Average Marriage Age

You see, my clients are all Female based product. In order to understand Females in Malaysia, research has to be done quarterly because their behavioral changes and Females, they are very much complicated.

The Makcik from Kuala Kangsar does not have the same routine as the Makcik from Batu Pahat while the Ah-Soo from Georgetown does not like the way the Chee Cong Fun was cooked as the Ah-Soo from Ipoh. Although all of them fall under the same age group and household income but they do not have the same lifestyle.

Similarly to the ones living in the Urban area. There are traditional urban Malay/Chinese and there are also modern Urban Malay/Chinese who live life differently. My job is to understand them all.

I found this very interesting article which I would love to share:-

I think this article was published in The Star and was reported in 2010 in-conjunction with Valentine's Day.

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Cupid gets three chances

Yum Cha by LEE YUK PENG

When it comes to romance, the Chinese celebrate “Valentine’s Day” three times a year. But are Cupid’s little arrows, the tossing of fruits on Chap Goh Meh and computer match-making getting the desired results?

IT’S that time of the year again to toss Mandarin oranges into the sea, or river as the case may be. Today is Chap Goh Meh, the 15th and last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Chap Goh Meh or Yuen Xiao in Mandarin is also the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day.

The practice of tossing Mandarin oranges is uniquely Malaysian. To be precise, it originated in Penang where unmarried women would gather at the seaside on the night of Chap Goh Mei. There, they would toss oranges into the sea, hoping the fruits would be picked up by eligible young men who would then become their husbands.

In China and Taiwan, the 15th day of the new lunar year is also known as the lantern festival, and streets and temples there would be decorated with giant paper lanterns.

In the old days when girls were confined to their chambers, Chap Goh Meh offered them an opportunity to go out to see the outside world – and to be seen by eligible young men in search of potential partners.

These days, while unmarried women still toss oranges into the river or sea hoping for a good husband, there is a new twist to the practice. The women are writing their phone numbers and e-mail addresses on the oranges. This, of course, is to facilitate communication between the interested parties.

And, not content to be just picking up oranges, the men have also joined in the throwing game – they are tossing bananas with messages written on them!

Apart from Penang, this practice is also observed in Taman Jaya in Petaling Jaya, Taman Tasik Permaisuri in Cheras, and in Klang and Malacca.

For the Chinese, there is more than one day in a year to celebrate romance. There are in fact three if you include Valentine’s Day, which has become more popular among the Chinese.

While dating couples will not miss Feb 14 for Valentine’s Day and Chap Goh Meh, they can also look forward to Qi Xi, the day when Qi Jie, the weaver girl from Heaven, is allowed to meet her lover Niulang on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar.

According to legend, magpies would form a bridge across the Milky Way to make it possible for Qi Jie to meet her lover. The lovers were separated by the God of Heaven when He found out that the girl, who is a fairy from Heaven, had married a man on Earth. Thus, the day they meet is also regarded as a Chinese Valentine’s Day to commemorate the eternal love between the two.

However, despite all these festivals of romance and marriage, the Chinese in Malaysia are still slow in tying the knot. Sinologist Lai Kuan Fook attributes this to economic pressure which is pushing them to delay their marriage plans.

It is common for the Chinese to place financial stability before other things, and this happens not only in Malaysia but also in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

According to Wanita MCA chairman Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, a study showed that the average marriage age for Chinese men is 30.6, Indian men 28.8 and Malay men 27.8. For women, the average marriage age for Chinese is 27, Indians 25.4 and Malays 24.5.

Since it was formed in August 2001, the Wanita MCA-sponsored Cupid Club is still working hard to match eligible couples. So far, the official record shows that the club had successfully matched 173 couples. Of course, the figure does not include those who married without informing the club.

Lim Swee Kiang, chairman of Cupid Space Wanita MCA, says the club has a 7% success rate. It has about 4,000 registered members, two-thirds of whom are women.

It conducts computer matching and organises activities for singles.

The men who registered with the club were comparatively younger than the women. Men who join the activities organised by Cupid Space can be as young as 26 while women who sign up are normally above 33.

Another feature of the membership is that many women are well educated, with diplomas to master’s degrees, while most of the men have only SPM qualifications.

Late marriages

In his book Malaysian Chinese and Nation-Building, Assoc Prof Tey Nai Peng of Universiti Malaya says the mean marriage age of Chinese women has increased from 22.1 years in 1957 to 27 in 2000.

In addition, the number who remained single has also increased rapidly in tandem with increases in educational level. In 2000, close to a third of Chinese female graduates aged between 30 and 34 were single, and about 17% were still single at age 35 to 44.

Traditionally, women tended to marry men with at least the same level of education. But with higher educational levels, more and more women are now having difficulty finding compatible partners.

“Migration, urbanisation, modernisation and the erosion of parental roles in (their) children’s marriage are important reasons for non-marriage,” says Tey.

Lim also feels the younger generation is be­­coming more self-centred. They give priority to themselves rather than others, have high expectations and have become choosy, he says.

While it is hard to match higher-qualified women with men with lower qualifications, Peggy Lim, an executive of the Club, remains hopeful when it comes to finding life partners.

