Dry dry dry

Pretty soon I'm going to have to turn on the air conditioning inside the house. I'm pretty comfortable but I find my palms being sweaty a lot. Also, the air is mega dry (not that the a/c will help with that part).

This morning I had an attack of eczema on my face again. It was twice as big as the lump posted here. When my ayi saw it she gasped in shock. Luckily it's gone down a bit now.

I just checked Yahoo weather and it's 27% humidity now at 4pm. In Beijing it's only 15% - wow!

Apparently it should be between 35-50% for comfort. Other sources say 40-70%. Personally, I find around 45-60% the most comfortable. I don't know why people keep saying that Shanghai is humid, last summer I noted that the humidity rarely went higher than 65%.

Strange happenings at Flickr

Ah yes how I love Flickr. I've gotten a few requests from people representing certain companies wanting to use my photos for an article. This, I think, is highly flattering considering that I think compared to the rest of Flickr my photos aren't even that great. But still, it's good for an ego boost I guess :)

Anyway just got a msg from a girl from nowpublic.com wanting to use one of my pics for a strange but interesting story. Apparently Japan is using face recognition technology in their cigarette vending machines to determine if you are old enough (20 is the legal age) to buy them! Apparently it's accurate 90% of the time. The rest of the time they need you to scan in your driver's licence. Sounds pretty hi-tech to me although I doubt it would've worked for me considering when I was 28 I looked 18 (and now I look approx. 6-7 years younger than I really am).

In other news I did a pilates class. Naughty girl I should be doing this every week but only manage to do it once or twice a month. The class is nice and small (usually around 6-8 people) all housewives like myself ;) who else can attend a class at 10am on a weekday? Ah yes.. the life of a 'tai tai' who does nothing but go to beauty salons and manicurists. oh puh-leeze, we're too busy making sure our figures are nice and lean at the gym! hahaha. Well in the case of most women in China, it seems, most are naturally slim and lean anyway. Pilates is good for strengthening your stomach and back muscles and feels really good afterwards, but the next day I'm in so much pain.

Our apartment compound was collecting money on behalf of the Red Cross for those earthquake victims. I gave them everything I had in my wallet (I mean, how much money should one carry to the gym which is in/right next to my apartment anyway? Not much right... ) I gave them 150 RMB and felt quite proud of myself. There were donations ranging from 20 to 3000 RMB that I saw, most giving around 100 RMB.

Well I'm feeling good now, the weather is lovely, I now should make myself some lunch before heading out and doing something else to occupy my taitai life ;)

Air pollution increases DVT risk

Link

Yikes...

Air pollution increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) -- dangerous blood clots in the veins -- even at pollution levels the EPA deems "acceptable."

Harvard researcher Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, and colleagues in Italy studied 870 people diagnosed with DVT from 1995 to 2005. They compared their particulate air pollution exposure in the year before their diagnosis to that of 1,210 matched people without DVT.

They found that DVT risk goes up 70% for every 10 microgram-per-cubic-meterrise in particulate air pollution above 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air (the lowest pollution level measured in the study).....

Air pollution affects the heart and blood vessels even more than the lungs, notes Robert D. Brook, MD, a University of Michigan expert on the cardiovascular effects of air pollution. An editorial by Brook accompanies the Baccarelli report in the May 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Hayfever hell

I was really really dreading this. I was hoping and praying that this wouldn't happen. I was very very grateful for all the times this didn't happen.

But right now - it's hayfever season. It seems odd that when the flowers were first blooming and blossoming I was totally fine (and often thought about how weird it was I didn't react) but now both my husband and are are having allergy attacks - sneezing, runny nose, and itchy watery eyes. Great. On top of that it's been quite dry lately and my nose has started to bleed again.

ARGH!

On another note most Chinese people don't seem to understand what hayfever (or asthma) is. I noted hubby trying to explain to his Mandarin tutor last night that he had it and I don't think she quite got it. I've also had the same blank expression when I've tried to tell people I'm asthmatic and that's why I can't tolerate cigarette smoke. It seems like nobody here gets it whereas it's so common in the west, well in Australia anyway it's (apparently) really common.

