Thursday, September 28, 2006

Panadol....

DON'T TAKE PANADOL AND PANADOL ACTI FAST AND PANADOL SOLUBLE (ESP.PPL HAVE GASTRIC).

FYI... One real story from a guy...My husband was working in a hospital as an IT engineer, as the hospital is planning to set up a database of its patient. And he knows some of the doctor quite well. The doctors used to tell him that whenever they have a headache, they are not willing to take PANADOL (PARACETMOL).

In fact,they will turn to Chinese Herbal Medicine or find other alternatives. This is because Panadol is toxic to the body, and it harms the liver. According to the doctor, Panadol will reside in the body for at least 5 years. And according to the doctor, there used to be an incident where an air stewardess consumes a lot of panadol during her menstrual as she needs to stand all the time. She's now in her early 30's, and she needs to wash her kidney (DIALYSIS) every month.

As said by the doctor that whenever we have a headache, that's because it is due to the electron/Ion imbalance in the brain. As an alternative solution to cope with this matter, they suggested that we buy 1 or 2 cans of isotonic drink ( eg.100PLUS), and mix it with drinking water according to a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 (simply, it means one cup 100plus, one cup water.or 2 cups water). Me and my husband have tried this on several occasions, and it seems to work well. Another method will be to submerge your feet in a basin of warm water so that it bring the blood pressure down from your throbbing head.

As Panadol is a pain killer, the more Panadol you take, the lesser would be your threshold for pain (your endurance level for pain). We all will fall ill as we aged, for woman, we would need to go through childbirth.

Imagine that we had spent our entire life popping quite a substantial amount of Panadol (Pain Killer) when you need to have a surgery or operation, you will need a much more amount of general anesthetic to numb your surgical pain than the average person who seldom or rarely takes Panadol .. If you have a very high intake of Panadol throughout your life (Migraine, Menstrual cramps) it is very likely that normal general anesthetic will have no effects on you as your body is pumped full with panadol and your body is so used to pain killer that you would need a much stronger pain killer, Morphine??

Value your life, THINK b4 you easily pop that familiar pill into your mouth again.

As for myself, dah 3 years kot x ambik any kind of panadols... Mmg I banned panadol from my house and my family... If i see any of my family member take panadol mmg I bising la... Sbb mmg tau x elok for our body why take it kan.... So now of pening I just take a lot of Calcium & Magnesium,B Complex and Bio-C(with flavanoid, vitamin c just with ascorbic acid is no use).....

"We Care"

The media has been encouraging us (sporadically) to recycle. We hear repeated jingles over the radio to recycle our rubbish but how far has this got us? I am not sure such recycling campaigns have been very successful for the following reasons:

1. Insufficient rubbish bins that encourage us to separate our garbage; maybe this should be compulsory in office complexes and shopping complexes.

2. Not all schools have separate garbage bins for different types of rubbish, and therefore recycling is not taught from young.

3. An attitude change has not taken place – we definitely need a mindset shift to do this. We need to achieve critical mass on communication on recycling from all fronts; from the media, government councils, community centers, recycling centers, companies and businesses.


Recycling should be lead by large companies’ i.e. multinational companies that have experience overseas on recycling. For example, UK based supermarkets charge a small amount to customers for plastic bags they use when they make purchases. With this in mind, a lot of customers actually bring their own shopping bags to and place their purchases in the bags that they brought. Can such MNCs take on educating the public as a corporate responsibility to the community?? Which is the first hyper market that dares to charge customers for plastic bags first? Maybe, give them a few cents discount for plastic bags not used may be an idea.

I did this when I shop for food especially here. I said here because I tense to forget sometimes when I did food-shopping elsewhere. I know that this is not good. I still have to set my mind to practice this no matter where I shop. That’s why I will normally have plastic boxes ready in my 4wd no matter where I go, whether far or near. In case I have to pack some food, I already have some containers ready in hand. People around me would be very surprised when I brought plastic containers to pack food that I bought. The pic on the right shown the kuih-muih I bought in the evening for break fast. So did you realize something here people. I could save our environment. In fact the plastic containers were so convenient that I could just place them on our dining table, ready to be served. It’s also with plastic cover, to avoid from the food being aired or attacked by insects etc.

We must change our attitudes towards waste disposal and recycling. The next time before you discard litter into the bin, look at what you hold in your hands. They are most likely to be made of paper, plastic, glass, metal or organic waste which are all recyclable one way or another. Yes, I agree with many that sometimes it is just too difficult to recycle when facilities such as recycling bins are scarce and few to come by. A lot more can be done by the government to promote recycling as a direct and effective method of reducing waste going to landfills.


