To pantang or not to pantang

Was reading this interesting account in the Sunday Star about post-natal confinement practices and found it a real opener. While I am aware some of the practices I did not realise that some of them were so extreme. Let me list them here for you and you can judge for yourself:

Chinese Taboos: # Cannot wash hair for 21 days or bathe for 12 days. # Cannot be directly exposed to wind (hot, for example, hairdryer; or cold, for example, air-conditioning). # Can only watch TV or read for 15 minutes at a time, so that the eyes are well-rested. # Cannot cry. # Cannot carry heavy objects (including the baby), over-exert self or walk up and down the stairs. # Cannot drink water for the first 20 days, only rice wine (with the alcohol "steamed" away). Malay Taboos # Avoid knocking your toe, because it will affect your uterus (said to be connected to the feet). # Avoid squatting, because your uterus will descend. # Cannot eat anything "cold", like melon, eggplant, spinach. # Cannot eat anything "windy", like jack¬fruit. # Cannot drink cold water or eat oily foods, as they are bad for blood circulation and cause muscle aches and pains. # Cannot leave the bed, move about or leave the house. # Cannot read or watch TV as it strains the eyes. Indian Taboos # Cannot eat seafood if the mother is breastfeeding, as it will cause vomiting and rashes in the baby. # Cannot eat "windy" vegetables and fruits, like cabbage, eggplant or grapes. # Cannot drink water.

I'm not too sure why the Indian Taboos list is shorter - either the reporter is not so well-versed in them or they may have a more reasonable list of dos and don'ts. And this is not including all the necessary "heaty" foods you are forced to consume post-partum. Chinese confinement dietary recommendations are mostly aimed at warming the body, improving blood circulation, "expelling" toxins from the blood and promoting contraction of the uterus. Women are encouraged to eat liver and kidney cooked in old ginger, sesame oil or rice wine. Herbal soups and tonics are also a main part of the diet, as they rejuvenate the body. I used to be able to tell when my neighbour at the back had delivered (all her 3 kids) from the smell of sesame oil wafting into my kitchen day after day..... more so than the sound of a crying newborn baby! So I guess if you follow the Chinese confinement properly you will end up rather smelly, hot, bored out of your skull, even more fat and rather dehydrated! Sounds like real torture to me rather than confinement - oh yes you are definitely "confined" as well.

So did I follow any of all that when I had my son? Definitely not! My pregnancy was fraught with so many problems already, I certainly did not want to go through any of that torture. So no confinement lady, just hubby at home for a few days. My son was born premature and came back home only after 2 weeks so I had a chance to recover before I had to actually get down to looking after him by myself. So let's see what I did or rather didn't do.....

# Took a bath everyday (cold showers) sometimes twice a day. I went to cut my hair after a week - the first day I could sit for an hour without much pain - and quite horrified the hairdresser when she found out that I was meant to be in my confinement period. I didn't dare tell her the baby was only a week old!
# No aircon back then but I'm sure the fan must have been on the whole day
# Don't remember watching too much TV or reading - was too busy looking after the baby
# Don't think I had time to cry either!
# Definitely had to carry the baby and our house was double-storeyed so must have gone up and down stairs too.
# Definitely drunk tons of water and didn't have any confinement food at all - no wine, sesame oil or herbal tonics.

I even remembered going shopping for baby stuff (wasn't fully prepared as my son came early) and attending a friend's wedding about 10 days after delivery! And despite all the old wives tales, 16 years down the road, I don't get too many aches and pains, am in fairly good health and can still lift my son. (who is 3/4 my weight and as tall as I am) Not too bad if I may say so. To pantang or not to pantang.... that is the question! :)

Pantang = a Malay word meaning taboo or superstition.

Mother of all Headaches

Today I had what must be the worst headache of my life - seriously! I do get tension headaches on and off, worse during certain times of the month but I have never had it that bad. It forced me to lie down the whole day and was accompanied by bad nausea which actually caused me to throw up. Thankfully am feeling much better after numerous doses of analgesics and am well enough to blog about it. This is one experience I definitely would not care to repeat. :(

Don't assume someone will call

Woke up yesterday to the unwelcome news of yet another water cut. :( (although our water supply has been better of late) When hubby came back lunchtime he mentioned seeing a burst water pipe at the end of the road so I thought it would be fixed pretty soon. Came back from Giant in the evening.... still no water..... and when hubby went out to buy dinner lo and behold there was another burst pipe at the other end of the road!! Finally he called the Syabas hotline and apparently they were aware of the first burst pipe but not of the second one. So I guess it's better not to assume that other people will call but to call yourself to report the problem. Thankfully the water supply was back today - started off with lots of trapped air and looking like Ovaltine - but it cleared enough for me to do my laundry this morning. What a relief!