Asthma drugs

Nothing about Shanghai or the world...

9 days later I am still sick. I'm so over this. I have no energy and need to sleep all the time yet I have insomia and can't sleep. At night I cough non-stop and have to sleep sitting up at a 135 degree angle.

I'm pretty sure I'm over the non-descript URTI (upper respiratory tract infection) and it's progressed to its asthma-like state where I just cough and cough and cough and my chest, back and stomach ache like crazy. ARGH.

They say it's very common in Australia (asthma) but the strange thing is I hardly know of anyone with it. My grandfather on my father's side and my mother have it sort of, and I think maybe my cousin does as well but as for other relatives, friends, acquaintances, nope. Noone. Trust me to get the bad luck! :(

A few days ago I accidently stumbled across some news articles which said that the asthma drug Singulair has a suicide risk. WTF?? I thought. Thank God I've never taken that drug.

I'm on Symbicort which is strange in that I can't taste or feel a single thing (unlike billions of other 'puffers' I have tried in the past). I always worry if it's actually working and getting into my system. I guess it's working though because I only started using it yesterday and today I seem to be coughing less. I hope this goes away soon, it's really quite debilitating.

Dain Ti Hill dinner and Electronic Translator

The reason why I haven't uploaded any pics for ages to my blog is because I've been having computer problems. Well not really problems as such but it's just running extremely slowly, it's driving me mad. I should get it checked out but have heard that people that deal with Macs in Shanghai aren't very knowledgeable. Ugh. Anyway despite this I'll do a post with a few pics.

Last night we had dinner in Dain Ti Hill in Metro City. We've been there a few times, but always at the one in Grand Gateway. They are on both the 4th and 5th floors in that building. We had a seat right next to the window, that look out of the huge glass/metal 'globe'.

We ordered a couple of dishes.




Tuna Salad



Chinese-style sushi with prawn, mango, and special sauce



Chicken with pine nuts (except we think they forgot the nuts!)



Fried fish



After that we went to the basement to look for an electronic dictionary/translator for the hubby. He's been going on about getting one for ages and we finally got one. We were there till after 10pm, when the stores were all closing! The one he got is a Besta CD-900. It cost 1300 RMB. It has a full colour screen. The one with a black and white (green and black?) screen cost 850. It is quite a big difference in price but we figure the colour one was better for a few reasons: the colour screen, the much brighter screen, the pen/stylus is stored inside so it won't accidently fall out, it has the ability to add SD cards later which translate between Chinese and European languages, the battery is like a mobile phone battery and fully rechargeable (the B&W one uses AAA batteries).

There are so many features it's mind boggling. It even has this cute picture dictionary. But the main feature of it that's one of the best is the ability to write characters. So if you see a character and you don't know what it is you just write it in and it tells you on screen what it is, the definition, translation, and how to pronounce it. There is audio accompanying all the thousands of words stored in there. It is also an MP3 player and more.

It's pretty cool. I wouldn't mind one for myself except I wanted traditional characters as well, and that model cost more than 3000! Such a huge price difference. Besides, I found myself getting distracted by cameras (as I'm a camera nut). When hubby was looking I wandered to the Canon camera stand next door and asked if I could have a look at their SLR cameras. It's such a difference to hold one of those instead of a small point & shoot camera! I tried the EOS 400d and EOS 40d and there is a huge difference between those two as well. I asked hubby which one I should 'get' (hypothetically speaking) and he said the smaller one. He said, quote, "The bigger one is a big man camera. It's just a big penis extension." Hahaha. Erm. As you can tell he is not into cameras at all. He is happy with his Kodak p&s camera that he got free from work!







In other news, the weather is getting warmer. It's still sunny almost every day which is great, and I can't complain about that. However, it's still as dry as heck. Almost every morning my right nostril is bleeding. Not a lot, not running, but it's still kinda scary to see. :( It's a light watery red, the colour of tomato sauce. And I'm still getting itchy eczema lumps on my face and neck every day. ARGH!