What you can do to reduce use of plastic:

• Bring a nylon or cloth bag when you go shopping to save the use of plastic bags.

• Recycle plastic bags by taking along plastic bags from home when going shopping rather then using new plastic bags.

• Choose paper bags if you have an option to choose between paper bags or plastic bags.

• Composting is an efficient and environmentally friendly way of discarding home bulk waste which accounts for large proportion of household waste.

• An alternative is to use pots to compost if you don’t have a big garden. Get ten pots. Start by filling one pot with alternate layers of soil and household waste. Depending on family size, estimate three days per pot. Keep it moist. By the end of the month, the first pot will be ready for use in the garden or to store. Start the process again in the first pot.


Recycle everything you can; newspaper, cans, glass, aluminum foil and pans, motor oil, crap metal, etc. Click here to find out more about the 101 things you can do to conserve resources and protect the environment.

kuE's note: The green "I Care" bag was a courtesy of Cold Storage, Gurney Plaza.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Anonymous Online

Having internet in our modern life has turned out to be a necessity. Thousands of computer user groups has been created and grew into huge virtual communities. Each internet user, at least once in their lifetime must have created a user account in one of the websites visited. Be it for browsing catalogues, creating a free web mail account, downloading or sharing files, participate in online auctions and thousands of other reasons that required us to register.

Whenever I came across the buttons labelled Sign Up or Register Now! I've always asked myself, should I key in my personal data here? Yes, I know now so many of the pages have already put up disclaimers saying that any particulars keyed into the forms will not be misused. Well, I'm Dayang... I always have doubts.

If you have this same feeling and not comfortable filling in the details, the good news is, you don't have to. It's quite a difficult thing to do, but trust me, you don't have to oblige to everything the webpage tells you. In other words, it's okay to remain anyonymous online.

In my case however, I can't remain 100% anonymous in the virtual world as my career revolves around it. There are certain times at certain webpages where I have to be the real me.

But if you are nothing like me, or not doing the stuffs I do, for example I have to download certain patches every six month from principal's website and must get daily update on latest operating system security threat, then by all means you can stay as 'ANON' for as long as you live!

How would you know that you'd rather be an 'ANON' or your true self online? My suggestion is to go to any of the search engines e.g google, yahoo or MSN, then type in your full name. See all the results returned and how do you feel about them? There's a high chance that you'd find some real information related to you there. If it scared you till you face turns blue, you should become an 'ANON'.

My bitter experience was I saw my whole personal detail including my IC number, place of birth, home town and home address returned by the search engine. It so happened that my uni has published students' data in one of the facultys' website in 1997. The main page now doesn't have a link to the pages anymore but the files are still in the webserver. Obviously the search engines managed to crawl and grab the contents even though the pages are inactive.

Imagine what happened to all the data we keyed-in in all those online registration forms. How do we know where they'd be stored? Who'll get their hands on them (both virtually and physically)? How sure are we that they're not being traded? What other systems are interfaced with that website we registered at that might be pumping those information out to be manipulated by other parties?

There were just too many questions I had in mind whenever I came across that Sign Up button that most of the times I just stopped at that page, and dropped the idea of downloading the song/movie/file/installer. Well, I'm Dayang, I get discouraged easily...

So, there goes the first installment. Coming up soon: How to become anonymous.

Author's Note: I'm Dayang... I write about IT stuff *Yawn*

Sunday, September 24, 2006

How to teach your toddler to do chores

Assigning chores to your toddler might well seem like a chore in itself. After all, a 2-year-old isn't going to be the neatest or most efficient worker. But giving your toddler even the tiniest measure of responsibility now will pay off later by laying the groundwork for future good habits. Plus, having a chore to do makes your child feel like part of the family, someone whose contribution is valued. When assigning chores, keep these pointers in mind:

Pick tasks that are appropriate to your child's age.
Be sure to choose simple, straightforward jobs, since your toddler simply doesn't have the cognitive ability yet to break down a large project into its components. Tell him to go clean his room, for instance, and you're likely to be met with a blank stare. But he could be responsible for one part of the job, such as putting his clothes in the laundry basket or helping you pick up all his toys. And define chores loosely: putting his bowl and spoon on the table before dinner could constitute a chore, as could putting his toothbrush back in the holder.

Toddlers want to be just like Mom and Dad, so capitalize on your power as a role model and let your child work alongside you as an assistant. Hand him a sponge while you're cleaning the kitchen and let him wipe off the table. You'll find him quite willing -- even thrilled -- to be called on to help.

