Round Island Trip

I met up with my cousin and her bf and his sister who came up from KL (Kuching) after work for lunch yesterday.

They told me they'd be making a round island trip around Penang the next day and invited me to join them. Since I'm expecting a certain someone from Australia in a couple of weeks I decided this trip would be beneficial for me to familiarize myself with the route should I decide to show A around when he comes.

Well, actually I told her I'd join then if i manage to wake up in time. HeHe!

Surprise, Surprise! I did wake up before 9a.m. Yea, on a Sunday...insane, I know.

My Aunt and Uncle were going to lead the way, so after a hearty breakfast, we set off towards Batu Feringghi.

I've been round the Island a couple of times before and have actually driven to the Balik Pulau Court for a criminal case a couple of years before.

We passed all the beach hotels and in no time we had reached Batu Maung, pass the Butterfly farm, the Dam, and decided to make a pit-stop at the Tropical Fruit Farm (for the sake of the tourists. Hehe!)

That turned out to be quite disappointing. There were just a handful of local fruits and the ones that had been prepared on display looked pretty dried out and unappetizing.

Might as well camwhore

So we continued along our trip and saw a couple of stalls along the side of the road selling Durians (its Durian season again folks!). As my cousin was on a mission to buy some durians for her dad back in KL, we stopped by a shop/house with a sign selling durians and Laksa (RM1 only!)



We didn't get a good deal for the durians but did get some pictures of the laksa cooking setup.


So cute!

We didn't have any laksa there either. We were saving out tums for the famous Balik Pulau laksa.

By the time we got there, the sun was blazing down on us and as Balik Pulau town isn't a very large one, we had to park a lil walk away from the coffeeshop.

We finally got our steaming bowls of laksa lemak, tucked in and chased it down with a glass of refreshing ice cold real nutmeg juice + preserved plum. It was worth the wait!



After a satisfying nommy meal, we headed home.

Ah...a nice relaxing way to spend a Sunday.

Oh yea, they did pick up a couple of durians on the way back.

Au Naturel Cough Remedy

I was just couch potatoing after dinner, as usual on a Saturday night...yes, I do not go clubbing like the rest of the world (I prefer to stay home with my goggies) when I felt a faint tickle in my throat....

Tried suppressing a cough for a couple of minutes and ignore the persistent tickling to no avail.

I thought it was because of the cold air (as it was almost 8pm) and I was sitting with just a thin tank top with the balcony french doors wide open and the ceiling fan blasting away at maximum speed. I was feeling a lil chilly.

So I swapped the tank for an oversized T and plonked back down, after turning the fan down 2 notches, of course.

I was still hacking away...

So I decided to switch the fan off completely.

Still coughing...

As I passed my room shelve, my jar of spices caught my eye and I wondered if I could use some of those spices to cure my cough...

I'm a big fan of natural remedies...

Of course I checked the fridge for some bottled cough remedy...Nada.

So before I start my cauldron of steamy spiced tea of sorts I decided to whip out my laptop, suck on 2 chewable Vit C's and googled for some home made cough remedy recipes.

One post immediately jumped at me.

A Youtube video of Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey remedy.

Yes, I did think of taking a tablespoon of honey to soothe my throat...but at the back of my head, I kept thinking Honey would be good for a sorethroat...not for a cough.

Oh well, I do occasionally drink a cup of ACV + Honey...(I used to drink a huge mug religiously everyday and even encouraged some of my friends to do the same for health purposes e.g. skin, hair, regular bowel movements & general health)

My mom is an organic health freak. She even had me do a coffee anema, but that's another story for another day (like Never!).

I was still itching to find out how I can use my spices for cough remedies....but my throat had other plans for me...so I gave in and went to the kitchen to prepare my natural cough remedy.

1/2 a tablespoon of pure Organic raw honey


We use NewLife International Pure Raw Honey (Organic) from New Zealand.

and

1/2 a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar (We only ever buy Bragg's)



Mix well and drink.

I must say..it worked almost immediately!!!

My coughing has stopped, the tickling in my throat has disappeared and although I still feel some phlegm lingering in my throat (which is quite normal for me actually. An Italian ex-housemate asked me before, whether I was nervous, coz I kept clearing my throat - I think in Latin/Italian/French/Spanish, "Nervous" also means Agitated -well, my throat was/is thats for sure!).

Anyway, being the curious kitty I always am, I love to know stuff, so I continued googling for more natural cough remedies. I can sometimes be quite obsessed with knowledge.
(no, I'm not a nerd/geek, just a Drama Queen according to some dodgy Facebook Geek quiz)

It turns out I could actually use my cloves.

Tip:

Burn a clove by stirring on a hot tava or pan. Keep this in the mouth and suck on it.

There are other more complicated home remedies which include boiling, chopping, grinding, toasting and the works.

Here are some I found:

#1

It soothes an irritated throat and relieves chest congestion and phlegm. The bad news: it tastes terrible -- it really does -- but if you have a persistant cough, it's worth a try.

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons water
  Mix and take by the teaspoon.