My Grandparents Part II

In contrast to my maternal grandparens my poor paternal grandparents have been riddled with health problems. My grandfather is generally OK (despite having diabetes and asthma and being quite underweight) and can get about and do things, but my grandmother is pretty much house-bound and has been for a very long time. From the last time I saw her (3 years ago) till now she seems roughly the same but now she has a walking frame, which she didn't before. She apparently fell over and hurt her foot or ankle so can't walk that well without it. It really pains me to see her in such pain. It also really sux why my family (on both sides) have been riddled with SO many health problems (many of which I've inherited). It really is sad... my poor grandmother (to list but a few.. I don't think I know everything) is partially deaf, has no natural teeth and refuses to wear dentures (can't talk well and everything she eats has to be mushy), extremely thin and underweight, thinning hair, constant stomach pain, feels the cold really easily, had a hysterectomy and heart operation, needs a catheter to go to the toilet, and the list goes on.. it's so so sad and depressing. She can't leave the house unless somebody accompanies her but there is not much point for her to go out anyway. At home she can't be alone either in case something happens or she needs help doing something. She is also no various different medications which she needs to keep track of. She is still sweet and lovely though. She offers me food and drink even though I tell her I am fine. I mean I don't need her hobbling around in her walking frame to get stuff for me! Sheez! But she tries so hard to be a good host/grandmother. It just pains me to see her in such pain. :(

Heath Ledger dead / Insomnia hell

A search for art supply shops lead me to the Shida (Taiwan National Normal University) area and I also found myself in a desperate need to use a toilet in an area where they were very hard to find. So I just went into a cafe that I wanted to eat at (luckily it was lunch time anyway) and then did my business and ordered and ate my lunch (lasagne). Just before I left I decided to take a look at the Taipei Times newspaper. I was shocked to read on the front cover that Heath Ledger had died.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/01/25/2003398703

Here is the exact article I read. Sure the news was 2-3 days late but anyway, I'm out of touch with the news anyway being on vacation...

I was shocked and stunned to read this talented 28-year-old had had his life taken away. accidently or intentionally they are still trying to find the cause from the toxicology tests.

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told the New York Times. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."

Having had chronic insomnia myself I know that the way to describe it is like 'hell on earth' and i can understand he would be desperate if he was taking that many Ambien/Stilnox tablets... A few months ago I was going through a bout of insomnia where I slept about 2-3 hours a night. It'd take at least two hours to fall asleep then every little thing would wake me up and I'd be awake for the rest of the night till morning. It has a compounding effect whereby every day gets harder and harder to get through. You still do the things you have to get up like eat, go out, shop, walk... but really, you are running on empty and it becomes near impossible to function. Yet at the same time if you close your eyes you don't just magically fall asleep. On the contrary. Your mind still keeps you awake. And it's something that noone can possibly understand unless they have been there. Comments like "Just stop thinking so much", "take a warm bath before bed," "have a glass of milk," "do more exercise" (I like to see how much exercise you can do when walking just 100m feels like pain)... I got so damn sick of the 'helpful' advice which wasn't helpful at all.

Anyway, I came across someone who had some spare prescription sleeping tablets (Stilnox) and he offered them to me. Desperate, I took them home but then never ended up taking them. I did a little bit of reading online (as I am very very cautious about any kind of prescription drug) and asked my GP friend about them too. Apparently some of the side effects (if you get any) can be pretty horrific.. So I ended up putting up with the torture that is insomnia hell.

I'm so glad I didn't take them though, and I really hope that Heath's apparent overdose was accidental. But it doesn't matter if it was or not, the point is he is gone. Now I wasn't a huge fan of his or anything but 28 is just way too young to die. So sad... :( As for me - I hate to admit this, but I actually had to kick my husband out of our bed and it was only then that I gradually got more and more sleep and 2 hours to fall asleep became 1 and then became 1/2 hour... etc... Sleeping problems suck big time. I've had them ever since I was a kid. Although I don't claim to know anything about Heath's circumstances I can really understand his thinking if he is in that frame of mind where he is thinking too much, has too much anxiety (anxiety drugs were also found in his apartment) and getting only 2 hours sleep a night how he could have easily taken way too many sleeping pills to take the pain of insomnia (and other things) away...

