had calmed down but with infrequent warning given out by the stomach.

By this morning, seems ok but looks like having an urge to visit only........ hehehe. Only get to post this while in office as I borrowed a power adaptor from another colleague while waiting for the IT Dept to get a new one for me. Hopefully by this evening otherwise will be boring weekend at home without the chance to blog.

Ahhhhhhhh, can go to gym if no power adaptor but I can't be in the gym the whole day then.
Tags: Journal, Life, Diarrhoea, Food Poisoning, Power Adaptor, Gym, Impressive Fitness, Health