In today's mailbox :-)

From: ...Rina
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 10:10:05 AM


NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.


(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.


(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!


(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)


(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.


(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome'; that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying she's annoyed with you!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.



* Send this to the men you know to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology.


* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause they know it's true!!!

(Is it? I have to be careful then..he he he...)

Tea anyone?

Once a week, there's this Chinese girl who comes to our office to do the cleaning of our telephones. We normally have small chats while she's doing the cleaning ~ anything from what food we have for breakfast, our weekend activities, her recent holiday trip back to her hometown in Sabah for her Chinese New Year celebration and the best one so far ~ chatting about her love of watching ghost movies!..ha ha..

(Has she watched this one?)

Last week when she turned up, she noticed that I was drinking chinese tea. She said something about ladies shouldnt drink lots of chinese tea, better to drink green tea...but she didnt explain the reason why...mmm...I thot chinese tea is just a general reference to the teas that originate from China [ :-) ], it can either be green, white, black, oolong, jasmine etc etc etc...but I'll check it out..

So I did a bit of surfing, so many sites, so many interesting info. Little bits and pieces that I could gather about the differences are due to many factors. for example ~ the time when the tea shoots are picked, whether its at tender or mature stage and from which province the tea comes from. The largest factor comes from differences in processing after the tea is harvested....


There's one website that I'm still reading - http://www.sevencups.com/

When we were in Beijing couple of years back we were taken to this "Dr Tea" house, they explained a bit of tea's origin, the making of it, the "yin and yang" (but I cant remember what, have to refer to the little notes that I took..he he ..).

Got back from Beijing with Oolong and Jasmine teas and still have it, still drinking it, hope the tea leaves have not reach it expiry dates!..ha ha..

I've yet to find the answer of what the girl said. But I guess as long as I dont drink it excessively, I hope it wont harm me.

Talking about tea, there's another "tea" session that I'm looking forward to ~ "High Tea" with my school batch, friends that I have not seen for weeks, months and may be, in years, hopefully many can make it...

...but this "tea" session will not be only on teas, cakes and buns... there'll be a buffet where I know there should be lots of my favourite food at this favourite place of mine..yummy...he he he...



However, I still prefer instant white coffee to teh tarik (literally "pulled tea" - derived from the pouring process of "pulling" the drink during preparation. It is made from black tea and condensed milk.) ~ :-)))


********

..........

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Bit nostalgic...

On TV now is "Midsummer Murders", a British police movie series. Watching it reminds me of my student days there...some of the things I used to do.




..recalling the times when I collected fresh milks outside our rented house early mornings, and making hot chocolates..hmmm..yummy;



..of buying ice-cream (complete with choc flakes!..he he he...) from the ice-cream van, chasing the van even during winter..ha ha..;



..taking buses, london tubes and train rides to go everywhere [and yet nowdays I dont like using lrt! :-)..];




..to the times I'd love buying cherries, plums, strawberries etc etc, on the way back from classes...





and so many others .....

Ha ha..I'm grinning remembering the first time I came back to Malaysia for summer holiday during the first year, I was singing and humming Sudirman's song "Balik Kampung"(*) once it was announced that we had entered Malaysia...couldn't wait then to see my family...he he he...


oh those were the days....


(*) - Coincidently, the song that potrays the good feelings and excitement upon "going back to our village/hometown" was sung by the late artist who passed away 17 years ago, on 22nd. february 1992...may he rest in peace...ameen..

Therapy : Foot Reflexology

It has been months since we last went for foot reflexology and we are thinking of going sometime this weekend or next. We normally go to NURI REFLEXOLOGY THERAPY(http://nurireflexology.blogspot.com/), the "clinic" that is run by a lady who employs visually impaired people who carry out the massages/services.


****************

According to Chinese medicine, the sensory nerves of the internal organs that spread throughout the body are mainly gathered around the soles of the feet.

Therefore, the massage is effective in stimulating the functions of the internal organs. Another advantage of this therapy is that there is no risk. Expert masseurs will deal with the critical points on the feet with utmost care. The pain felt there will disappear when the masseur finishes the process.



The Benefits of Foot Reflexology Massage

1. It can relieve pain and stiffness caused by too much exercising or using muscle for too long.

2. It can help prevent and cure many symptoms such as headache, stress, asthma, constipation, sinusitis and migraine.


3. The blood circulation system will be boosted.


4. The body's function will be naturally turned into its homeostasis.

Restrictions:

1. The massage must be done with accuracy to avoid wrong reflection which will cause muscle infection.


2. One should not receive a massage until at least one hour after a meal.


3. After receiving a massage, one is required to drink water to eliminate toxin and lactic acids developed during the massage process.