Keep instructions low-key.
Before your child takes on a chore, demonstrate it for him, talking it through as you go. For example, you might show him how you sort light and dark clothing into different piles before you wash it. Remember, at this age, chores shouldn't be so complicated that they require a lengthy explanation. Anything that takes more than a minute to explain is probably too difficult for your toddler to do anyway.

Stand back.
When your toddler first tries a task on his own, be patient. Jumping in too quickly to lend a hand gives him the message that you don't think he's capable. And never belittle his efforts. If you want to offer a suggestion, do it kindly: Instead of saying "No, that's not right," try "You're doing a great job sorting laundry. I like to put the brown socks in with dark clothes, though, since they're a darker color."

Make helping a habit.
Get everyone into a routine by doing chores at about the same time every day. For instance, your toddler's jobs might be to put his pajamas away in the morning and pick up his toys every evening before bed. You also might try designating a particular day of the week as cleaning day and giving your toddler a bigger job, such as helping with dusting or sweeping.

It helps to post a list of household chores and who has to do them. This way your child learns that everyone in the family contributes to the smooth running of the household. Since your child won't be reading for a few years yet, look for a ready-made chore chart that uses symbols instead of words to represent chores (a broom for sweeping, a dish and dishtowel for dishwashing). A star or sticker next to a completed chore is an ample reward, along with plenty of praise for a job well done. And remember to adjust your child's chores as he grows.

Whistle while you work.
Getting to spend more time with you is one of the biggest incentives for your child to do chores, so don't send him off to work alone until he's older and more experienced. Even if his job is to pick up the Legos in his room, stay nearby and chat with him, or join in with your own task. He'll appreciate your company, and you can encourage him if he loses his focus. Make his job easier by providing easy, accessible storage for his playthings such as clear plastic bins for toys.

Chances are your child will think a job like sweeping is actually fun -- especially if he has his own child-size broom and dust pan. So if you happen to view housekeeping as drudgery, don't let on. Make it a race ("Let's see who can get their toys into the box first") or sing silly songs together.

Be sure to tell your child what a great job he's doing and remind him how much he's helping you out. You can also point out the benefits of his work; if he's helping you wipe the kitchen table, you might say something like "Now it will be clean when we sit down for dinner." This gives him a sense of accomplishment and shows him just how significant his contributions are.

Don't expect perfection.
No child is going to perform every chore willingly every time -- and certainly not a 2- or 3-year-old! Just like grownups, kids have other things they'd rather do besides housework. If you need to issue a reminder, try to be friendly and matter-of-fact. Nagging almost never works. Instead, simply say, "It's time to put away your toys. Then we can read your bedtime story." Part of the purpose of having chores is to develop a sense of initiative in your child, so try not to micro-manage. Recognize that the task won't be done perfectly at this age -- and it doesn't need to be.

And above all, keep in mind that your child has a long, long time to learn to do chores. If it takes a few months for him to get in the hang of helping out, that's okay. It's a skill he can use for the rest of his life.

kuE's note:
i) I find this article rather interesting to share with other parents out there. I did similar to my kids too. Alhamdulillah... they did well ;)
ii) I also would like to take this opportunity to wish all muslims no matter where ever you are, Selamat Berpuasa and enjoy Ramadhan with your loved ones.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

testing

hi :) i just nak test...

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Fresh, Revived and Exciting

Yes, it is. Come on over to our fresh, revived and exciting Life is Beautiful blog.

We've got new members to this blog, who will not only share their experiences and wisdom with you, but will also share their wits and tips.

Firstly, let us introduce to you, Dnas, the engineer mommy to 2 boys, whose passion for writing started from the tender age of 11. Then, we have Kimi, the mathematical wizard, mommy-to-3-girls, who sees everything numbers but balances it off with witty writings and arts. Next, we have kuE, the single mom to 2 adorable kids, who runs a gas station, and still finds time to bake and quilt. And last but definitely not least, is Naddy, the successful entrepreneur, who loves to shop and dine with her husband.

With the addition of these wonderful, talented and witty ladies, we hope that our Life is Beautiful blog would be more resourceful, exciting and colourful.

Going back to the purpose of this blog, Eyna, Zura and Leilanie, have decided to create this blog for all women............ (and men); where we'll share with you tips and ideas on fashion, relationship, health, lifestyle, vacation, etc.

We believe that life is to be enjoyed to the fullest - especially with our loved ones by our side. At the same time, we believe that, as a woman, we should treat ourselves right, eat right, dress right, think right and earn the respect that we deserve, in the every possible right way.

We hope you will enjoy this as much as we do - in blogging it.

