I declare war

Ted has a House
The House has a Garden
Therefore, Ted has a Garden!

Well in an ideal world maybe...but not in reality. The last time I checked I could not recognize my backyard anymore. Weeds were sprouting everywhere, especially those that came from neighboring plots of land. There are a few options available to settle this problem. 1) Hire someone to cut everything (but this won't solve the weed problem) 2) Spray weedkillers and kill off everything 3) Just tell everyone that, yes, a weed garden is exactly what I was aiming for. Option 3 looks good...

Until it hurts to walk around...

Yea, no joke. It hurts to do the laundry outside and it hurts to just walk around. There are many types of weeds, but the two most annoying ones both come from the Mimosa family - the ones with the leaves that close whenever you touch them. One of it is the normal mimosa plant you see everywhere, but apparently this one brought its mother along.

Above is the pic of the 'Momma-sa'...the leaves are in a different shape from the ones we normally see and they are also sensitive to touch. I've enlarged the area in the red circle below.

It has also grown so tall that it was getting dangerous to walk around - if you know what I mean. If somehow you decide to walk through my backyard without your pants and underwear on, it'll be like trying to shave your pubes with a broken wine bottle.

I guess the only way to get rid of this properly is to uproot it and destroy every thing. May have to consider another type of fence that is not so porous too...

Its gonna be a long war

So anyone free this Sunday for some gardening? Heheh...

Small changes make big differences

Customer: I feel the medication I am eating is not effective anymore...Did they change the place of manufacture to China? The new pack looks really suspicious!

Me: Well, it actually still says that it is made in Germany.

Customer: If I am China biz man sure I put made in Germany also mah!

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He did have a point though. The medicine is question was Micardis 40mg. The customer had just bought it somewhere else and he feels its not the real deal coz it looked 'funny'. I thought it was funny - not bwahahah funny but chuckle funny. There is something to this though...

Thanks Boehringer, for taking up more space on my shelf...

The new packing is a lot bigger as seen from the pic above ( I don't have the old Micardis 40 pack anymore, but the 80mg is the same size as the older one). Inside the strip is also bigger as seen in the pic below.

Stevie Wonder can probably read this too now

This is not the first time that a change in medication packaging has caused some confusion and doubt as to the efficacy of the medication. I had a customer who complained that her Norvasc 5mg from the 100's packing was also not as effective as the one she had from the 30's packing, even though the strips and design of the box were identical to every respect except for the size.

Perhaps one of the most recent problems in this area were when there was a drastic change in the packaging for Dalacin T Solution. Both the outside and inside were very different and many regular customers actually avoided buying the new stocks for a while as it really looked so flimsy and cheap when compared to the old glass bottle that they used to be in. This was definitely to cut costs...plastic cheaper than glass.

This is something that I do not really understand well. There are obviously some changes in medicine packaging that can help patients (for eg. incorporating a calender pack on the pack of the blister) but does the aesthetics of the packaging contribute anything? If it doesn't then why not stick to what everyone is familiar with. It'll be like coming home one day and discovering that my wife suddenly has grown a beard overnight. Omg...

Antibacterial soaps better?

With the swine flu threat among us now, it is not surprising to see certain companies seizing the opportunity to promote their products. Antibacterial hand soaps and face masks are high in demand now. Though I have yet to see an advertisement for face masks, the telly has been overtaken by many commercials featuring antibacterial soaps. Hypermarkets also have these products featured prominently in many strategic locations.

Are antibacterial soaps really better than normal ones? Yes, the companies making them want you to believe that they do offer better protection compared to a normal non-antibacterial soap. The answer is actually no. According to an article published in WebMD (LINK) -

Allison Aiello, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, headed a group that analyzed several studies comparing people who washed their hands with regular or antibacterial soap. In all but one trial, she tells WebMD, “there was no difference between groups, either in bacteria on the hands or in rates of illness.” In a single study, people who used antibacterial soap did have fewer bacteria on their hands, but only if they washed for 30 seconds, 18 times a day, for five days straight.

They do prevent illness in health care settings, where patients are more vulnerable to germs. But the antibacterial ingredients in hospital-strength soaps are up to 10 times the concentration of store-bought soap, according to Aiello.

“Also, antibacterial ingredients don’t kill viruses, which cause the vast majority of minor illnesses people experience,” she adds. That includes colds, flu, and stomach bugs.

In fact the article goes on to talk about how Triclosan (present in many antibacterial soaps like Protex and Lifebuoy) is present in the bloodstream of many individuals who use antibacterial soaps, higher amounts are present in people from higher income bracket. Triclosan levels are also detected in streams and rivers, presumably from all the soap flushed down the drainpipes.

Dettol uses another antibacterial agent, chloroxylenol. Both triclosan and chloroxylenol are toxic to fish.

10 times more protection...? Hmm...

Personally I've used dettol before, but I've stopped using it since it made my hands very dry and cracked. Chloroxylenol is also a mild skin irritant, so people with sensitive skin and skin problems should actually avoid using antibacterial soaps which are harsh. Ironically, many people tend to think that their skin disease is caused by some infection and they need to use this strong products - which will make it even worse.

Here are some other links which compare antibacterial soaps to regular ones -
NY TIMES
NEWSWEEK

So if they are no better, why buy it? I guess we know how powerful advertisements can be, especially when they play on people's fear. Sometimes I do use antibacterial soaps as well, like when I am in KFC and I just finished my dinner plate...no choice...KFC outlets all have antibacterial soaps. So the bottom line is this, go for regular soaps...or if you have sensitive skin, try mild cleansers or moisturising ones. They work just as well as antibacterial ones.