4. Pregnant women, menstruating women and people who are bleeding either internally and externally are not allowed to receive foot reflexology massage.


5. Both masseur and client are prohibited from washing hair, hands, feet or taking a bath within one hour of foot reflexology massage in order to prevent the body's elements from the effect of coldness.


6. Foot reflexology massage can be given every day but the total duration of both feet in a day should not exceed 45 minutes. However, only ten minutes is allowed for patients who used to suffer from heart attack.




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From a different website:


Benefits of Reflexology :

~ Helps with relaxation and stress reduction

~ Improves circulation and oxygenation

~ Helps the body take up more nutrients

~ Helps in the detoxification processes removing toxins and impurities

~ Helps improve lymphatic flow so stimulated the immune system

~ Revitalizes and energizes the body

~ Allows us to give the gift of human touch that so many of us are lacking these days

~ Stimulates creativity and productivity by restoring mental alertness

~ It is also very rewarding and energizing to the practitioner as well





Reflexology Points: The Law of Correspondence:

~ The inside curves of the foot correspond to the curves of the spine with the toe being the top of the spine and the back of the heal corresponding to the sacrum. When the back of the heel is worn down on a person's shoe, this is an indication that they might have sciatic pain.

~ The tips of each toe represent the head area- specifically the brain.

~ The big toe represents the brain and all the glands the head contains. Sometimes when women wear high heels, they squish the toes which, in turn, decreases the blood flow to the head and gives the person a headache.

~ The second and third toes correspond to the ears, eyes, and sinuses.

~ The balls of the feet correspond to the chest and lungs. The heart rests in the center between the balls of the feet.

~ The arch of the foot corresponds to the internal organs.

~ The kidney (very center of the foot) and bladder points (just before the heel and on the inside edge of the foot) are more centrally located. This is often a tender area. Be gently and vary the pressure and technique until the patient can handle your touch and relax into it. Many people protect this area by walking on the outside heel.

~ The intestines surround the kidney and bladder and comprise most the arch.

~ The beginning of the heel corresponds to the upper part of the pelvic area.

~ The inner line of the foot from toe to heel corresponds to the spine.

~ The outer line of the foot from little toe to heel corresponds to the arm, shoulder, hip leg, knee, and lower back.

~ The ankle corresponds to the pelvic and reproductive organs.

~ The Achilles' tendon corresponds to the female reproductive organs or prostate. Massage this from the foot towards the heart to guide the blood and lymph back to the heart.

Reason why I never visit rich people...

he he he...I got this mail the other day.. I pity the guest... :-)

Question : "What would you like to have ..Fruit juice, Soda, Tea, Chocolate, Milo, or Coffee?"

Answer: "tea please"

Question : " Ceylon tea, Herbal tea, Bush tea, Honey bush tea, Ice tea or green tea ?"

Answer : "Ceylon tea "

Question : "How would you like it ? black or white ?"

Answer: "white"

Question: "Milk, Whitener, or Condensed milk ?"

Answer: "With milk "

Question: "Goat milk, Camel milk or cow milk"

Answer: "With cow milk please."

Question: " Milk from Freeze land cow or Afrikaner cow?"

Answer: " Um, I'll take it black. "

Question: " Would you like it with sweetener, sugar or honey?"

Answer: "With sugar"

Question: " Beet sugar or cane sugar ?"

Answer: "Cane sugar "

Question:" White , brown or yellow sugar ?"

Answer: "Forget about tea just give me a glass of water instead."

Question: "Mineral water or still water ? "

Answer: "Mineral water"

Question: "Flavored or non-flavored ?"

Answer: "I'll rather die of thirst"

HANDBOOK

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner
like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less
food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time for prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what
their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her
mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate
others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems
are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like
algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your
family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!
33. Always speak the truth even if it leads to your death.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:

40. Please share this with everyone you care about.

Images

Found the photos among old emails ~ of frozen seas.

Dengue

Read the news yesterday that 18 people have died so far this year from dengue fever. According to statistics, “Eight states had recorded increases led by Kelantan (162 per cent), Johor (40 per cent), Selangor (33 per cent), Perak (18 percent), Sabah (13 per cent), Melaka (10 per cent), Pahang(8 per cent) and Sarawak (2 percent)” ~(Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai - BERNAMA)

...and "Thirteen new “hot dengue areas” had been identified bringing the total to 39. Selangor had the most number with 33 followed by Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya with 4 while Johor and Sarawak had one each."

Our area has been considered as one of the "hot dengue areas" so is often "visited" by officers from health department for the "spraying" of insecticide.

A little bit of research of dengue fever :

"Dengue is an infection of the dengue virus and one of the most common arthropod borne viruses. It is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes in the Aedes genus and is considered a major health threat. Dengue is usually a minor febrile illness that resolves without treatment, but it can develop into dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal, on rare occasions."