“There are couples who get to know each other from the tossing of Mandarin oranges and end up getting married,” she says.

Besides tossing oranges, don’t forget Cupid Space Wanita MCA, she adds.

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Don't be surprised to see when there are more unmarried-successful-influential-women in the country than men.

L'OREAL Family & Friends Sales is BACK!

So, what are you waiting for? Hurry! Hurry!

Good Saturday Afternoon

A soon to be married best friend of mine is having hard time with her wedding preparations. A bridezilla she is, we decided to treat her with something nice before officially tying the knot with her future husband. A 2 hours Spa session at Poise Organic Wellness Studio was where we were yesterday afternoon. 

Credit to: Poise Organic Wellness Studio

Thanks to Groupon, we managed to grab a worth-cheap ass 75% discount on full head to toe treatment. In way, I got to claim the much needed "me" time that I've been longing for. Only this time, I got to spend it with the girlfriends, how cool is that?! Being pregnant doesn't stop me from pampering myself with the goodness of Spa treatment although I did not get to enjoy the jacuzzi bath / steam bath / sauna but the full body scrub + foot massage + full body + head massage + eye refreshment were the bomb-est! I felt so fresh, light and most importantly, I felt clean after the session.

Before our 2pm session.

To bad that I didn't take photos of yesterday's event. Too caught-up with the "kesedapan". The place is nice. Totally recommended. Oh, it's so happen that the owner is an ex-stuff of SAA. A small world it is. Pi mai pi mai, tang tu saja!

I wish I could have the luxury to spend on Spa treatment every month. Tapi apa kan daya, I have other commitments to prioritize instead of spending just on leisure. Tapi apa yang penting, yesterday was the bomb-est!

How was your weekend? Hope you got to enjoy it as much as I am! *happy smile*

#2 Pregnancy Tips - Coffee for Pregnant Moms-to-Be

I can say that I am a proud coffee drinker. My everyday routine involves me having a cup of hot black coffee in the morning, a nice latte in the evening and nescafe tarik at night. And ever since I'm pregnant, I have stopped entirely in consuming one which is hard for me considering the fact that I am a hardcore coffee drinker and it's unbearable. It's hard, very, very hard!

So, I googled and found this article below which can help moms-to-be who are like me; an addicted coffee drinker in drinking coffee while being pregnant.

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The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists revised its guidelines about drinking coffee and caffeinated beverages in July of 2010. The new guidelines say that up to 200 mg daily of caffeine does not increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm birth. The new guideline was published in the August 2010 issue of “Obstetrics and Gynecology” and is based on a comprehensive review of all published studies on caffeine risks during pregnancy.

According to the ACOG’s Committee on Obstetric Practice, there is good evidence to show that having a cup of coffee a day doesn’t affect the risk of miscarriage or premature births. Dr. William H. Barth Jr., chairman of the committee, told U.S. News & World Report, “Finally, we have good evidence to show that having a cup of coffee a day is fine and it poses no risk to the fetus.”

For reference, an 8 oz. cup of brewed coffee contains about 137 mg of caffeine, while a cup of instant has about 78 mg of caffeine. If you’re pregnant, you should also be aware of caffeine intake from other beverages and foods and count that against your caffeine for the day.

The committee didn’t make any statement about whether caffeine during pregnancy restricts fetal growth or has other effects on the growing fetus.

Caffeine in Pregnancy and ADHD

An early study suggested that there may be a connection between coffee during pregnancy and ADHD. A study found that children whose mothers had taken the equivalent of 10 cups of coffee a day during pregnancy had three times the risk of ADHD. Once the researchers adjusted the results to account for other factors, however, they found the increased risk was statistically insignificant — that is, they determined that even at that level, children born to mothers who drink coffee have no more risk of having ADHD than those born to mothers who don’t drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks.

Previously:

It seems that the connection between coffee and pregnancy may not be as simple as most people have always believed. A few recent studies show that drinking moderate amounts of coffee during late pregnancy may not be as bad for you as we’d thought. On the other hand, there seems to be a definite link between coffee and infertility.

Drinking coffee during pregnancy has been one of those automatic no-nos for a very long time, so a study released in January by the British Medical Journal may come as a surprise. Researchers studying the effects of drinking coffee during pregnancy found that “coffee in moderation is safe during pregnancy”. But is it really?

The effects of coffee during pregnancy is extensively researched – and the results of the various studies into the effects of caffeine and coffee on pregnant women, fertility and the development of the growing baby are contradictory at best. This latest study suggests that women who take in less than 300 mgs of caffeine per day are not endangering their babies. That’s widely been reported as ‘about the same amount of caffeine as three cups of coffee’ – and that’s where things get sticky. Is that a cup of home brewed drip coffee? An espresso at your favorite coffee bar? A sixteen ounce latte? A cup of instant? Each of those has a different amount of caffeine – and it’s not always easy to guess which coffee drinks are the most loaded with caffeine.

