Yadada...

I'm not gonna even defend myself and give excuses for not blogging for quite sometime...and now I'm just gonna drop by and say a few words:
"I'm sooo tired with work, extra-curricular activities etc"
So tat's about it...my blog for today...haha...Till then. Au revoir.

2, 3...a scaredy cat runs in the family?

This morning was like any other morning. Not expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen to me. I woke up as usual around 6.3oam (usual time for me to wake up during holidays). I sent my nephew to school as he has a three day camping at school. This might not be news flash but to me it could only mean one thing...Yes, freedom to use my laptop without him 'perching' at the edge of the sofa waiting for his turn with bated breath, eyeing me and my laptop with eagle eyes...hehe. However, as he slowly walked towards the shan tao school gate, I can't help but feel overprotective of him, feeling worried whether he will be alright. He has never been away from my family and I. He still sleeps with my mom in the same room and he won't even go to sleep if my mom is not there to watch him sleep. There is a kind of connection between them...a strong bond that is stronger than the bond between me and her, etween my nephew and my sister, his mother. Anyways, my point is... my mom and I can't stop worrying about him. "What if he wakes up late at night and wants to go to the toilet?" "What if the electricity suddenly goes out and he's scared of the darkness?" These kind of questions will run through our minds. How I know? To tell you the truth...I'm not a mind reader but my mom did discuss about these things... plus what activity/ies to do during Earth Hour ;-) We just hope that he will be a much braver boy after this camp. He needs to be more mature and less of a 'scaredy cat' that he is... Ok moving on...Earlier on, I did mentioned about no 'great expectation' on my part. Boy was I wrong. I went to the Giant store at CT Mall at 11am. Had to do some grocery shopping as I can see through the rice container, and hear the jingle jangle of the sugar when I shook the can. Anyways...after we (+mum+Sarah) had finished loading the heavy laden trolley with goodies of all sorts, we made our way to the counter to part with my hard earned money. I did my normal grocery shopping routine, putting the groceries one by one on the conveyor belt. Everyone was shocked when I suddenly screamed. I thought that I would faint there and then. Right there, on the Nescafe package, was a lizard, brownish almost black in colour. Tried to shoo it away but felt too weak, actually crippled by fright. For those who knows me well, they can vouch that there is no love lost between me and the pesky, cold blooded, creature. I did all sorts of non-verbal communication, movements Michelle Yeoh and Jet Li would surely envy but to no avail. The lizard was very stubborn. The cashier can't help smiling at my antics (I know this coz my mum later pointed it out when we were in the car). Luckily the lady behind me was sympathetic and was my 'heroine'. She asked me what was wrong and I can just point at the lizard. She understood and lifted the Nescafe from the conveyor belt, put it down and shooed the lizard away. This time, the lizard obliged. I am very thankful to the lady. She was very helpful and I find that her action was 'extraordinary' as she took the trouble help me out, despite me being a total stranger and a foreigner...you see, she is a young Englishwoman, so me being a Malaysian, is also a foreigner to her. She humbly accepted my "Cheers!" aka thanks. My family and I quickly made our way to the exit, trying to avoid people's gazes. Haha...how embarrasing. I guess I do share something in common with my nephew after all... besides genes :-)

Of chicken and coconuts...Part 2

I felt compelled to write this blog for two reasons: one to reminisce on my 'chicky pox' experience and another to offer help for all those other suffers out there. Here goes...

Things NOT to do (according to the Kadazan culture/belief):

1. Take your bath until all or at least one pox appear on either your palm or your feet. (Imagine wet hair due to perspirations, oils and boils, b.o. My niece wouldn't come near me. I understand I wouldn't want to smell myself)

2. Let yourself be exposed to the wind. (I think the rationale is to prevent being exposed to dusts which will make our pox itchy or infected with germs. The house fan or table fan should be all right I guess and very comforting since the climate in Malaysia is sooo hot)

3. Eat soy sauce. (Old folks believe that it would make one's spots turn dark. Hemm, dunno if this is scientifically proven or not but who's willing to take the risk, right?)