"Symptoms of dengue include headache, fever, exhaustion, severe joint and muscle pain, rash, and swollen glands. Since dengue is caused by a virus, there is no specific medicine to treat it. Treatment instead focuses on relieving the symptoms."


"Eliminate potential breeding grounds for the vector mosquitoes. This includes even small amounts of stagnant water, especially those around human habitation. Pots and old tires should be kept empty and even water in flower vases should be changed regularly".

I was told that one of the home treatments for this is to drink lots of plain water and lots of isotonic drink. Last year when our nephew was admitted to the hospital during Eid-ul-Fitr celebration, we supplied him with lots of 100plus drinks and we believe it helped him recovered sooner.

Few days ago I received "Dengue Fever Remedy" in my mail box, interesting... as according to those who have tried the remedy, the patients' blood platelet counts started to increase after drinking the juice :

(papaya leaves)

"2 pcs of papaya leaves, clean, pound and filter. You will only get one tablespoon per leaf. So two tablespoon per serving once a day. Do not boil or cook or rinse with hot water, it will loose its strength. Only the leafy part and no stem or sap. The juice is very bitter."

"It's believed one's body would be overheated when one is down with dengue and that also caused the patient to have fever. The papaya leaf juice has cooling effect, so it helps to reduce the level of heat in one's body, thus the fever will go away."


Not sure if it really works but hopefully it does. And I think I've read somewhere that crab soup can also help, have to dig into my mail boxes.


However, whatever the methods are for any kind of diseases, we can try our best, but only Allah SWT can heal.

May my family and friends be granted with good health...ameen.

To all my friends!

[ ...It's always nice to have this kind of emails in the box, makes me feel good.

Last time I didnt know where to keep good emails that I received, I'd lost quite a few that I saved in my computer and external HD after both gone "kaput", now I know....all in the blogs..he he he... ]

From zaihan a @ Ze (thank you!)

(Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:38:51 PM)
(Subject: FW: to all my friends! (read to the end))

WISHING YOU - IN YOUR BUSY

LIFESTYLE SOME TIME FOR RELAXATION

& REFLECTION ...

GOOD SLEEP

GOOD HEALTH WITH EXERCISE

SOMEONE TO DANCE WITH

A BIT OF ADVENTURE

GOOD LOOKS

BUT MOST OF ALL ...

I WISH YOU

LOTS OF BEAR HUGS ..

AND THE BLISS OF REAL LOVE

MAY BLESSINGS COME YOUR WAY TODAY:

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE LOVE TO SHARE

HEALTH TO SPARE

AND FRIENDS THAT CARE


*********************


BUT WATCH OUT FOR THOSE PENGUINS

DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE DOING THIS TO SOMEONE?

(the image of 1st penguin pushing the 2nd into the icy water!)



NOW PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERY PERSON YOU CONSIDER A FRIEND
********************

Janet Street-Porter: Why I hate Facebook

Daily Mail, U.K - 11:11 PM on 06th February 2009

(The article excerpts)

"Social networking site Facebook is five years old this week, but I won't be wasting time 'poking' cyber friends - that's contacting them to you and me - and celebrating online."

"Nothing sums up the shallow world we live in more than a group of people chatting away to each other for hours each day via sites like Bebo, MySpace and Facebook."

"Have these sad characters got nothing better to do? What is it about the real world that they find so unappealing?"

***************

"I am proud to say I have real friends, with their little weird ways, their shortcomings, their obsessions, their strange eating habits and their wonderful gossip."

"Acquiring real friends is a delicate ritual which involves reading the other person's body language, carefully checking that you share the same interests and testing their sense of humour."

"It's fraught with difficulties and takes great patience; but ultimately it's thoroughly rewarding."

***************

"We share our leisure time, walking, going to silly films, belonging to book clubs, dragging each other along to WeightWatchers."

"Compare what you can experience with a real friend to what you get from a cyber-crony. Hours of tapping at a keyboard while your backside expands. Chatting without hearing the tone of their voice or reading their gestures and facial expressions."


****************

"We have our feuds and periods of 'non-speakers' from time to time (I admit I am not the easiest person in the world to get on with), but I know that if I feel a bit lonely, or need cheering up, I can call one of them up, have a chat, meet for a meal or a drink, and afterwards I'll feel better."

"And - best of all - it's not something that anyone else need know about. I don't bore the rest of the world outside my best friends with my anxieties, my miseries and my objects of hatred. I have my own website - but it's not interactive. The time I spend each week in chat-rooms is precisely zero."


******************

"If all that is depressing enough, my central objection, as I have already said, is the detrimental effect Facebook has on real relationships."

