2014 Blog 337: Zit

Come on.  Where did it come from?  That wart.  It is on the boy’s toe.  I understand how annoying it can be.  So I would like to help the boy.  I will try to get rid of it by using this some medication I picked up from the pharmacy.  I hope it works.   I remember having one too when I was little.   I managed to get rid of it on my own.  I remember I kept on cutting it with a nail cutter because I was afraid it will grow bigger than me.  So I just kept on cutting it on a regular basis until it just stopped growing and eventually disappeared.  When I realized it was gone, that was one happy day.

What is the best way to get rid of it?

 

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2014 Blog 313: Drink & Laugh

Last night I had a few drinks of wine. The funny thing is that each drink was actually one full glass. So surely, soon I started to chuckle. When my friends started commenting on my contagious giggling behavior, I started laughing out loud. Just because. Oh boy, it felt so good to laugh. I was tipsy-laugh-breaking-out-loud. I might have mentioned this already in a previous whimsical day… that this is what alcohol does to me. It somehow makes me so fragile to laughing. My thinking is so clear, that I remember every bit of what or who I am laughing at. It felt good. In most cases my tears are rolling down because of too much laughter. So pardon me, drinking.. but laughing feels so good.

Let me drink and laugh, again?

 

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2014 Blog 311: Butts

A few days ago, when I was at a red stop at 91 street, I noticed on my right, a lot of cigarette butts on the ground.   I was disappointed, and I still do as I remember it.

One thing, I am against smoking just because it is a killer. Sadly, it is a truth that even everyone knows, there are still some people who smoke. I have friends who does. What can I do, is just remind them. Once in awhile I say straight to them, to just stop it. But again, it doesn’t really work that easy. We are still friends. I respect, what one may decide.

Another thing, I was disappointed to see the litter that some people has made. Not good at all.

What would you do?

 

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2014 Blog 310: The Man in Gray Flannel Suit

I finally finished reading  the book “The Man in Gray Flannel Suit”.  This is a book that I thought found me when I was just randomly browsing a store.   This is the one that had a handwriting dedicated to a father,  dated 1955.   The idea that it was a book owned and read by someone, a long time ago, fascinates me.  I had that sense of invitation to read it.  As I turned the pages, I imagined how the previous owner had turned the pages the same way, 60 years ago.  It just compels my senses as if I get blasted to the past.

I think the book is a good reading experience.  It is a story of Tom, 10 years after World War II.  It narrates his story as he find his way to a better job, and a better home, and keeping his family together.  It expressed his priorities in life, to do what might be right, and disregard what could be wrong.   I think it is a good one.

Have you read it too?

 

 

 

 

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2014 Blog 294: Would You Fight?

It has been about over 300 days since an old friend was diagnosed with cancer (stage 4). He was given a year. He has been living almost normal, aside from the occasional stomach pain. He would take taxi, go to the mall, or to a restaurant. Last summer, he literally said to her daughter “I don’t even feel I have cancer”.   I thought that was really great.  Really great.  He is still set to fly back to his home country in a few weeks, and perhaps live the rest of his days there.  Things were doing fine, until 3 days ago, he was sent to the emergency with severe stomach pain. He was given something to manage the pain and has stayed at the hospital since then. Last night, he started to rebel, that he just wants to go home already. He didn’t want to wear the oxygen mask, and has been requesting people not to try to prolong his life (and physical pain) anymore. He also explained that he wanted to die in the house, and not at the hospital. This is a hard day for our friend and his loved ones. We feel the struggle between fighting for life and just letting go.

Would you let go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2014 Blog 293: Sleep Tricks

Today, we had a perfect weather. 20 Celsius and there is hardly wind. Just perfect. Too bad I was sick. I couldn’t go out for a bike or even for a walk. I didn’t go out to work, with the hope to catch up with sleep. But I just never fell asleep. The nap that I tried doing became more of just laying on the bed (or rather on the red couch).
So here is a question. How do you make yourself go on a deep sleep.. naturally? No sleeping pills. I know getting physically tired during the day, could give you a really good sleep. But not all for me. Biking and swimming mainly makes me sleep well. On the other hand, hiking, does not. It just keeps my mind kicking. Another way to get a good sleep, which my mom does is to drink warm milk in the night. She claims it does very well to her. Hmm, these are all I know. There might be some tea or herbal meds that can help with sleep. I should do some research.