RIP Heath Ledger. :( April 4, 1979 - January 23, 2008

PS I am now going to make sure I watch "Brokeback Mountain" as soon as I get back home. I am a bit disappointed with myself now that we've had the DVD for ages and never watched it! Given that Ang Lee is one of my favourite directors, and now with the unfortunate passing of Heath I'm definitely gonna have to watch it now.

Taiwan

13th

What should I write about?

Should I write about how HOT it is here? (low 20s in Taipei and 30 in Kaohsiung) not to mention the high humidity.. or...

Should I mention that this trip has been a nightmare for me starting from when I missed my connecting flight in Hong Kong but didn't really (the flight from Shanghai was delayed, I ran like a crazy woman and actually just made the flight but they wouldn't let me on cos my baggage was not on that plane yet)

to

it taken 12 hours to get there.. left house at 8am, arrived airport 9pm, got to taipei airport around 7:30pm, got to my cousin's house (where i was staying) at 9pm,

to

having chronic insomnia every day of this trip I can barely function anymore

to

the best bit - having a good sleep last night (finally) but this morning coughing up thick mucousy yellow phlegm with blood throughout it?!!!

My sister and her bf are in Kaohsiung with me now and I am not spending the day with them cos I can barely walk I'm so tired. It fucken sux. Why am I always sick???!!!

Oh I am having a freakin' wonderful time...

---
16th

Now, the weather has gone cold and I didn't even bring enough warm clothes with me and left my jacket in Taipei. Went to the doctor twice, second time yesterday who told me I now have bronchitis. Fan-bloody-tastic. My sister and her bf left yesterday and I have absolutely no energy to go out and do anything.

The good thing is I have a clean, queen size bed all to myself in a huge, clean room, this computer with 19" monitor and internet, own bathroom, and a lovely grandmother who provides three meals a day for me. I am not looking forward to going back to Taipei at all where I'll have a tiny crappy mouldy musty room, makeshift what-the-heck-is-this?-bed with gross sheets and blankets, thousands of screaming kids at the school next door (so zero chance of a sleep in), no internet, colder horribler weather, eesh.

Oh and then I get to go back to freezing cold, driest-of-dry-air Shanghai which will do wonders for my bronchitis?!! Isn't life great?!! I'm having a brilliant time... ARGH!

PS when I get back to Shanghai and feel half normal again I will write about the fun and positive aspects of my trip (and put up some photos). I just don't feel like it right now while I'm coughing up a lung and a half!

Asthma and eczema and winter

Sorry to scare you with that hideous image of my eye but I took that photo yesterday after I looked in the mirror and a lump appeared.

Eczema

About 18 months ago I noticed I started getting these small raised itchy red lumps and automatically assumed they were insect bites. I just scratched them and hoped they would go away. However, I wondered how did so many insects manage to bite me without me knowing?? I left it for a few weeks (or was it months?) and finally went to the G.P. To my shock and amazement he told me they were not insect bites at all but dermatitis/eczema. I remembered it was around April-May which is autumn in Australia and now it is also autumn here and those hideous lumps have returned.

The doctor said the cause was the dryness of the air. Great. When the air is too humid I break out in thousands of little lumps all over the backs of my hands. When it is too dry I break out in lumps across my face.

Since eczema is incurable (and btw it's not contagious!) and steroid creams are not intended for long term use my personal tips are as follows. I hope someone finds this useful because I am finding that more and more kids and babies these days have eczema whereas their parents don't and they don't know how to deal with it.

* Keep hydrated - drink lots of water, use a humidifier in the room if possible. Make sure the humidifier is cleaned regularly so it does not breed bacteria.
* Keep the skin moisturized. Find a good, non-perfumed, non-coloured moisturizer and use it anywhere you have eczema. I like to use a simple face cream for my face, and a thick moisturizer for my body (straight after having a shower and/or before bed).
* Don't scratch (hahaha I don't even listen to my own advice!) if possible.
* Eat nourishing, hydrating foods.