Another study in Denmark back in 2003 found that women who drank more than eight daily cups of coffee during pregnancy increased their risk of miscarriage or stillbirth by as much as 300%. The researchers suspected that the reason may be that caffeine constricts the blood vessels, meaning that less blood gets through the placenta to the developing baby. They also suggested that the caffeine in coffee may directly affect the baby, whose developing system is far more sensitive to caffeine than the mother’s. Other studies suggest that up to five daily cups of coffee during pregnancy is safe for your baby.

According to most medical experts, the bottom line on drinking coffee during pregnancy is this: pregnant women should reduce their intake of caffeine during pregnancy to about the amount found in 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day.

What about decaffeinated coffee and pregnancy?

There’s far less research into decaffeinated coffee and pregnancy. Since caffeine is the major culprit in the ill effects of drinking coffee during pregnancy, it stands to reason that during pregnancy decaf coffee is fine. There’s no suggestion that decaf has any ill effects on pregnancy at all. In other words, if you must drink coffee during pregnancy decaf coffee is the way to go. Caffeinated coffee should be limited to no more than one to two cups of coffee per day.

The Good News About Coffee in Late Pregnancy

The Danish study reported in January studied the intake of coffee in late pregnancy – the last trimester. It showed that in over 1200 women, those who drank no more than 300 mgs of caffeine a day showed no difference in birth weight or premature births with women who drank strictly decaffeinated coffee during pregnancy. If you really need that shot of caffeine, you might try replacing a few cups of coffee a day with decaffeinated coffee during pregnancy.

Source: Talk About Coffee

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So mommies, it's pretty clear now that there is no problem in drinking coffee while being pregnant as long as you comsume sufficient amount per day. And to note that coffee isn't just the only source of drinks that's caffeine content.

#1 Pregnancy Tips

Since I have all the time in the world (bosses are away for client's meeting and I'm not joining) hence the second post of the day. And since I am a super excited ibu-to-be, I'll be posting over pregnancy tips for moms-to-be. Haven't you notice? I've been posting over pregnancy related stuff lately. I am a proud ibu-to-be, don't blame the excitement. I am poyo this way, I know!

So here it goes:

Four exercises to ease aches and help with labor

1) Kegel

Kegel exercises are small internal contractions of the pelvic floor muscles that support your urethra, bladder, uterus, and rectum. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles improves circulation to your rectal and vaginal area, helping to keep hemorrhoids at bay and speeding healing after an episiotomy or tear, if you have one during childbirth. There's even some evidence suggesting that strong pelvic floor muscles may shorten the pushing stage of labor.

You can do Kegels anywhere — sitting at your computer, watching TV, even standing in line at the supermarket. Here's how:

• Tighten the muscles around your vagina as if trying to interrupt the flow of urine when going to the bathroom.
• Hold for a count of four, then release. Repeat ten times. Try to work up to three or four sets about three times a day.

2) Pelvic Tilt or Angry Cat

This variation of the pelvic tilt, done on all fours, strengthens the abdominal muscles and eases back pain during pregnancy and labor.

• Get down on your hands and knees, arms shoulder-width apart and knees hip-width apart, keeping your arms straight but not locking the elbows.
• As you breathe in, tighten your abdominal muscles and tuck your buttocks under and round your back.
• Relax your back into a neutral position as you breathe out.
• Repeat at your own pace, following the rhythm of your breath.

3) Squat

It may not be the most elegant position, but squatting is a time-honored way of preparing for and giving birth. This exercise strengthens your thighs and helps open your pelvis.

• Stand facing the back of a chair with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart, toes pointed outward. Hold the back of the chair for support.
• Contract your abdominal muscles, lift your chest, and relax your shoulders. Then lower your tailbone toward the floor as though you were sitting down on a chair. Find your balance — most of your weight should be toward your heels.
• Take a deep breath in and then exhale, pushing into your legs to rise to a standing position.

4) Tailor or Cobbler Pose

This position can help open your pelvis and loosen your hip joints in preparation for birth. It can also improve your posture and ease tension in your lower back.

• Sit up straight against a wall with the soles of your feet touching each other (sit on a folded towel if that's more comfortable for you).
• Gently press your knees down and away from each other, but don't force them.
• Stay in this position for as long as you're comfortable.

Remember to start slowly and work at your own level for each exercise.

Source: Baby Center

So there you go. I did most of the exercises during the weekends. At least I tried too lah! But I did a lot of walking as part of my daily exercise. I make sure that I walk either inside the office building or during lunch hour. Tapi jangan lah sampai tercungap-cungap. And please make sure that you wear comfortable shoes with you. No heels please! Look at what happen to Victoria Beckham for wearing killer heels during pregnancy and you don't want to be like her don't you?

Selamat mencuba!

6 Months

It's been 6 months since the day Izwan said "Aku terima nikahnya" and I must say that I enjoy every day of my life being a wife though it has not always been on its' brightest but I love each moment that it gives. Benarlah orang kata, bila berumahtangga, rezeki yang datang amat berkat. Rezeki yang datang sungguh tidak disangka-sangka in every possible way.