A different side to Penang

Honestly, the first thing i think of when someone mentions Penang is food.

Hokkien mee or prawn noodles, one of my faves

A week ago, I took my wife back to Penang to meet some of my relatives who could not make it for our wedding dinner. It was a very short trip, but I think we ate enough for 1 week. Ok lar...it was me who did most of the eating...

During the trip, one of my cousins unexpectedly brought us to this durian orchard in Kampung Sungai Pinang...not far from Balik Pulau (ya...what a name). This is a place that I've never heard of before, let alone been to. I've always thought that Penang is a super high density area (it is in some areas) that is running out of land...but this place changed my thinking. Penang island is bigger than I thought!

Tall durian trees... they say falling durians can kill? Now you know why

This nets are used to catch the 'good' durians

The so-so quality durians have no nets...but they are used to make durian cakes

I thought this was a cactus, but was told it was a dragonfruit plant

Red pinapple

Home made nutmeg drink. Delicious!

Needless to say, we ate durians like the world will end the next day. The orchard owners themselves didn't touch the stuff at all...I wonder if I had a durian orchard, will I be sick of eating durians too.

Happily Ever After?

Recently I read an interesting article in 'In The Black' magazine (formerly the Australian CPA magazine) when I was at my in-laws place for dinner. They had this write up by Thea O' Connor regarding health of couples in and out of marriages. (Online version of the article HERE)

Some interesting points that the article mentions -
- Men derive more health gains from marriage than women. One US study, for example, showed that while non-married men have 250 per cent greater mortality than married men.

- Non-married women have a 50 per cent greater mortality than married women.

- Married women score higher on mental health measures such as optimism, happiness and coping and higher in general physical health than single women or women in defacto relationships

-The stress of conflict within a marriage is also hazardous, as it turns your primary support into your primary stress.

-Professor Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of Ohio State University has researched how marital arguments change our physiology. In her study of 90 newly wed couples, Kiecolt-Glaser and colleagues found that those couples who used sarcasm, put-downs, overt nastiness and dismissals during discussions showed a measurable weakening of their immune system compared to other couples who behaved more positively.

I could not agree more with what was written. Personally after marriage, I don't remember a time where I've felt more in the pink than I have now. My wife has really taken care of my health with her cooking and I've not taken any junk food for quite a while now.

There are times when I do work night shifts and when I do, she will always make sure that I get something nutritious to eat too after I get back. Used to be I will stop by a nearby KFC... -.-"

Nice warm dinner and novel, what else can I ask for? (Cold beer maybe...)

As an appreciation for the hard work that my wife has put in over the month in the kitchen, I decided to let her take a day off and do the cooking for her recently.

Mussels with honey and mustard

Grilled salmon with cauliflowers

So how does it feel to be married? We just celebrated one month of married life last night and it may not be much but its a start. It has not been without conflicts, but thanks to the marital advice of many married friends who have been through more than we have, we have been able to solve many. Its very much a learning process for us and we always have to remind ourselves to have a positive outlook. To all married people out there, remember to treat your spouse with respect always yea.

How Liverpool can still win the title this year

I blogged last year (HERE) about why I do not believe that my beloved team Liverpool will win the League title this year...and unfortunately I was proven right. I will be lying if I said that I didn't want them to win. They have been playing really fantastically recently but alas its too little too late.

Jamie showing Arbeloa how white teeth should look like

I have to hand it to Manchester United. They were good week in week out (something Rafa can learn from here) and the only one capable of actually destroying their title hopes are...well...Man Utd themselves. As long as they soaked up the pressure and kept to their winning ways, no other team had a chance. But if they slip up, their rivals are ready to make them pay without any second invitation needed.

It is this way that Liverpool can still technically win the title this season despite Gary Neville having lifted the trophy last week. Think about it... Man Utd still have 1 more game. So they need to do something catastrophically stupid ...like try to rasuah the referee or the other team. Then not only will they lose the title but they may be playing in the Championship next season. Wahahaha!

Ok there are more chances of it snowing in KL than this happening. If there are any Liverpool supporting bomohs out there...you can give it a try and put a hex on them or something.

Breathe Right: Do they work?

GSK has been very aggressive in marketing the Breathe Right Nasal strips and the sales volume speaks for itself. Its in the papers, on the radio and everywhere you are sure bound to hear about it.

Does it really work? - that's what everyone always ask. Well first of all, it is printed on the box...

Breathe Right Nasal Strips open your nose to
-Reduce snoring
-Relieve nasal congestion
-Breathe better

Despite this, I guarantee you 9 out of 10 customers will come and buy this product to stop snoring. Why? because...that's how it was advertised. The radio ads featured 'Ways to stop your partner from snoring' and this is very effective. The message that consumers hear is 'buy this product to stop snoring'.

I can also tell you that 100% of return customers tell me that this product does not work for snoring (my wife can testify to that too). In fact, this is not a new product. It has been in the market for quite a long time. I remember seeing athletes wearing it a long time ago as you can see from the young Robbie Fowler in the picture below (which was taken in 1998).

That picture was taken from this news report (HERE) which also claims that the strips were ineffective when used by athletes. Having tried out this product myself, I can say that it does open up my nostrils. However, having big nostrils doesn't mean you won't snore right? If its true then all gweilos won't snore...

So the answer is no, it does not work.