To start off with, we've got 4 new articles to share with you, ranges from wisdomful quotes, to tips for your make-up, something for your bedroom and latest info on your skin care products.

1) Thought of the Day, contributed by Naddy
2) Tools of Trade, also by Naddy
3) New Headboard Looks for Your Bed, By Eyna
4) Sharing is Caring, also by Naddy


Take a deep breath, exhale and smile.......................
Because LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
and so are YOU.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Sharing is caring

Just something wanna share... Incase anyone using SK-II products... Just becareful je la kan... It was in today's The Star....

Health Ministry to test skincare productsPenang: The health ministry will investigate claims that banned substances have been found in SK-II brand skincare products.

Its parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said random sampling tests would be conducted following reports in the vernacular dailies that China planned to withdraw the brand's nine products from the market as they contained metallic substances"We will also check on the authentication of the products and whether they are registered with the ministry," he said.

"All cosmetic products need to be registered before they are marketed and we have the 'stop, test and release' mechanism to make sure the imported products are safe before they are made available on shelves," he said

According to the reports, China General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine detected chromium and neodymium when it tested a batch of SK-II skincare products imported from Japan...

New Headboard Looks for Your Bed

Lets add your beautiful life into your bed and share it with your love one. Create your own headboard to make your bed more than just a place to sleep, suit to reflect your personality and the style of your room. It's cheap, chic and attractive. At the end of the day, you'll be sleeping pretty....



(Courtesy of LHG.com)

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

About Kimi

I must really thanks the "pioneers" of Pourtavie, for inviting me to be part of the team. However I am not a good writer who is always full of ideas... there are times when my blog was really really outdated! But this reunion of ladies, hopefully will give me the strength and courage to write more, for benefits of all. To complete the tradition, here are the "about kimi" entry, that I have promised Leilanie last Friday!

Ten facts about Kimi that you don't know (and now do)
1. I love arts (drawings, movies, stage drama or theatre play, musical entertainment etc..), but cannot afford the time & money - how?
2. I have always dream of becoming a lawyer, but end up studying Maths! What went wrong, I also have no idea!
3. It took the doctors 3 hours to complete the "stitching exercise" after I gave birth to my first daughter!
4. I have 2 step mums and a total of 15 siblings altogether!
5. I hate protocol so much that I have to "live" with it now for the rest of my life!
6. I love sewing....with my hands, not using the sewing machine!
7. I can do quality based training (technical programs like Six Sigma, QCC, 5S, Project Tools etc), and I can also conduct soft skills training (Train the Trainer, Communication Skills, Presentation Skills etc)..... and some of my colleagues think I'm crazy... do I?
8. I wish to go to perform Haj in Mekah before I'm 40 yrs old....and the clock is ticking!
9. I have a very CONSERVATIVE husband and very attached to his children, and yet he's very modern & up-to-date with all the latest IT gadget and the state-of-the-art of everything that he buys, he uses, or he likes..... Hmmm... ever wonder where I found this rare species? Read my blog!
10. With reference to my no 9 item, I want to be a housewife, do all typical hosework, BUT have a part time job that I enjoy the money & doing it at my own convenient time. And I must have a maid at home if I'm going to be so, as I can't afford to leave my kids without adult supervision!

Favourite sports: Swimming, badminton, riding bicycle

Favourite books: Judith McNaught (influence of my sis, Che Aa), Sophie Kinsella (thanks to Leilanie), Reader's Digest (started to read in 1989 as an order from my dad) and any Six Sigma related books (the technical side of me...)

Favourite foods: "Keropok" (all range, from keropok lekor to potato chips)

Likes: Honesty, trust and faith

Dislikes: Dishonest and touble-maker people

Memorable Quotes: You can't change the direction of the winds, but you can change the direction of your sails to always reach your destinations! (source - unknown, more of cannot remember!)

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Tools of the Trade

Tools are to a makeup artist what a brush is to a painter... Without the right tools, we can't do our job... Believe me, the right tools can make a huge difference in applications... It's like buying a Kancil instead of Mercedes. Which car do you think is the better ride? My advice: buy the best... After all, good tools are investments and the results are incomparable.

There are dozens of different brushes in the market. If you can't afford them all, you'll need to invest in at least 5 of them: a blusher brush, a powder brush, a highlighter brush, a shadow brush and an angled eyebrow brush...

Besides that a good pair of tweezers and eye lashes curler are also important... Some other essentials like powder puff, sponges, cotton buds are inexpensives and should be replaced regularly... And most importantly, dun't share your tools for hygienic purposes.. If you're doing makeup for others (like yours truly), wash your brushes regularly...