On top of that, Alhamdulillah, with His blessing, Allah has grant us with an additional member to our small little family. It wasn't part of the plan actually. We never really expect to receive with such gift this fast but last May, the good news came rush in just when I'm about to enter for a client's meeting. I was feeling sick the day before. Knowing me, I felt sick like most of the time. But this time, the feeling was different. My body temperature was like madness for couple of weeks. I thought it was something normal for someone who is as lazy bum as I am to even have a clean shower after work (oh yes, I am very kambing if you must say) but even after having bath, my body still feels the heat.

On one Monday afternoon, the strong instinct of mine was telling me that I might be pregnant for the fact that I can no longer fit my favourite lucky pink work shirt and for having the weirdest dream the night before that I can never explain. I excused myself from the meeting and went straight to Watson which is located next to my office building. I bought the pregnancy kit test. Oh man, it took me more than 30 minutes to decide on which brand I should buy. I took the most expensive one in the name of accuracy (padehal semua pregnancy kit pon sama je). So there I was sitting on the toilet bowl figuring out how to use it. The 2 lines started to appear after 3 minutes of uneasy wait and I couldn't be happier with the results. Told Izwan and we went straight to Gleneagle for comfirmation. I left the office early that day but oh boy, it took us nearly 4 hours for the blood results and Alhamdulillah, I was 5 weeks pregnant then. But due to the tiredness of waiting, the excitement fade away like a flashed toilet bowl.

To my surprise, I still have this "joy stick" of mine in my work bag

And my days started to turn blue and grey after that for at least 8 weeks. I was on a very bad condition. I lost 10 kilos. I even weighted less than I was before married. Was being induced like so many times. Was being in and out the hospital for as long as I can remember. I can't take solid food, I can't drink; not even a glass of warm water. My source of energy was hurmm...nothing and was bedridden for nearly 2 weeks. I can assure you that my KPIs were falling like a bombshell. I was on MC most of May and June. Memang nyawa-nyawa ikan. But I'm glad my husband and family were there for me when I needed them the most. Izwan was being the sweetest for taking care of me. The side of him that I've never seen before. Terharu! I can't even lift my own body what more to do wife's job. He cleans the room, make sure our room is in order, do laundry, fold the clothes and put them in the closet accordingly. He even requested to do his work at home just to make sure that I was ok. Terharu lagi! And my mother was the strongest person I've ever met making sure that I got all the nutrition that I needed. I even had to pray by sitting on a chair coz I can't stand still.

But now, Alhamdulillah, I can say that I'm fully recovered. Gained weight a bit. Baby steps! And I've shown tummy a bit. It's not even visible yet but it's growing. Baby is actively moving at night. I've yet to feel it's movement but due to the double heartbeats that I'm feeling, it's the sign of his/her movement. I'm having hard time sleeping at night though due to his/her activeness and I have to sometimes talk to her/him during office hour to allow me to do work peacefully. So far, he/she has been the most understanding baby I've known (chewahh!) tapi kadang-kadang tuh active juga!

Izwan has been talking a lot with the baby. Every night before sleep. Payah juga nak melayan bapak and anak bersembang. But that's the part and parcel of being a mom right? And it's a good thing. I'm not complaining.

I registered myself with both private and government hospitals. I went to both for check-ups. Obviously, the private hospital is giving me a lot more compared to the government one. We'll see how it goes.

Here are the pictures from the baby scan.

This was taken during the 9th Week. He/She was actively moving when the doctor was scanning. He was dancing-dancing, that's what the doctor said.

And this was on the 12th week. He/She was asleep hence no movement captured. He's healthy Alhamdulillah. That's all I'm asking.

Will be having another round of check-up this Saturday. We'll see how's he/she doing. Excited!

Ok, done with the baby post. Got to continue with client's Competitive Review which high possibilities of me doing it in the morning. I'm honestly tired I even pee-ed on my bed and I'm not even kidding!

Kawan-kawanku

Last week, a friend of mine was robbed on her way back from work. She was driving from Jalan Ampang heading her home in Ampang Jaya. It was nearly 10pm and the road was pretty much busy at that time. Knowing Jalan Ampang, it can never be lengang. She was waiting for the light to turn green when a motorcyclist started smashing her car window on the driver's seat and tried taking her handbag which was on her lap. She was holding on to her bag but had to let it go as the bugger started pointing out a parang towards her.

She screamed for help but unfortunately, no one stop to lend a hand. Lucky for her as she has her phone kept in her pocket and managed to lodge a police report but poor her, traumatise still!

So ladies, please be careful. Remember to always hide your bag from the visibility of these buggers as they are pretty much "creative" in committing crimes.

Look at the video I found on youtube. This happened at Section 16, PJ recorded randomely by this man. He forwarded the video to Malaymail couple of days ago.

Very fast!

Firefly, kenapa tax kau mahal sangat?!

Been checking flight tickets for two to Koh Samui and sadly only Firefly flies directly to Koh Samui and god their taxes are unreasonably expensive. Sigh!

Oh how I wish I earn 5 digits salary by now. Tak apa, bersyukur dengan apa yang ada.