4. Pick/squeeze/scratch your pox.(This is to prevent scarring. But I did all three and can attest to the truth of this claim).

5. Cover yourself in thick clothing from head to toe. (You'll be experiencing fever, ranging from mild to severe. Had both by the way. It is important not to let your body become too hot to prevent getting seizures)

6. Look at yourself in the mirror. (This will make your pox multiply and become more. Actually I think the rationale would be to prevent the sufferer to feel sad or irritated and do #4 (pls refer))

7. Eat chicken, peanuts, chilli for 100 days. (Again, dunno the rationale but who's willing to take the risk. All your food should be steamed or cooked without oil)

8. Wear red coloured clothes. (It will slow down the recovery of chicken pox or so they said.)

Things which can HELP us in our fight against chicken pox

1. Coconut water

To make the pox come out quickly and some people said that it can prevent scarring. You should use coconut water when you take your bath for the first time (when the pox has appeared on either your palm/feet). However, not any coconuts will do. Use only the 'young' ones, plucked straight from the tree. Don't take ones that have fallen to the ground!

2. Vitamin C

This can be in the form of juice, fruit, tablet etc. Products to try out are Redoxon (as shown above), Innershine Prune Esscence, Ester-C 5oo from elken (to name but just a few).


3. Vitamin E

This Vitamin E concentrate boasts the highest level of wheatgerm %. But I don't even know the relevance only that a lot of people strongly suggest sufferers to massage this oil gently on the skin/scars to improve their appearance. We can also take Vitamin E in the form of a pill, courtesy of WIN EPA from Elken.

4. Guava leaves.

Interesting and sweer smelling guava leaves. The suface of the lear resembles that of a chicken pox spot and believed to be effective to make the pox dry faster and to get rid of all toxins from your body. Boil the leaves, let it cool down and you can add water and take your bath with it. You can also put it in the pail, pour hot water on it and cover. Leave for ten minutes and add some water and take your bath.

Actually there are other remedies also but these are the ones that I follow religiously and most importantly within my means :-). Good Luck!

...and the award goes to Miss P :-p

Thank yer, thank yer...Miss Mathew I dunno wat to say...I'm flattered. In fact very flattered to be 'endowed' with three awards in one day :-) Thanx heaps!

Name 7 things/persons that you love and then pass this to 7 other bloggers....
1. My family
2. My friends
3. Education
4. Food
5. Money
6. Television
7. Songs

Of Chicken and coconuts...(Part 1)

It has been a while since I last posted a blog here. I have a perfectly good reason this time and it's not due to procrastination :-).

Well, it all started one day. It was on a Monday, 2nd March 2009, the first day of schooling after a week long of CNY holiday. I woke up, as usual at around 5.15am, took a shower and got ready for school. For most of the time, I felt uneasy. I had a terrible headache at school and felt weak. My students antics irritated me extremely and most of the time I would imagine doing something nasty to them. Normally, this would bring a smile to my face but I felf that I could not even smile. I just felt miserable. It didn't help that on Monday, we normally have our morning prayer. This is boss will tell us what to do, what is expected of us, assigning more duties etc. I felt like my head was gonna explode, it felt hot in the MM2 room despite the air-conds being switched to the max or was it min. Suffice to say, I was sweating it out like I was in a sauna, well almost. Luckily, my ordeal was over at 3pm. and as the rest of the teachers scurried out the tiny door I was content to be one of the last ones out of the room, dragging my feet behind me. I gathered my things and made my way to my car. Thinking back, I am amazed how I managed to drive myself home, before that stopping at Petronas for panadol. muscle relief and actifast, which they didn't have, n finally to the pharmacy at beverly hills, where I didn't get what I was looking for and had to settle for panadol milidon 650mg.