What follows is a list of tools that are always in my makeup kit... (will put up pics soon)

1. Blusher brush
-tapered cut with a flat oval head to give the cheeks a healthy glow
Why you need it: allow you to deposit product precisely where you want it to be e.g apple of the cheeks

2. Powder brush
-larger and fuller than a blusher brush with a round head that allows you to apply loose powder over a large area
Why you need it: distributes powder evenly over the face and throughout makeup application, to reset powder and other makeup as it's applied

3. Flat head eye shadow brush
-small, dome-shaped brush for applying eye shadow
Why you need it: perfect for applying eye shadow directly to the eyelid and for blending eye shadows (colours)

4. Contour crease brush
-to add depth and definition to the eyes
Why you need it: to give the eyes more depth, esp for us Asian who has small eyes

5. Foundation brush
-to blend foundation
Why you need it: to apply/blends foundation on specific areas

6. Sponge tip applicator brush
-to apply eyeshadow or as a smudger
Why do you need it: for blending eye shadows or smudging eyeliner

7. Wet eyeliner brush
-fine, pointy tip brush for applying wet eyeliner
Why you need it: for precise application to the lashes, use with wet eyeliner or creme eye shadows

8. Angle brush
-angled tip for the eyes/brows
Why you need it: to create a nice smooth lines for eyes or brows

9. Lip brush
-for applying lip colour/lip gloss
Why you need it: use to line the lips and applying colours evenly

10. Spiral brush
-resembles a mascara wand
Why you need it: to separate the lashes and to remove excess mascara after application

11. Eyebrow comb
-brush/comb for the brows
Why you need it: to shape the brow and make it neater

12. Duster
-to dust away any excess powder
Why you need it: use at the end of makeup application to dust away any excess loose powder and to set the makeup

Other tools:

1. Eye lashes curler
2. Tweezers
3. Scissors
4. Sponges- for foundation/compact powder

*from my own notes

Friday, September 08, 2006

Thought for today

thoughts on happiness....

"How many of us go through our days parched and empty, thirsting after happiness, when we're really standing knee-deep in the river of abundance?"
— Sarah Ban Breathnach


"Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour…"
— Walt Whitman


"It is difficult to experience moments of happiness if we are not aware of what it is we genuinely love."
— Sarah Ban Breathnach


"With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world…Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
— Max Ehrmann


"When we appreciate how much we have, we feel the urge to pare down, get back to basics, and learn what is essential for our happiness. We long to realize what's really important."
— Sarah Ban Breathnach


"Our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves."
— Wilhelm von Humboldt


"…happiness gives us the energy which is the basis of health."
— Henri Amiel, Swiss philosopher and writer


"The ancient Greek definition of happiness was the full use of your powers along the line of excellence."
— John F. Kennedy


"Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it."
— Jacques PrĂ©vert

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

About DNAS

I am just a simple minded 30 plus woman who loves
performing arts. I was actively involved with theatres
during my teenage years and had to quit it during my
uni days due to time constraint and a very demanding
boyfriend (ex). LOL.




I have been a field engineer in the IT industry for
the past 8 years and now still deciding whether I
should stick with it or start doing something more
refreshing and fulfilling.

My passion to write came naturally during my primary
school years when my late father bought me a typewriter
after I scored straight As during my Penilaian
Darjah Lima exam. That was when I started learning
touch typing and after about a month I found myself
typing poems and short stories.

My masterpieces made it to the school magazines, but
I never found the courage to actually post them to
any of the commercial magazine editors or publishers.
When I was in Form Four I actually attended a
workshop on writing short stories that was so
inspiring and helped me a lot in writing.




My blogging activity started in June 2005, after
I officially resigned from my previous company. Those
were the days when I was going through the hardest
transition period ever. Maybe for some people,
changing job is just so normal but for me it was
such a trying time, that I had to find a therapy
by blogging.

The main reason I changed job was to concentrate in
raising my 2 sons and spend more time with my
husband. We've been married for more than 5 years then
and yet I felt like there was so much more
that I don't know about him. Rather than keep on
drifting apart from each other, I decided that the
old job was not worth keeping, regardless of how
much they were willing to pay.

So, now here I am in this blogosphere, sharing my
thoughts and ideas with you towards a better world for
us all. I hope my writings will inspire all women
(men as well) out there to face the challenges in our
daily lives so that whenever you're down or troubled
or confused you'll know which URL can help you find
an answer. I might not have the answers, but perhaps I
can help you find the peace of mind so that you can
start thinking.

Finally a really big thank you to the 3 angels who
invited me to blog here.