Country singer named new US Idol

Country singer Carrie Underwood has been voted the latest American Idol beating rocker Bo Bice on the two-hour finale shown on 8TV last night. The final-performance show the previous night was surprisingly lackluster but that could have been because of the less than stellar choice of songs. In fact I enjoyed the finale show much more especially the part when the top 12 got a chance to sing with their Idols, established music stars. Loved the part when Anwar and Anthony Federov say "I Believe I Can Fly" accompanied by Kenny G no less. Wow! Overall I must say I enjoyed the whole season of American Idol 4. Now it's on to Malaysian Idol 2 which begins tonight with the Auditions. I expect a lot of laughs if it anyway like last seasons Auditions! :P

UK company launches in-car toilet

A portable, in-car lavatory has been launched by a British firm for use by people with medical conditions, as well as families with small children. The Indipod, made by Daycar, is aimed at people with bowel and bladder problems. The chemical toilet is housed in an inflatable "bubble" which is powered from the car's cigarette lighter. It is designed to be used in multi-purpose vehicles, four-wheel drives and estate cars. The Indipod is on display at Naidex 2005, an exhibition of products for disabled people at the NEC in Birmingham. When not is use, the Indipod folds away into a bag the size of a suitcase and weighs 8kg.

What a cool idea! And they actually field tested it by having some people take it on a seven-day roadtrip without getting out of the car. Then again there is a much cheaper portable toilet that I have been using all these years for my son while on the road......a large enough plastic cup! ;)

Disappointed I am

Yes we finally got round to seeing Episode III. I went in with not too many expectations but still was pretty disappointed with the film. True it had all the lavish sets, special effects, plenty of action and light-sabre duels but despite all that it felt very flat and had no heart. (somehow I didn't feel kan cheong when I saw the movie)

Part of the problem I think is we know how it's going to end.....Padme dies, she has twins and when the final 2 battle scenes take place you know all 4 characters ie Yoda, Palatine, Obiwan and Anakin survive to fight another day. And don't get me started on Mr Wooden Face aka Hayden Christensen, whose acting skills have not improved much since Ep 2. I read a very balanced review by Jami Bernard on the NY Daily News and I absolutely agree with what she has to say. Christensen conveys Anakin's fall from Jedi goodliness mostly by slitting his eyes and may I add tries to look evil but somehow comes off as looking pretty constipated throughout most of the movie. This thoughtful FilmForce review by Glen Oliver looks at the movie more closely and points out certain inconsistencies and shortcomings in the plotline.

Best performances in my book - the evil Palatine (boy did he look bad) and of course Master Yoda who really kicked some butt in the movie even if he failed in the end. Doesn't say much about the acting skills of the rest when you consider that Yoda is just a puppet! (way to go Frank Oz) :P

The irony of it all was that while Anakin sought the Dark Side supposedly to save his wife, in the end it was his turning to the Dark Side that caused her death. Of course the end parts were great - Padme's funeral, Leia with the Organas, Luke taken to Tatooine and the black Darth Vader mask descending on the face of Anakin. Whatever its flaws, I think it was the best out of the prequel trilogy but falls way short of the original trilogy.

Star Wars craze

So have you seen Episode 3 yet? Sad to say we haven't managed to do so yet as the kid-sitter is busy with end of posting tests but hope to make it soon. Hubby says not to worry, it will be in cinemas for quite some time to come. Speaking of the Star Wars craze this has got to be the absolutely worst thing you can do.....dress up your dog in Star Wars costumes. They can be found over at the StarWarsShop where they sell all manner of Star Wars products.


All I can say is: May the Bark be with you!

Better at last!

After feeling groggy and itchy the last 3 days, I am glad to say that the rash has improved and I am feeling much better. Have managed to cut down on the antihistamines today (an amount that hubby thinks would have made him comatose!) The hardest part is to resist scratching the itch as you know it will cause more histamines to be released and thus aggravate the problem. The last time I had such a bad itch was when I got scabies. (but that's another story) Good thing the rash was mainly on the back which made it much more inaccessible to scratching. I sure learned a lesson the hard or should I say itchy way....