There was a conversation I had with a colleague of mine couple of days ago about how beautiful life is if we were to be a housewife. Note that she is also a working wife to a workaholic husband. They are both working in the same industry. The same as I am. We were imagining the leisure time that we would have had if we were one. Wakes up only to get the husband's breakfast ready. When the husband is off for work, we would have all the time of our own to do what ever we want to do while waiting for the husband to come back from work. And since both of us are still in the category of "the newlyweds", getting the kids ready for school is not an issue. But if we were to have one, well, tiada masalah untuk menghantar dan menjemput mereka dari sekolah. In a way, we get the chance to spend time with our children, the mother-daughter/son time. Feed them lunch and hours later, they'll be off for the evening school pulak. We're free again. Apa lah sangat mengemas/mencuci/membasuh. Basuh rumah tak perlu hari-hari. Membasuh baju can be done in the morning. Even if we have to do it everyday, we still get roughly 2-3 hours of afternoon rest/nap. And by the end of the month, husband will give a great sum of pocket money for you to spend; on groceries, monthly allowances and what not.

Isn't that lovely. Oh, how I wish life is that simple.

But then again, when the reality hits, I don't think I want to sign for the above. I would rather work and earn my own money. And by the end of the month, we get more than enough to spend and travel. Kalau husband saja yang bekerja dan kasi duit, can you just imagine the amount of moo-lah that you'll be receiving? Unless if your husband earns 5 digits a month, itu lain cerita.

Furthermore, what life can a housewife gets for just staying at home? Otak tak berkembang, ilmu tak terisi and by the time you reach 50, your brain stuck with nothing. Of course there's exceptional but I've seen most housewives at the age of 50 and I don't want to end up being one.

Lebih rock jika menjadi seorang career lady and a great mother/wife at the same time. If my mom can do it, so do I! So yeah, housewife is a big no-no.

Lagi pon kalau jadi housewife, belum tentu si suami akan kasi green light untuk membayar tambang firefly yang tax-nya mahal itu. But if you work and earn your own money, at least you can split your expenses and spending with your husband and can afford to go for a better holiday. Tak gitu puan-puan?

After all, I don't want to waste my hard earned degree for nothing yang hanya di simpan di dalam file untuk kasi ia berabuk berkaput-kaput and I don't think my husband agrees if I want to be one. Daripada dia yang botak cepat, saya yang akan jadi lebih botak daripada dia.

Hey, I have goals to achieve and I don't want to waste my life for nothing. Being a housewife is totally not one of them. Bersusah-susah dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian, tak gitu?

Cerita bunga telur

When mom was preparing for my wedding day, she asked our opinion on whether to have bunga telur or just the fruit cake that everyone received during the night reception. She has always wanted to have bunga telur on our wedding (either me or my sis'). She said it's very sentimental; very traditional. But she never mentioned the significant of giving bunga telur to the guests. It's something that none of us were aware off.

We ended up having both the bunga telur and the fruit cake as the gift to the guests. Bunga telur is for the people who renjis-ed us and the fruit cake, well, the fruit cake is for the guests who came that night. Mom put all her affords and spent her time making the bunga telur herself. She spent roughly a solid one month in getting the bunga telur done. Credit to her, the bunga telur turned out to be very very pretty (though I never admitted it to her) but she knows that her creativity was credited by us. Even the aunties couldn't believe that the bunga telur was diy-ed by my mother till the night that they saw my mom had to re-do some of the bunga telur as it was broken after we put an egg to it. The egg was too big and heavy for the bunga telur. Little that I know that bunga telur can be very fragile to its' surrounding. Heh!

Ok, this is not the point.

When I was at Kedah for the reception, I was helping the family to get the bunga telur done. The MIL bought roughly about 700 bunga telur-s for us to prepare. They were serving the guests with bunga telur and bunga telur sahaja. One of the aunties asked did us know (there were 8 of us that night laboring to do the bunga telur) the significant of a bunga telur in a wedding? None of us answered mainly because we were tired or bored of doing the bunga telur.

She continued "it's the symbol of fertility" and when you present your guests with bunga telur, the least that you can get is their blessing and prayers for the bride and groom to "produce" good quality of children, Insyaallah. And it makes sense.

A woman produces egg, hence the telur dalam sarung in a bunga telur while a man produces thousands of sperms that run inside a woman's womb and when the lucky "one" successfully entered the egg, well you know the rest of the processes right? Dan akhirnya terlahirlah seorang bayi.

You don't get bunga telur in a wedding nowadays. It's either you receive a box of chocolate or an aromatic smells of potpourri. We missed the fact that bunga telur brings its' own meaning to a wedding and to the bride and groom.

Jadi, to all the future bride and groom, jangan lupa kasi bunga telur ye. It takes only 45 minutes of your time to get the eggs stimmed and roughly about 2 hours to put all the eggs in the bunga telur depending on your quantity.

Till then, happy holidays!

When it is the time of the month

No, it's not the pay-cheque. That's the other form of when it is the time of the month; that's the happy one my dear friend. But this is the one that can cause so much of headaches especially to the guys whenever their partner is facing such syndrome. Yes, I'm taking about the PMS. What other kind of time of the month can I possibly referring too?! I'm a woman aren't I? And I have a partner who is suffering hard whenever I'm PMS-ing and I can actually see from his eyes that it's torturous. Poor baby but don't blame me for having such syndrome. Kalau tak suka, sorry darling, you won't be having your own generation in the future. So, mana mau?!