Do you know a recipe for a sleeping potion?

 

 

 

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2014 Blog 292 Fritillary, Liquorice, Loquat, and more

This flu virus that is still sheltering in my system is like killing me. I have not been sleeping well for 3 nights now. My cough is waking me every hour. My colds building up like a sinus and giving me severe headache. This morning, I think I finally slept at 4, for 2 hrs. When I woke up, my nose was all blocked and when I got up, my head felt like it was going to explode. So far the common cough med that take from the counter is not helping. So I shall be trying a bottle of herbal cough syrup. It is called Nin Jiom. I have not tried this before. It is made in Hongkong and made its way all the way to Edmonton. Its ingredients include fritillary, liquourice, loquat leaf, pumo, coltsfoot, thinleaf milkwart, platycodon, mentholum, fourleaf, indian bread, pinellia, snakegourd, ginger, bitter apricot, chinese magnoliavine…. all mixed together in honey.

 

 

 

 

Would you try a never heard foreign herbal med?

 

 

 

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2014 Blog 289: A Peanut Challenge

My young batman had his peanut challenge today, under the supervision of his Doctor, of course.  In this challenge he was dared to eat M&M peanuts to see if he will have an allergic reaction.  So far, he has not had recent peanut incidents and his recent skin test showed little reaction.  So, we needed to know if he might have outgrown it.   The first dose was a pinch of the peanut.  It was breezy.  He thought it tasted and felt weird but not bad.  The second was a bit more than the first, and it was fine.  On the third dose, his throat felt itchy, and that is when we started getting concerned.  But we waited till it went away.  It did.   So, he still bravely took his fourth dose which gave him the same somewhat bearable itch.   On the fifth dose, he took 1 whole peace of the M&M peanut, for the first time in his 13 years. Quickly though, he felt funny and felt like throwing up.  But he attested that it was still bearable, and it went away.   We were hoping he would win this challenge. Imagine, not having to read the food labels all the time. Imagine, not having to carry benadryl and epipen all the time.  It has been all in 120 minutes so far.  On the sixth dose, he bravely consumed 3 M&M peanuts.   We thought maybe he will win this one but soon, he started to feel the awfullness of peanuts in his system.  Right there, he declared that he was not going to take the next dose.  But we thought we should wait as this one might also go away just like the little first doses.  But he felt worst, 30 minutes after, and 15 minutes more.  He was just curling up on the chair, feeling helpless.   He said he wants to throw up but it’s not getting out.  His body system has become internally not right.  The good thing though is that his breathing was not affected.  He seems to be not swelling too under such dose.    He was given reactine to see if it will help but another 30 minutes revealed it did not.  We ended up giving him epipen, which gloriously worked in 5 minutes.  He soon was standing up on his feet again.  So we declared that he lost his challenge today.  However, I think that it is good to do this, to know where he stands now.  We shall probably do this again in 2-3 years.

Do you need a peanut allergy challenge?

 

2014 Blog 287 Moringana

For some reason, I just could not sleep last night.  My brain was somewhat transmitting a lot of thoughts in and out.  My eyes was open shut, and yes, I am whining for I did not get enough sleep.  Though I managed to get through the day.. I can tell.. definitely, I am now infected with the flu.  Sigh.   My throat hurts, I am coughing, and I feel awful altogether.   I need moringana to boost me up.  But I have finally ran out of this natural drug.   I thought I was tough enough to evade the flu, but here it is.  What to do now?  Take the usual cough tabs.  Take lots of Vitamin C.  Take lots of water.  .. and rest.

I will go to sleep now, ok?

2014 Blog 284: Today’s Painting

It was beautiful at the cemetery today. So serene. The pine trees stand so tall and ever so green. But the rest of the other trees are now changing colors. The wind comes and goes.. playfully sweeps the scattered leaves on the ground. And being there, is like being in a painting.

This is the painting that I would remember this day when we buried her. I believe that she is at peace now. Prayers have been said and still shall continue, perhaps forever.

Just like the rest of the ones whom we love and who have passed away, she will stay in our hearts. Though now physically settled on the ground, but indeed spiritually settled in heaven.

Imagine?