"Time and again, people who use Facebook regularly find that their partners feel left out of their online circle, that they resent the swopping of injokes, private confidences and personal chat, and, most of all, the time it consumes."


"I have been cheered recently, though, by the news that an increasing number of users are committing what is known as 'Facebook suicide' - erasing their profiles and returning to life in the real world, presumably sick of the shallow allure of living your life in cyber space."


*****************

"But I worry that millions of others - and especially the young - may be losing the social skills they need to lead fulfilled lives, hold down a job and communicate effectively and honestly with their partners. In short, by logging on, they are tuning out of reality."

"One of my pals recently told me he had joined a social networking site. I was incredulous. Secretly I thought: Is he so miserable with his real friends that he needs a load of nonjudgmental new ones? Has he no shame?"

"I don't need the validation of hundreds of cyber-friends on Facebook. And neither should anyone else."

(Full article at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1138445/Janet-Street-Porter-Why-I-hate-Facebook.html)



*******************

My reason for joining Facebook? Wanted to look at a long lost friend's who is now in U.K, when we finally managed to have each other's email add, she said that she had been trying to find me there...

of course she is there much longer than me, I guess when she first started, I was not even aware of this Facebook thingy!..ha ha ha...

mmm...I haven't checked mine for quiet a while now...

"Woman to Woman Encouragement"

Someone will always be smarter.
Their house will be bigger.
They will drive a better car.



Their children will do better in school.
And their partners will fix more things around the house.
So let it go and love you and your circumstances.


Think about it.

The prettiest woman in the world can have hell in her heart.


And the most highly favored woman on your job may be unable to have children.
The richest woman you know -- she's got the car, the house, the clothes
might be heartbreakingly lonely.


So, love you.
Love who you are right now.



Tell yourself, "I am too blessed to be stressed."

Be blessed ladies and pass this on to encourage another woman.

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world."


Send this to wonderful strong women you know. I did.

Possibilities and miracles are one and the same.


"Good friends are like stars.........
You don't always see them,
but you know they are always there."

(Going 'thru mail box ~ Neng's mail on "Thought of the day" to our egroup back in 2006)

The last picture

We are small when nature hits...

(mail box : Jan 07)

128 killed in Australia's worst fire disaster

WHITTLESEA, Australia – The death toll from Australia's wildfires has risen to 128, and authorities said they expect the number to go higher.

Authorities counted more victims overnight as they reached further into a huge zone scorched by blazes that ripped across southeastern Victoria state over the weekend.

Victoria police spokeswoman Marika Sengler said the confirmed death toll on Monday afternoon was 128.

At least 750 homes were destroyed in the fires that in some cases razed entire towns.

Officials say they expect the toll to go higher as investigators move into areas not yet reached.

Australia's previous deadliest fires were in 1983, when blazes killed 75 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes in Victoria and South Australia.

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090209/ap_on_re_au_an/as_australia_wildfires)

(@ 12.15pm )

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UPDATED ON:
Monday, February 09, 2009
06:31 Mecca time, 03:31 GMT

The toll from the fires in the country's southeast hit 128 early on Monday as Kevin Rudd said he feared the "numbing" number would rise further.

"This is of a level of horror that few of us anticipated. There are no words to describe it other than mass murder," Rudd told Australian television.

Some of the fires eased on Monday but thousands of firefighters and soldiers continued to battle dozens of blazes across an area of about 3,000 sq km across the states of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.

The authorities expect the toll to rise as they search for scores of missing in more than 750 burnt-out homes and completely destroyed towns.

Chris Harvey, a survivor of a massive fire that tore through several small towns north of Melbourne on Saturday night, told local media that it was a "most horrible day".

"It's going to look like Hiroshima, I tell you. It's going to look like a nuclear bomb," he said.

Meanwhile, in sharp contrast to the fires in the country's southeast, much of the northern state of Queensland was flooded and has been declared a disaster zone.



UPDATED ON:
Sunday, February 08, 2009
15:38 Mecca time, 12:38 GMT

Heavy rains that have left at least eight people dead in the Solomon Islands are set to drench Australia's Queensland state, which has already been hit by severe flooding.

Australia's weather bureau said a downgraded tropical cyclone now over the Gulf of Carpentaria, northwest of Queensland, could form again and that another low pressure system to the north could develop into a cyclone within 48 hours.

The warnings come as river levels in some parts of Queensland began to fall on Thursday, allowing emergency workers to reach people left stranded by floods.

Residents trying to clean up from weeks of rain were warned to beware of crocodiles washed up from swollen rivers and snakes roaming flooded streets and yards.

More than 60 per cent of Queensland has been declared a disaster area with flooding affecting almost 3,000 homes.

The government has called in the army to help with rescue and recovery efforts