Usually a woman will experience such syndrome between 7 to 10 days before menstrual. Ohh, I'm not making up facts ye ladies, it is stated on studies as 80% of women population experience such syndrome. It's our nature for PMS-ing. So don't blame us for acting like one.

The reason I'm writing this is because I've been observing my weird behaviour whenever I'm on that circle of the month and it has been bad, pretty bad actually that Izwan has no choice but to be the victim during this period of time. Poor him. I will talk aggressively as if everything in the world is turning upside down. I will be super sensitive and emotional over things I that see. My psychotic level will automatically increase to an undefined level (super high) and paranoid is my middle name during this period. My suggestion is, do not contact me directly or indirectly unless if it's important. I'll be a psycho bitch that you wish you'd kill.

But once it's over, once the red flag arrive, I'll be switching to the normal me instantly as if there's an auto generated button that works automatically switching the button from being an emotional bitch to the moderate level of psychotic Ajlaa (heh, I'm still a psycho girl in a way but in a nicer way of course).

But according to the [source], it's actually normal to act such way.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a combination of emotional, physical, psychological, and mood disturbances that occur after a woman's ovulation and typically ending with the onset of her menstrual flow. The most common mood-related symptoms are irritability, depression, crying, oversensitivity, and mood swings with alternating sadness and anger. The most common physical symptoms are fatigue, bloating, breast tenderness (mastalgia), acne, and appetite changes with food cravings.

A more severe form of PMS, known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), also known as late luteal phase dysphoric disorder) occurs in a smaller number of women and leads to significant loss of function because of unusually severe symptoms.

So guys, don't ever question why we are having such syndrome. It's not our fault anyway. It's nature. We are born with such package. You have no choice but to deal with it. After all, it is just a week of your time. We'll turn into our normal behaviour once it's over, we promise. It's not that we are intended to hurt you during that time, it's our nature. It's either you deal with or hmmmm, deal with it. No other options.

So, have fun dealing.

Sakit perut? Makanlah pil Che-ke-te-oon

We usually take things for granted especially when it comes to health issues. Sakit perut is among the common ones. But do you know with that sakit perut will leads you to more sakit perut(s)?

Source from here

PETALING JAYA, 16 Nov – Nora, 47, terasa sakit sangat di perutnya sejak enam bulan yang lepas. Beliau percaya ia hanya masalah ‘angin’, tetapi sejak kebelakangan ini minyak angin yang menjadi penawar selama ini tidak lagi melegakan sakitnya itu.

Gary, 53, pula sering kali mengadu sakit gastrik sejak sebulan yang lepas. Apabila beliau ke klinik, doktor memberitahu beliau mengalami gastritis, dan mengesyorkan ubat untuk melegakan sakit itu. Doktor menasihatkan beliau supaya makan mengikut masa.

“Tetapi saya tidak faham,” kata Gary.

“Saya makan mengikut masa,” katanya.

Ia mungkin sukar untuk percaya tetapi simptom pada Nora dan Gary mungkin penunjuk awal masalah yang lebih besar – kanser perut.

Dr Ramesh Gurunathan, seorang pakar bedah Gastrousus di Pusat Perubatan Sunway, menyatakan bahawa kes kanser perut telah berganda di Malaysia berbanding 700 kes pada 1997 walaupun kes kanser ini berkurangan di seluruh dunia.

“Ini sesuatu yang membimbangkan,” kata beliau kepada Bernama di Kongres Ketiga Kanser Gastroesofageal di Pusat Perubatan Sunway.

Simptom

Kanser perut merupakan kanser ketujuh paling lazim dalam kalangan lelaki di Malaysia, dan ke-10 paling lazim pada wanita.

Dr Gurunathan berkata ramai rakyat Malaysia bagaimanapun masih tidak sedar akan masalah sebenar di sebalik simptom ini. Ini kerana mereka sering kali menganggapnya sebagai sakit perut biasa disebabkan kerana tidak makan mengikut waktu atau amalan pemakanan kurang baik.

Beliau berkata mereka di Peringkat 1 atau Peringkat 2 kanser perut mungkin mengalami simptom berikut, yang lazimnya tidak banyak berbeza daripada sakit perut biasa:

• Senak perut atau rasa kurang selesa di bahagian perut
• Perut rasa macam ada angin, terutama selepas makan
• Cepat kenyang, walaupun makan sedikit sahaja
• Pedih hulu hati
• Rasa mual

Bagaimanapun, kata beliau, ramai yang mengalami sebahagian sahaja simptom ini di peringkat awal. Simptom di peringkat lanjut kanser adalah lebih ketara, seperti najis berwarna hitam yang menunjukkan pendarahan di perut, kehilangan berat badan, hilang selera, rasa letih, sering kali muntah atau muntah darah.

“Malangnya, simptom ekstrem inilah yang akhirnya memaksa pesakit untuk ke hospital bagi mendapatkan rawatan,” kata Dr Ragunathan.