Was Darth Vader born bad?

The father turned evil. The son didn't. Was Anakin Skywalker the proverbial bad seed, or did he just have a tougher upbringing than his boy Luke? George Lucas' chronicle of the Skywalker family, which concludes with "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," makes a nice cinematic case study of the old nature vs. nurture debate. Are good and evil bred in the bone, or cultivated through life experience? "Revenge of the Sith" completes Lucas' prequel series about the roots of Anakin, a dashing pilot and Jedi knight who turns to the dark side and is transformed into Darth Vader. How about it, George? Was Anakin born bad?

Read this new take on the old nature vs. nurture debate on CNN News. For all the nature-vs.-nurture theorizing, Lucas has the easiest answer on why Luke doesn't follow dad down the path of evil. "It makes a good story," Lucas said, laughing.

All my own fault

Yup this is another of things you wished you did/did not do until it was too late kind of post. Only this time it led to very itchy consequences! :(

Let me start off by saying that I rarely drink any alcohol simply because I do not like the taste of most alcoholic drinks eg. brandy, whisky or beer. I didn't use to like the taste of wine either and all this while have had only 2-3 sips at the most at any one time. Several years back I took more than my usual amount of red wine (maybe 1/3 glassful) and broke out with a mild rash which subsided pretty quickly - so I was pretty careful after that.

2 nights ago, thanks to a great dinner of Hungarian goulash which my brother made (he's a great cook btw) I overindulged in say 1/2 a glass of red wine. Boy was that a fatal mistake. I was alright for a day but yesterday evening broke out in a rash that initially was not too bad. I quickly took an antihistamine tablet and thought that would be the end of it. Needless to say I was sadly mistaken. Woke up at 3 am. today itching like mad! Now I'm pumped full of antihistamine, slathered with calamine lotion and I still itch! (not to mention am feeling half-asleep) Only good thing that came out of it was that I justified indulging in a cup of coffee this morning to help me wake up and make it through the morning. Boy did it taste good!

Moral of the story: No more red wine for me. No great loss for me - I miss coffee more!

Mars, Venus and Movies

I was having an interesting chat with my nephew ST today about how men and women tend to differ widely in movie choices. Let's face it: men on the whole go for war movies, action flicks, sci-fi movies while women tend to prefer romantic comedies, family dramas and the like (generally known as chick flicks). As a good example we borrowed 2 DVDs from my brother last night - I picked The Chorus (a French movie) while he picked Hellboy! *LOL*

I did point out that once you start dating you tend to "broaden your horizons" as it were or as my nephew put it.....compromise on the movies you watch together. (Looks like he's learning fast!) However I reassured him that once you get married it's okay to watch whatever you like! ;) Over the years there have been a few movies that both of us really enjoyed watching - the recent ones being LOTR and In America. Palmdoc even blogged about this movie in his old Blurty journal last year. Nevertheless I don't think hubby will be watching Pride and Prejudice with me anytime soon!!

Bo Vs. Carrie

Well it's official. Vonzell got voted off this week's American Idol. Her exit paved the way for a showdown between the two contestants many have long expected to be in the finals: Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. Yup it's the Rock Vs. Country for next week's finals - it's gonna be great! :)

Edit 20th May: Just saw this week's show on 8TV - if Bo performs like this next week, I predict he will be the next American Idol.

Kylie Minogue diagnosed with breast cancer

I am sure most of you have heard the news that singer Kylie Minogue, aged 36 years has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is due to start treatment. According to BBC News she has had support from fellow Australian star Olivia Newton-John who is a breast cancer survivor herself. While it is stunning news, one must remember that Breast Cancer can strike at any age. It is very important that an early diagnosis is made as this increases the chances of survival and cure. Hence the importance of regular Breast Self Examination for women. So when was the last time you had a BSE?

Edit 21st May: Good to know that Kylie 'fine' after cancer surgery. The surgeon who operated on her said that they caught the cancer in time and that she is now on the road to complete recovery.