As I reached home, I remembered that I was supposed to have tuition that night and I called in sick...switched off my hp, swallowed one panadol n slept...in my work clothes. I woke up close to 10pm and took my bath. I went downstairs and found my mum watching tele. I went to the kitchen to get supper. I joined my mum in the living room. I felt slightly better than before. After my supper, I took another milidon. The back of my ears felt painful. I touched it and noticed some bumps that felt painful when pressed. I put some gamat balm, all the way from langkawi (given to me by my dear friend miss mathew) on the bumps and massaged on them. I almost vomitted due to the action and stopped massaging. Soon, I felt sleepy again and thought that it was better that I go to bed and have enough rest so that I would feel much better the next morning.

Sure enough, I did feel better. Took my bath and noticed some red bumps on my stomach. I didn't remember seeing the bumps before. Got ready in front of the mirror and noticed two small blisters on my forehead. I then suspected the dreaded disease but at the same time I tried to convince myself that it wasn't. I went to school anyway. At the canteen, I was talking to M... and asking her to look at the small blisters on my forehead, and a bigger blister on my arm. She said that it looked like chicken pox but the other 'doctors' at my school aka my colleagues, who were at the canteen were doubtful. They thought that it was mere allergic reaction to something that I ate or just pimples and looked at me in a strange way (it had seemed to me, though I might have imagined they did). Some did comment that if it was chicken pox, then it will be a mild one judging from the number and size of blisters that they see. M suggested that I go and see a doctor to confirm our suspicion and even volunteered to drive me to the doc. I assured her that I was fine and can still drive myself to the doc but thanked her anyway. Then noon time arrived and I felt dizzy again. I can't wait to go home n lie down. Finally after what seemed like aeon, I was back home in my comfy bed again. Feeling sorry for myself for falling sick. I had wanted to sleep but I couldn't so I decided to rest for a while. Then I dragged my feet behind me and made it to the nearest clinic in BH. Mine and M's suspicion was confirmed. It was chicken pox. The doctor gave me an MC for one week.

The next day, in my confinement, despite noticing my blisters multiplying, I did not feel feverish. But I pretended to moan n groan in pain so as to scare my nephew, who hasn't got the c.pox yet. However, on Thursday, the moaning and groaning was real. I felt dizzy, and aching all over. I had a mild fever in the morning, and a bad one at night. My body felt hot and the fever continued until the next day ... and night. I was slightly better on saturday but the fever comes and goes. It was on ordeal that I don't think I want to go through again. I posted my ordeal on FB got some interesting feedbacks, so many advise and tips from good friends which proved very helpful. I rode the disease for two weeks and am so thankful first and foremost to my beloved mum for her relentless support and care during the two weeks, and to my sisters also for helping out, Miss Mathew and her mum, n other well-meaning friends.

Arrgghh...

It's been a torturous, three days for me. Coming up with the 'Form 3 English Module' for my school is no easy feat. Stiff necked all over and my eye balls are about to 'pop' out of the sockets which had so dearly kept them in place all these while. If a doctor was to examine me, he would have diagnosed me as having the 'Overworked Mule Syndrome' or OMS (mule is better than jack ass btw) Ok, so now...three sections done and another two more to go. I had wanted to continue, finish everything tonight (this morning?) and burn the midnight oil (ultimate lameness) but when I look at my small, cozy bed...I think I'll just lie down for a while. Rest for a bit...zzzzzzzzzz.

Hold it in...

My head feels like it's gonna explode right now. I have so many things to do and so little time ;-(
It's true that time waits for no man/woman/in between...but for now I just wished I could have Hiro's powers to freeze time so that I can do a lot of things. It's not always easy 'cleaning up after someone's mess' but when the order comes from 'high above' I have no say whatsoever. Just grit me teeth n pray that action won't cause me migraine. I can't afford to be sick on 'duty'. Many more exercises to be done. I swear I could see smoke coming out of me' head, sounds of loosening screws...hope I won't go 'nuts' with the pressure...stay calm...(squint...just in case) Oh well..didn't work.