“Ketika itu ia mungkin terlalu lewat,” kata beliau.

Punca

Punca sebenar kanser perut masih tidak diketahui, tetapi terdapat faktor yang boleh meningkatkan risiko bagi kanser.

Kajian menunjukkan kehadiran bakteria Helicobacter Pylori, atau H. Pylori, dalam 70-90 peratus daripada pesakit dengan kanser perut.

Bakteria ini boleh bertindak sebagai kaseinogen yang akhirnya boleh menyebabkan kanser perut, kata Dr Ragunathan.

Bagaimanapun, ini tidak bermakna semua yang dijangkiti akan menghidap kanser.

Beliau menunjukkan satu penemuan menarik daripada penyelidikan yang dijalankan di Malaysia di mana lebih ramai anggota masyarakat India dijangkiti H. Pylori berbanding masyarakat Cina, tetapi lebih ramai orang Cina pula menghidap kanser perut.

Dr Ragunathan berkata simptom awal jangkitan H. Pylori hampir sama dengan kanser perut, dan adakalanya pesakit dirawat menggunakan ubat sahaja.

“Tetapi jika simptom yang sama berulang walaupun selepas mengambil ubat, anda perlu ke hospital dan jalani pemeriksaan kesihatan,” kata beliau.

Ujian darah biasa boleh menentukan sama ada seseorang itu dijangkiti oleh H. Pylori. Rawatan mungkin semudah satu dos antibiotik selama seminggu, katanya.

Bolehkah jangkitan berulang? Ya mungkin, kata doktor, tetapi kemungkinannya sangat kecil.

Genetik

Kajian menunjukkan bahawa asal-usul etnik dan genetik juga memainkan peranan ketara dalam menentukan siapa yang lebih berkemungkinan untuk menghadapi kanser.

Statistik 2006 Institut Kanser Kebangsaan menunjukkan bahawa orang Cina mewakili 61.7 peratus daripada pesakit kanser perut, diikuti oleh Melayu (25.9 peratus) dan India (12.4 peratus).

“Kami telah cuba mencari kaitan antara jenis diet yang eksklusif kepada setiap kumpulan etnik itu dan juga kemungkinan faktor lain, tetapi memandangkan pengaruh antara budaya di Malaysia, keputusannya tidak jelas,” katanya.

Elak makanan mentah

Pada masa yang sama, makanan mentah yang mengambil masa lama untuk dicerna boleh meningkatkan risiko kanser. Penemuan ini mempertikai kepercayaan segelintir pakar kesihatan, yang menggalakkan makanan mentah sebagai alternatif lebih sihat kepada makanan yang dimasak.

“Makanan mentah dikatakan antara sebab mengapa negara seperti Jepun menyaksikan kejadian kanser yang lebih tinggi,” kata Dr Ragunathan.

“Saya tidak berkata anda tidak langsung boleh makan sushi, tetapi mungkin boleh hadkannya kepada sekali setiap bulan.”

Selain itu, makanan yang digarami, disalai, jeruk atau makanan yang diawet, yang lazim di negara-negara seperti China, Korea dan Jepun, juga dikaitkan dengan risiko yang lebih tinggi bagi kanser perut.

Obesiti, penuaan dan tabiat buruk seperti merokok dan ketagihan
alkohol juga dikatakan sebagai menyumbang kepada kanser perut.

Di Jepun, di mana insiden kanser perut sangat tinggi, imbasan dijalankan bagi mereka yang berusia 40 tahun dan lebih.

“Bagaimanapun, ia tidak mungkin dapat dilakukan di Malaysia kerana kadar kejadian tidak setinggi seperti di Jepun selain ia juga tidak berkesan daripada segi kos,” kata Dr Ragunathan.

Rawatan

Beliau berkata kanser perut boleh dikesan menggunakan kaedah endoskopi. Kaedah ini menggunakan satu tiub dengan lensa video pada hujungnya yang dimasukkan ke ruang dalam perut menerusi mulut.

Menggunakan kaedah ini, keseluruhan dinding boleh diperiksa secara visual dan diambil sampel tisu di tempat-tempat yang disyaki untuk menentukan kehadiran sel barah, jika ada.

Beliau berkata di hospital kerajaan, pemeriksaan menggunakan endoskop ini dijalankan pada harga yang murah iaitu RM20 kerana kosnya disubsidi kerajaan.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, selepas itu doktor mungkin hanya mahu merawatnya dengan ubat-ubatan sahaja.

Oleh itu, katanya, jika pesakit itu berusia lebih 45 tahun, mempunyai kanser perut dalam sejarah keluarga dan mengalami simptom itu untuk satu tempoh, mereka harus memaklumkan ini kepada doktor dan bertanya:

“Haruskah saya menjalani endoskopi?”

Jika kanser perut dikesan sementara ia masih di peringkat 1, pembedahan mungkin tidak perlu untuk mengeluarkan ketumbuhan.

“Ia boleh dikeluarkan menggunakan endoskop, dan bagi peringkat 2, satu pembedahan dikenali sebagai gastrostomi mungkin perlu,” kata Dr Ragunathan.