Woman nabs snatch thief

The Star Online reported today that a 48-year-old woman overpowered a snatch thief who tried to grab her purse and held him with the help of passers-by. The woman was making a call at a public phone in Taman Sepakat, Kuantan at about 5.30pm on Monday when a man sneaked up from behind and grabbed her purse which she had left on a ledge in the phone booth. The man then got onto his motorcycle, on which a pillion rider was waiting. As he tried to start the motorcycle, the woman pulled him by the shirt to the ground and repeatedly whacked him. Passers-by came to her aid and caught the 35-year-old suspect, while his accomplice fled on the motorcycle.

One up for the victim! There have been too many instances of snatch thefts of late and worse still stories of victims who have been badly injured or even killed as a result of the crime. Although the woman was careless to have her purse snatched in the first place, it doesn't say too much for the thief to be overpowered and repeated whacked by a woman! It's good to know that passers-by came to her aid in apprehending the suspect.

What's up with Mariah Carey"s voice?

I caught Mariah Carey on the Jay Leno last Sunday and noticed a few things......she's put on weight (and I don't mean just the silicon she added), she cannot carry on a decent conversation and her voice has gone real bad. Jay was very kind to her actually - he mentioned earlier that he had to grovel to get her to do the interview (she did NOT appreciate all his jokes on "Glitter" several years back!). But the saddest part was when she sang a song from her latest album at the end of the show. I am not a big fan although I did like her earlier songs and have the CD of her Greatest Hits (more of that later). I have noticed a deterioration in her voice over the years, especially when she started her "whispery" style but I never realised how bad it's become. I felt like she could hardly sing and only wonder how much of her latest CD is really due to her or good sound editing!


As to how I got her Greatest Hits CD it was due to a triple gift exchange several Christmases ago. My brother had got gifts for the three of us - my sis, Jel and myself - and we decided to exchange them among ourselves. So I passed on my gift to my sis, her gift went to Jel and Jel's gift (the Mariah Carey CD) came to me! Hope my brother wasn't too offended. Forgiving brother/uncle that he is, he has continued to give us gifts during Christmas!

Of caffeine and mosquitoes...

Well I got through a caffeine-deprived week and I think it has helped although I tend to go through the morning in a haze. Good thing I wasn't that addicted to coffee in the first place. I did cheat though and celebrated my birthday with a morning cup of java and boy did it taste good! ;)

Thankfully there are hardly any mosquitoes around after the 2 days of fogging. Hubby says there have been several cases of dengue recently (residents of Subang Jaya) so we still have to be vigilant. One of my major fears all these years is that my son will come down with a serious illness that he cannot complain to us about, hence delaying the diagnosis. Good thing one of the main presenting symptoms of dengue fever is fever so at least we can keep that at the back of our minds if he comes down with fever!

It's great to be forty something.....

Well another year has rolled round for me and I want to share with you why I think it's great to be forty something - at this age you don't give a rat's ass about what other people think of you! Yup gone are the days when you feel offended/upset/hurt/insecure about what others may think of your actions or life choices.

Over the years I've had my share of those type of comments especially on 2 fronts - When are you going back to work? Why don't you have more kids? I use to feel bad when asked this question and tried to explain my stand as best I could but always used to feel somehow wrong or guilty about it. But then it slowly began to dawn on me......It's none of your bloody business! Afterall I am the one who chose to stay at home and look after our son and I assure you it's been tough going these 16 years. I sure don't have the energy or inclination to have other kids. Of course I should add that my son has been fairly easy to manage although he may drive me up the wall sometimes and I couldn't have done it without the support and encouragement of hubby.

The other good thing about being forty something is that menopause is round the corner - am looking forward to the time when I can kiss dysmenorrhoea goodbye (although I might change my mind if I start getting hot flushes!) So bring on middle age......I am more than happy to face it although I would take offence if you call me old! Old at my age means 70 years and above. ;)

The last voyage of the 'Enterprise'

"Star Trek: Enterprise" is about to go where it has never gone before: off the air, taking the "Star Trek" franchise with it. After the two-hour finale airs this will be the first time in 18 years that no first-run "Trek" series is on TV. "Enterprise" lasted four seasons. It was the first "Trek" spinoff to last fewer than seven seasons. Plummeting ratings did what no Klingon battlecruiser or Borg collective could accomplish. And this time, network honchos didn't bow to Trekker pressure to renew the series, as they did in the face of a write-in campaign that gave the original "Star Trek" a third year on the tube (1966-69). In fact, many longtime Trekkers stopped watching long ago. There were gripes going back at least as far as the fourth incarnation, "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995-2001), about lame or retreaded plots, goofy aliens and the weak leadership of "Voyager's" Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and "Enterprise's" Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). Sadly lacking were the rules-be-damned machismo of James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner) or the class and thoughtful maturity of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