Asthma

Asthma is a real bitch, I have to say. Those that have it will usually have it for life and it is a highly life-threatening disease. Btw it is also not contagious (not that anyone would know the difference between an asthma-related cough and a cold/flu related cough!)

I find that with the cold weather and cold air now I am coughing every now and then as my lungs are unable to handle it. For most people 15 degrees is not cold but for me it is freezing and my lungs don't like cold, dry air.

This morning my ayi used some kind of cleaning spray in the kitchen. I was still kinda half asleep in the bedroom. Yes, all the way in the bedroom, and began coughing. I assumed it was the cold air but at the same time wondered why I was fine before that (I had been awake for a awhile but didn't want to get up yet). Turns out she had used the spray and I ended up coughing and feeling breathless for about 4 hours afterwards (even after I left the house). It was just horrible but thank God it's over now.

My tips for asthma

* See a good doctor and make sure you have all the drugs you need stocked at home, well before you need it
* Consider seeing a Chinese herbalist (TCM) doctor. I have found that over a long period of time the results I get from taking Chinese herbs are far better than using things like Ventolin and other 'puffer' sprays. (I have a good rec for one in Shanghai but you need to be able to speak Mandarin. She treats other ailments too, and I go to her once a week or fortnight).
* Keep warm at all costs. Asthmatic lungs don't like the cold.
* By the same token, do not eat cold foods nor drink cold beverages. Iced drinks are definitely out and refrigerated drinks too. I have for as long as I can remember drank warm milk, warm juice, warm water, hot tea... Most people would baulk at the idea but I would rather do that than be sick. It is so soothing for the lungs (and body overall) to drink and eat warm things. Even in summer I do not drink/eat cold things and now never eat ice cream. Even those few times I caved in to ice cream cravings I have felt very sick and coughy afterwards and hated that feeling so never again. I never eat ice cream.
* Wear a scarf. The neck/throat area should also be kept as warm as possible, esp. during nighttime and outdoors.
* Reduce stress and tiredness. Asthma can be brought on by these things too.
* Try to avoid areas with lots of smokers.
* Try to avoid areas with lots of crowds (hard in Shanghai!), wash hands often and try not to touch public things (door handles, poles, lift buttons, etc) too much. The reason is asthma can also be brought on by colds/flus which are easily catchable around this time of year.
* Never ever touch your face unless you have just washed them. Touching your eyes, nose, mouth is a good way to introduce germs into the body and possibly catch nasties from other people.

Both Eczema and Asthma

* Keep away from chemicals, scented/perfumed products, people, places.
* Try to wear natural fabrics, not synthetics. However if you are allergic to wool, wear cotton, cashmere or another alternative that doesn't itch you.
* Fish oil (omega 3) tablets are supposed to be beneficial for both

I asked my TCM doctor whether allergies were common in Shanghai and she said that they were, but on the other hand it seems that not many Chinese people have allergies and/or asthma. Even my friends from Sydney who were born in Taiwan don't suffer from these things. I wonder if it is largely a "Western" problem? My relatives here (from Taiwan) don't understand it and they all chain smoke. I must admit I get a bit sick of explaining to people (even back at home) why I can't be in a room full of smokers (not just cos I don't like it) for more than a few minutes, why I can't wear this, eat this, breathe this, etc. It just sux.

Well I should end this post on a happy note. Despite seeing all those red blood vessels in my eye (from allergic conjunctivitis) and hideous freckles (in the pic above), I still like my eyes. And I have better than 20-20 vision which not many people do, especially a person my age, or an Asian person. So although I hate the fact that I have all these stupid allergy related problems I am highly grateful that I have such good vision when the majority of people don't!

Hayfever and Pomelos

There are so many things I could write about now, all overdue of course, but I'll just write about today for now. Over the last two weeks or so the weather has changed dramatically. Gone are the blissfully warm yet comfortable temps that were to be had in late September and the first week of October (the week long public holiday). Although it is still sunny during the day the air is now cool and dry. Very dry.

My and my husband's hayfever have come back with a vengeance! In Australia many many people suffer from hayfever and I suffered from it quite badly, having it year round, some days worst than others. Whilst I was in China (and heck I noticed this whenever I was in ANY other country apart from Australia) my hayfever did not exist. At all. I put this down to the extremely dry climate in Australia coupled with too many allergenic plants, grasses, flowers, etc.

So, it is quite a rude and unfortunate shock that I find myself suffering from this horrible thing once again - red, itchy eyes, itchy palate (roof of inside of mouth), watery runny nose, sneezing, even headaches. It's just yuck and makes me feel like I have a cold, which of course I don't. It's not so bad inside our house where I haven't used the air-con but with indoor heating it seems to be particularly bad as it's so dry inside.

Anyway, this morning I was talking to my ayi and she said she had itchy eyes and a friend of my great aunt (who she also works for) had similar symptoms and to relieve them, I was supposed to get some kind of special fruit and rub it all over my face, particularly my nose. So away she went to the market across the road, and came back with a fruit I had never seen before. It was green and had the smell of a lemon. The skin was extremely thick, soft and spongy and bright white, while the flesh looked like grapefruit, heck it even tasted like grapefruit except much blander, and sweeter and not at all bitter. (the pic above does not give you an idea of how big it is though - it is roughly the size of a small coconut). In Chinese it is called yòuzi (柚子).

I laughed and dismissed this crazy Chinese idea but she kept forcing me to do it. She ripped apart the skin of this (what I later found out was a) pomelo and gave me a piece the size of a business card and forced me to rub it all over my face. Actually, after a while it did feel quite soothing and the smell was really nice and not at all overpowering. It was probably a good exfoliant for my face too! (haha).

I am used to weird Chinese medicial and health related 'ideas' so I was not shocked by this but I found the whole idea rather amusing!

Eating habits, food, swimsuits, and underpants!

I think too much. I spend all day and all my life constantly thinking. I read too much which leads to more thinking. I'm fascinated by psychology and have read quite a few psychology related books. I am interested in the correlation between eating habits, health and body weight/size, and the mind.

One of the topics that is constantly on my mind is food, and eating habits. Like all women, I have a strange relationship with food. I have a very strange one, in that I've never met anyone with the same characteristics!

I've never had a problem with weight. I can eat what I want and never gain weight (bet you all hate me now). That being said though, I have a small appetite. I get full quickly and hungry quickly. I am a fussy eater. I will only eat something if I like it or want it. Otherwise I just won't touch it (even if I am starving). No, I don't have an eating disorder.

Growing up as kids, we could have whatever food we wanted. We could have McDonalds, oven fried items, snacks like potato chips, soft drinks, the works. Couple this with the fact that I was always a quiet indoors sedentary sort of kid I am still amazed I was lighter and thinner than the average kid. Maybe I just got 'good' genetics, who knows? Friends would always come to our house and be amazed at how much stuff we had in our kitchen. I have to admit I think my mother liked to hoard food. However, my sister and I both have small appetites and not much interest in food so a lot of went to waste, unfortunately. We barely even touched anything. I mean we ate it, we just didn't wolf it down like most kids would after school.

Now, I am a fairly healthy eater but I quite often indulge in chocolate, potato chips and other common snack items. I hate soft drink. I hate the bubbles, I hate the fizz, I hate the sweetness and artificialness. I never touch the stuff. I think my brain was already wired from a young age not to like unhealthy stuff. Even as a child I would pick the fat off meat and not eat chicken skin. I hated anything oily and didn't eat fried stuff often.

I love to eat out and when I do I tend to pig out as I hate wasting food that we've paid good money for. But when we eat at home I don't enjoy the aspect of eating so much and my family and husband roll their eyes at me when I take 3 hours to eat my dinner.

So, as you can see I am pretty screwed up food wise! Haha

I found this article which was interesting.

"In less developed countries in Asia, people are primarily intuitive eaters," said Hawks. "They haven't been conditioned to artificially structure their relationship with food like we have in the United States. They've been conditioned to believe that the purpose of food is to enjoy, to nurture. You eat when you're hungry, you stop when you're not hungry any more. They have a much healthier relationship with food, far fewer eating disorders, and interestingly, far less obesity."

Hawks says that "normal" dieting in the United States doesn't result in long-term weight loss and contributes to food anxiety and unhealthy eating practices, and can even lead to eating disorders.

"What makes intuitive eating different from a diet is that all diets work against human biology, whereas intuitive eating teaches people to work with their own biology, to work with their bodies, to understand their bodies." said Hawks. "Rather than a prescriptive diet, it's really about increasing awareness and understanding of your body. It's a nurturing approach to nutrition, health and fitness as opposed to a regulated, coercive, restrictive approach. That's why diets fail, and that's why intuitive eating has a better chance of being successful in the long term."

I have noticed this since coming here that people are snacking all the time. And not always on healthy stuff either! I guess for most Asians eating is a pleasurable activity to be enjoyed whereas in the West it's looked down upon. Getting back to the psychology thing I think that's why people binge eat or starve themselves or end up with eating disorders. Their mind is all screwed up because they have been told that such and such is 'bad' but then they crave it so they buy it and eat it, feel enormous guilt, etc etc. Then there are the people who 'comfort eat' who use eating and food as some sort of morale booster (definitely not me!) Also stress... what I tend to find is that those who are overweight will put on weight when stressed, and those who are underweight will lose weight when they are stressed. It's as if the body is going into "stop, you are being stupid!" mode, "stop stressing! see what you are doing to yourself?"

Anyway that's my little essay for the day!

Zzz...

---

In other news - Despite being fairly thin (I think?) I have a fat bottom!!

I decided I needed a new swimsuit and went shopping for it on Sunday night with the hubby. Boy oh boy was it hard work. It took me about an hour to get one. First of all, I am totally pear shaped and noone believes me when I tell them I need a bigger size. The salesladies in the fashion department frustrate me to no end. I say I want to try on "this" and hold up the item and they go, "Let me take a look... nah, this is too big for you. Here is an M." and I'm smiling and trying to be polite but deep down (after it has happened a billion times) I want to strangle her, "No, you don't understand, I have really big hips. I know it doesn't look like it..." and well, basically they don't believe me until I step out of the change room and the size LARGE pair of pants fit me perfectly. I have one in a size M and one in a size XL but most of my pants are size L.

So anyway, I wanted to buy a two-piece tankini (because I don't like one pieces and am too chicken to wear a skimpy bikini) but it appears you have to buy it as a set. In Australia (and US and most Western countries I'm sure) they sell them as 'separates' so you can not only mix and match colours and patterns you can mix and match sizes (great for us pear people). Hmm..

Anyway, this lady was trying to get me to squeeze into a pair of size M pants. Umm.. I literally could only get them on over my knees. I couldn't even fit into the L. There goes my morale!! In Australia I have to buy the smallest size possible and here I have to buy the largest size possible!!

So after an hour of exhaustion and almost pulling my waist-length hair out and getting myself, my hair and the swimsuit all knotted up whilst in the change room - I finally made my choice. Let's not forget the salesladies yelling "Xian sheng" 先生 rather comically, and other staff and customers looking at me when I stepped out of the change room (ugh). Luckily they let me get two different sizes though. So I got a top in size L and bottoms in size XL.

Hubby also got some men's swim trunks.

So it was exhausting but worth it. I can't believe I got the little overskirt, the cap, and a beachbag for free too. You never get any freebies in Australia. Last night we took our new gear out for a 'spin' in our gym's pool. :) Whilst I was in the change room and pool I noticed some very familiar patterns - of swimsuits I had considered.

Another thing is underwear. I have had to buy size L underpants and hubby who usually takes a L in Australia has to buy XXL ones. One time he bought some XL ones and they were too small for him. I put them on for a laugh and amazingly they fit me like a glove. I can't believe I am admitting to wearing men's underpants! hahah.. I've gone from wearing size S undies in Australia to size XL men's ones in China - C..r...a...z...y !!! :D