Prosedur ini membabitkan pembuangan separuh hingga keseluruhan perut bergantung kepada kedudukan ketumbuhan. Ini mungkin disusuli dengan rawatan kemoterapi atau radioterapi.

Bolehkah seseorang hidup tanpa perut? Jangan terkejut, doktor ini berkata boleh.

“Mereka masih boleh menikmati kehidupan yang agak baik. Satu-satunya masalah ialah mereka mungkin terpaksa makan sedikit-sedikit enam atau tujuh kali kerana tiada ruang - atau bagi mereka yang sebahagian daripada perut mereka yang dikeluarkan ruangnya terhad untuk menyimpan makanan,”
katanya.

Bagaimanapun, peringkat 3 dan 4 mungkin sukar untuk dirawat, katanya.

“Rawatan bagi mereka ini lebih kepada penjagaan paliatif, radioterapi dan kemoterapi. Jadi jalani pemeriksaan awal jika anda mengesyaki sesuatu yang tidak kena. Ia boleh dirawat jika dapat dikesan awal.”

Dr Ragunathan merupakan pengerusi penganjur bagi kongres dua hari itu yang bermula pada 10 Nov dianjurkan oleh Kelab Pembedahan Gastrousus Atas Malaysia dan Kolej Pakar Bedah. Pakar-pakar terkemuka asing dan tempatan hadir dan berceramah di kongres itu, yang membincangkan topik berkaitan pembedahan bahagian atas gastorusus, satu bidang pengkhususan yang agak baru dan berkembang pesat di Malaysia. – Bernama

So, don't go easy with that sakit perut anymore.

Family Planning

I have roughly 10 weeks to go before the big day. And I think it is about time to start thinking on what's going to happen at that area down south. Fill free to click the "X" button if you think you're not comfortable reading what I'm about to write. I'm not harassing anyone for that matter but I think it is something worth sharing as most of my friends; women my age generally are getting married or maybe planning to settle down.

So, where should I start?!

I was at Guardian KLCC couple of weeks ago wondering around just to waste my time while waiting for my sister to leave her office. I was queuing at the counter when I saw boxes of several types of birth control pills at the display shelves. The thing is, Izwan and I, we have been discussing on the "future of our family" and how are going to go about it. Oh yes ladies, these are the things that you need to open up to, discussing openly with your husband/husband-to-be. This is not something that you need to keep it in silent. After all, you're going to live and have a life together, aren't you?! So yea, Izwan and I, we discuss about this a lot. And you should know that men will always be men. Lelaki dilahirkan mempunyai satu nafsu. So, go figure!

Izwan and I, we have come to an agreement whereby we are going to enjoy our marriage life first before "expending" our family for at least a year or two but the thing is he wants it manually. Birth control is part of the option. Lucky me, one of my besties has a very high knowledge on pills and whatnot. She is a Masters holder in this medic world which I have zero knowledge of. She advised me not to take birth control or even to think about taking birth control. Like I said, Izwan wants it manually.

These are the side effects on prescribing birth control

• Blood cloth issues -the birth control patch increases the amount of estrogen and progestin, it has been shown that it affects the way the blood forms into blood clots.
• Risks of stroke or pulmonary embolisms - pulmonary embolisms and strokes can result and therefore cause long term disabilities.
• Severe headaches - There has been evidence that severe headaches can occur from use of the patch. These headaches often begin suddenly.
• Vision problems - Another adverse reaction to the birth control patch is vision problems. It is not an uncommon side effect to have vision problems in one or both eyes.
• Vomiting and nausea - There have been many cases where women using the birth control patch suffer from nausea and vomiting as a side effect.
• Menstrual cramps - Use of the birth control patch can cause a woman’s periods to become shorter and fewer.
• Difficulty Speaking and mental confusion - Birth control patches have been known to affect one’s speaking abilities. The patch creates a sense of confusion and can make it difficult to articulate words properly or express oneself properly.
• Upper respiratory infection or cold like symptoms - There is nothing worse than having difficulty breathing. In addition, the cold like symptoms that accompany this could be a side effect that nobody would want to endure.
• Skin irritation at the site of patch placement - Irritation of the skin is definitely a negative side effect that nobody would want to endure.
• Heart Attacks - Probably one of the most dangerous of the side effects caused by birth control patches is the risk of a heart attack.

Source from here.

And for the fact that one could be highly exposed to cancerous diseases is a big no-no.

So she advised me to use Ovulation kit instead.

I know, I know! The purpose of an Ovulation kit is actually for women who are in need of pregnancy. The kit is actually a way to identify the exact right time for a woman to ovulate. With that, the chances of one in getting pregnant is very high. But in my case, the usage of the kit is to determine the time of me not ovulating. Do you get what I mean? It's like working the other way round.

I have yet to test on the accuracy. Some say, it's works on them. Some say, they couldn't reach the accuracy. It still depends on the temperature that your body is showing. If your temperature is high, it means that you are ovulating. If not, means the otherwise.

Oh by the way, for those who are wondering, you can get the kit at your nearest pharmacy store. They are usually at the shelves where condoms are displayed. Have time checking on it. You might never know that maybe, just maybe, you need them in your closet.