# 2

A mixture of ginger, honey and lemon as a hot mixture may be just as beneficial in place of cough syrup. Make it up as a tea by first boiling some water and pouring it into a small thermos (about a litre or a quart). To this add some grated ginger and then four tablespoons each of lemon and honey.


#3

Suck on 3 peppercorns with a pinch of black cumin seeds (shah jeera) and a pinch of salt.

#4

Soothe a strong, rasping cough by slowly boiling five cloves of garlic in two cups of milk. Add a spoonful of honey and drink the remedy as hot as possible. This herbal remedy is especially good for children.

I'd try those out of course, but ACV + Honey worked for me...so I guess, next time, if I do have more time and can tolerate the cough for a bit longer..I might try those out.

I found some good explainations for different types of coughs and all kinds of natural ingredients and their uses at Health 911.

I've had pneumonia before..so I am familiar with how bad a persistent cough can get if left untreated. I was in hospital with i.v. drips for 2 weeks, not funny, especially when they have the sign "Nil by Mouth" hanging above your head - I was left HUNGRY! = grumpy.

Wookie..now I'm gonna continue to watch teeveeh!

See ya!

GOD BLESS

a certain

"country"

A line that caught my attention
while watching "The Chamber"
and 1996 movie based on John Grisham's novel of the same name.

Of course I've heard that line before.
Who hasn't.
It is a title of a patriotic song.
Not the national anthem of that country.

But it struck me as ...

Extremely SELFISH.

No offence to the citizens of that particular country,
maybe some less egoistic citizens would share my sentiments,
but why should God only bless "that country"?

I know it is just a song,
which helps people feel a sense of pride and belonging.

But really,
If I were to ask for God's blessing of any kind,
I'd say,

GOD BLESS THE WHOLE WORLD
and
HAVE MERCY ON US ALL!

No, I'm not acting all "Holier than Thou".
But can we stop being so selfish and egoistic?

I'm not the only one who realizes that...
most of all Hollywood movies about
"saving the world from destruction & total annihilation"
always happens in....yes, "that country".

Aliens ONLY attack "that country".
The end of the world, only happens and CAN be saved IN "that country".

Yes, I know a lot of people have sought refuge and asylum in "that country".
And it is claimed to be the "Land of the brave and the free".

Would it be possible to be a little LESS Self-Centered?

Maybe other countries are not as successful or as rich as they are.
Most countries do not have half of what they have.
Many many countries are still considered "third world" countries
(I HATE THAT PHRASE, BTW, HOW DEGRADING!)

BUT, believe it or NOT,
The whole world does not revolve around
or consist only of "that country".

No, it is NOT the centre of the UNIVERSE.

While writing this entry,
I googled stuff about "that country"
"being arrogant"
and Boy,
did I come across some 'insightful' points of views.

Most think that "that country" has done more than their fair share of
"Good" for the world.
That without contributions from "that country"
the rest of the world would be "nothing"
and that we, "the rest of the world"
should be grateful to them.

After all,
it is "that country" that fights for
"our freedom",
provides us with jobs by setting up factories in "third world countries".

Are you sure it is because of their generosity that the world has been "saved"?

Lets see,
one of the main reasons for building factories in "third world countries"
is because labour is CHEAP!
We do the jobs at a lower pay that
the citizens of "that country" would NOT stoop down to accept.

I'm not PRO any other country.
But do not turn around to say that
"Products from xxx country are cheap but the quality is horrible"
HAHAHAHAH!

You ignorant fool!
Many if not all products made in xxx country are commissioned by
your "first world country" companies.
If YOU chose to use crap materials,
don't blame the laborers!
BLAME YOURSELVES!!


Would it hurt to be less arrogant,
less ignorant,
and more open minded?


Won't hurt to eat some humble pie.

I LIKE

MY BLOG'S NEW BACKGROUND...

HAPPYNESS!

How Inconsiderate Are We?

Humans...

Really...

U see, in another of my many random thoughts,
I have had,
This is what I thought of last night.

You see,
Animals, especially the domestic kind,
Dogs, cats, er...
ok mainly our common pets,
actually understand whatever language we speak to them.

See, when I tell my goggies to
Come, sit, lie down, shake, roll-over or watever tickles my fancy..
They learn and to a certain extent,
Understand.

They even understand when I scold them...
and tell them "That's enough"
when they continue to wrestle on my bed when its bedtime.

Do I see us doing the same?
Not sit, lie down etc laaa....

But if they can understand human languages,
Why can't we make an effort to understand their language?

Ok, needless to say it would be awfully hilarious to hear someone
Bark in reply to their dogs...
or Meow back...

I think humans are just selfish creatures by nature...

Tune in for the next episode of my random thoughts...

AU SUIVANT!!

Absolutely...

Nothing to report for now...
Yup..

Nothing worth blogging has been happening...

Oh, other than a silly little girl,
who didn't like it when I didn't share her views
in regards to something so frivolous...
She decided to badmouth me...
thinking it would make a smidgen of difference in my live..
But it didn't,

Hence, she's just a ...

SILLY LITTLE GIRL!

(better luck next time kiddo!)

*wink*

*