Well all good things come to an end and so we bid farewell to Star Trek Enterprise after 4 Seasons. I guess fans should be thankful that there was a Season 4 as it was in danger of being cancelled at the end of last season. The first half of the season was very good - we really enjoyed the 3-episode arcs but somehow the last few episodes have been rather disappointing, as if the writers lost heart after being cancelled. Still it has been a good run and hopefully we will have a Star Trek Enterprise movie to look forward to in the future. The CNN article ended by saying perhaps, someday in the distant future, "Star Trek" will rise again. Fans can have only one response to that hope: Make it so.

And then there were three....

Am watching American Idol in the background while blogging this. Yes I already peeked at the results and know that Anthony Federov was voted off this week. It was pretty ironic really as I thought he sang pretty good this week compared with previous weeks. His version of "If you don't know me by now" was way better than Carrie Underwood's. Still the top 3 contestants are fully deserving of their success. It's anybody's guess whether Bo, Carrie or Vonzell will be the next American Idol. Really looking forward to the final 2 weeks.

The dog, truly a man's best friend

I wonder if you are aware that the Shah Alam City Council (MPSA) are imposing tighter rules for dogs in Shah Alam. The owners will have to submit the photos of their dog, their house and the dog's kennel as well as a health certificate issued by a veterinarian. Written consent from neighbours will also be needed when applying for the licence. Apart from that licenses would not be issued to certain breeds of dog, including American Bulldogs, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Rottweilers.

In response to that blanket ruling, Anthony Thanasayan has written an interesting Wheel Power account of how his Service Dog (which is a Rottweiler) has enriched his life. And it ends it by saying "I simply can’t for the life of me imagine a world without Rottweilers."

This blanket ruling came about because of an incident where a boy was badly bitten by a Rottweiler recently. But as someone put it - there are no bad dogs simply bad dog owners. And it is unfair to totally ban some breeds just because the owners are irresponsible. As one Clear Thinker writes in the Star the most practical solution would be to emulate the Subang Jaya Municipal Council where prospective owners have to undergo training on dog management and sit for the necessary tests to ensure they understand fully their responsibilities to their neighbours and the general public.

Learning from Noah's Ark

Was forwarded this email on Life's Lessons from Noah's Ark - they are pretty amusing but make a lot of sense as well. :)

One: Don't miss the boat.
Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
Four: Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six: Build your future on high ground.
Seven: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
Eight: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine: When you're stressed, float a while.
Ten: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Eleven : No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.


The woodpecker might have to go!

More fogging

Well they did more fogging yesterday evening but not so intensively and I rushed to close the windows in time. Had another visit today, this time from the MPSJ (local council) And some workers cleaned up the drains at the back today as well so it looks like they are doing a thorough job. However I did remark that there were still mosquitoes despite the 2 days of fogging (and despite the fact that the interior of our house was fogged as it was supposed to be) Looks like they chased the mosquitoes from the drains into our house!! :P

Hindsight

Ever had one of those moments of hindsight?......something that you wished you had done before it was too late? If so, read on......

It started this morning with a visit from the local Health Dept with some not-so-good news. It seemed that there was a dengue-related death along our road recently and they were checking for Aedes breeding grounds. (Good to see them taking their job very seriously btw) They ended the visit by saying that they would be fogging our area this evening.

As expected the fogging team came by this evening. What I did not expect was that they actually came into the compound (the gate was unlocked) and sprayed directly into the house. My goodness - you should have seen the amount of fog that came into the house before I quickly closed the windows. Even so it took a good hour to settle despite the fact that I re-opened the windows and front door after it had settled outside. And you should have seen our garden covered with thick fog - good thing hubby did not come back till later as he definitely could not have driven into our road. To add insult to injury there was still one mosquito buzzing around just now! Makes you wonder how effective all this fogging really is sometimes......

Cutting down on caffeine

Made a decision today to cut down on my caffeine intake for health reasons. I did some research on the caffeine content in beverages and found this useful info:

Caffeine content per serving (milligrams) Coffee Brewed (8 ounces) 85 Instant (1 rounded teaspoon, dry) 75 Espresso (1 fluid ounce) 40 Flavored (8 ounces) 25 to 75 Decaffeinated, brewed (8 ounces) 3 Decaffeinated, instant (8 ounces) 3 Tea (8 ounces) Black tea 40 Green tea 40 Decaffeinated black tea 4 Iced tea, ready to drink 30 Iced tea mix, unsweetened 13

I usually take only a cup of Instant coffee every morning but someone gave us a packet of really good local coffee recently so I've been having an extra cup in the afternoon as well. Looks like it might be better to stick to a cup of tea in the morning or better still Ovaltine. I foresee going about in a daze for half the morning in the week to come. (without my java kick-start to the day) I sure hope cutting down on the caffeine does me some good!

Happy Mother's Day

Heaven's Very Special Child

Today I am going to blog about an inspiring poem and an inspiring story that has touched my life in a personal way. I first came across the poem "Heaven's Very Special Child" quite a few years ago in the newspapers but lost the actual cutting. Thanks to Google I managed to find it and reproduce it here for you:

Heaven's Very Special Child A meeting was held quite far from Earth. "It's time for another birth." Said the Angels to the Lord above, "This special child will need much love." "Her progress may seem very slow, Accomplishments she may not show, And she'll require extra care From the folks she will meet down there. "She may not run, or laugh, or play. Her thoughts may seem quite far away. In many ways she won't adapt, And she'll be known as handicapped. "So let's be careful where she's sent, We want her life to be content. Please Lord, find parents who Will do a special job for you. "They will not realise straight away The leading role they're asked to play, But with this child sent from above Comes stronger faith and richer love. "And soon they'll know the privilege given, In caring for the gift from Heaven. Their precious charge, so meek and mild, Is Heaven's very special child." This poem was written by Edna Massimilla. It was first published in The Optimist - the newsletter for PROUD, Parents' Regional Outreach for Understanding Downs, Inc.

I came across this inspiring story by Emily Perl Kingsley in one of the Chicken Soup books and am glad I found it online as well. She is a mother of a child with Down Syndrome and a writer for Sesame Street.

Welcome To Holland I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

So this Mother's Day a very special wish goes out to all mothers with Special Children with the hope that these accounts will help inspire you whenever the going gets tough! :)

New Star Wars movie 'a bloodbath'

According to BBC News, The new Star Wars film is a "bloodbath" which deserves its parental guidance PG-13 rating, a critic has said after an early screening of the movie. Revenge of the Sith is the first Star Wars movie to receive a cautionary PG-13 rating in the US.

Associated Press writer David Germain described its action as "relentless". "It includes sequences more dark and disturbing than anything previously seen in the tragic Skywalker soap opera," he said. So parents think twice before you take your kids to watch the show....

Washing machine fingers lazy male

Read about another interesting innovation in BBC News. A Spanish designer has come up with what could be the perfect solution for the woman who feels frustrated that she has to do all the house chores. It is a washing machine called "Your Turn", which will not let the same person use it twice in a row. It uses fingerprint recognition technology to ensure the job of loading is not dumped on just one individual.

However I feel that if you have to wait for your Better Half to run the washing machine the laundry might just pile up and not get done! And there is one bone of contention.....the same person can still load the washing time after time. The finger print sensor only controls who starts the programme. :)

No training wheels needed

Came across this interesting bit of news on CNN News that brought back some fond and not-so-fond childhood memories - that of learning how to ride a bicycle. I don't quite recall how old it was when I first managed to ride a bicycle but I sure do remember all the falls I had!

Three Purdue University industrial designers who tapped into memories of their own childhood cycling misadventures have built a bike called SHIFT that ditches the training wheels but keeps rookies stable. The design features a single front wheel and two slim rear wheels that are initially splayed outward to stabilize and prevent the rider from toppling over. As the rider accelerates and leans forward, the rear wheels shift inward, narrowing into a single wheel surface that essentially makes it a two-wheel venture. As the bike slows, the rear wheels tilt back to the tricycle formation. What an awesome idea! No wonder they won the top prize in the 9th International Bicycle Design Competition in Taipei, Taiwan. Now to get it off the ground and into production. In the meantime here's a look at the prototype: