Off to college!

So, you’re out of school

…and off to college. Congratulations! Order a pizza! Treat yourself to a tub of Haagen Dazs.

But wait — isn’t college just a different type of school?

Well, yes and no. Yes, you’ve got loads to study, and it isn’t going to be easy, either. But hey! — you don’t need to wake up at six in the morning anymore, classes are thoughtfully interspersed with snack breaks and you get to meet a whole bunch of cool people.

Best of all, you’ve seen the last of that awful uniform!

Year One

Freedom:

Your newfound freedom is going to take some getting used to, but are we going to tell you to behave yourself? Nah! Have fun, by all means! Just remember what you’re in college for, and don’t miss too many classes ;).

Money

It’s easy to get caught up in the fashionista race in college, and you’ll want to be hip at all times. But whatever you do, don’t use the college fees your parents are slogging for. If you insist on only the best styles, get a part-time job.

Independence

You also have to start taking charge of your own life, now. No one is going to punish you for not finishing your homework, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do it. (Most of the time, anyway).

Year Two

Freedom:

If you partied all through Year One, now is when you should wizen up. No more late weeknights and missing class the next day.

Money

By now, you’ve probably realised that there is no such thing as easy cash — you’ve learned one of life’s bitterest lessons. Good for you! Now, why not start saving a little towards the semester hols?

Independence

Start asking yourself how far behind you are in your studies, and take measures to curb your lag. Get to know your library better. No more doodling whilst your lecturer explains the wonders of Keynesian economic theory. And absolutely no more SMSing at tutorials!

Year Three

Freedom:

Typically, this will be Exam Year. You shouldn’t be going out much at all — yes, that means no shopping and no clubbing. College is about studying, nor partying.

Money

Anxiety is murder on the pocket, as you start drowning your exam fear in Chachos and (admit it) chocolate. Then again, you should be saving on your shopping binges. Keep a loving eye on your savings, and add to it — it’s going to be your reward for getting through this tough period.

Independence

Remember how teachers used to give you reams of sample test papers in school when your exams were round the corner? They served a purpose, you know. This time around, though, you have to plan your own training schedule. Good luck!

In the College Life series:

• College life: new freedom, new independence
• College life: new friends, new rules
• College life: your body, your health
• College life: boys, boys, boys!
• College life: study hard, study smart
• College life: fun, fun, fun!

Got marriage?

When Clarice turned 30, she realised something that most of us would only laugh off: she still wasn’t married.

She’d lived as a party animal all her life with her girlfriends, a sisterhood formed when they were still in college. Late nights, shopping sprees and group holidays was how they used to spend their weekends together. But over the years, their girls’ nights out lost one member after another. First there were five, then there were four, then there were three… until Clarice found herself spending her thirtieth birthday with her boyfriend and his buddies instead of hers. All her friends had husbands, and some had toddlers on their laps. They all had other priorities.

“When I saw our table piled high with jugs of beer instead of frozen margaritas, I knew something was not quite right with the picture,” says Clarice, a marketing executive. “All my friends were married, and all to boyfriends whom they’d only known for two or three years. And here was Keith, my boyfriend of nearly ten years, who had never even proposed.”

While many women would have been content to wait a little longer for the Magic Moment, Clarice wasn’t. By her next birthday, she had married Keith, had moved in with him, and was signing the documents for their first house.

But how did she do it?

“Oh, I threatened him,” smiles Clarice. “I told him that he either loves me enough to commit, or he doesn’t — there were no two ways about it.”

Keith was a bit taken aback, of course. He still wasn’t a millionaire (he used to joke about getting rich before getting married), he couldn’t cook, and he was a sloth. Living with his parents, he hadn’t even learned to do his own laundry yet.

“But I loved her enough to want to change all that,” says 35-year-old Keith, a junior architect. “When I woke up the morning after Clarice’s birthday bash, I had a beautiful hangover. That was when she attacked,” he grins.

Clarice recalls that Keith was all stutter and groan that day, as she harangued him about settling down and put him on guilt trips that were amplified by his headache.

“I just felt that he needed a little nudge in the right direction, you know?” says Clarice. “I knew he loved me enough to marry me. He just hadn’t thought of asking.”

Digging for gold

The National Marriage Project, a research centre at Rutgers University in New Jersey, U.S., calls it the Readiness Gap: women and men may start out equally concerned about their careers and financial well-being, but women will shift their focus towards marriage and families sooner. That’s why men have traditionally been older than the women they date and marry. Also, the closer their age gap, the longer it takes for the man to commit.

But whereas Clarice was able to turn her boyfriend into her husband overnight, the going was much tougher for Ada. She tried the direct approach, too. But it backfired.

“He said he loved me so much that he would rather let me go than to marry a loser like him,” she says. “It was bullshit, of course — I knew he loved me. But what he said also told me that he wasn’t ready yet.

So Ada decided to warm him up to the idea. She dropped hints at every opportunity. When people asked them when they were going to tie the knot, she’d pipe up and say, “As soon as David asks me,” (much to his disconcertion). She would talk about her dream wedding with him and openly discuss who they should and should not invite. She also started looking into jewellery shop windows — something she had never done before — forcing him to participate in choosing their wedding rings.

“Pretty soon, David was talking about it, too,” smiles Ada. “He might not have been as excited as me about it, but at least he wasn’t as scared of it anymore.

David laughs: “She’s a sneaky one, she is. But it’s true. After talking about it so much, and watching so many movies (apparently, Ada rented all the soppy marriage stories she could get her hands on, including all-time favourite Four Weddings and a Funeral), I was more receptive to the idea of taking the vows.”

But yet he didn’t ask her — he didn’t know how to!

“I wanted it to be special. Not the clichéd, down-on-bended-knee proposal you see in cheesy commercials. It had to be unexpected. I wanted her to remember the moment forever.”

David trawled the Internet, looking for creative ways to propose, but none appealed to him. Weeks went by. Meanwhile, Ada was getting impatient.

“A year later and he still hadn’t proposed,” Ada remembers. “I was very frustrated. I loved him, but I was starting to think that I’d have to leave him if he didn’t hurry up.”

Luckily for David, Ada was struck by inspiration when she heard that Britney Spears did the proposing with Kevin Federline and got away with it.

“I did my own research and found out that 97-percent of men think its okay for women to propose,” says Ada. “Also, it was 2004, and women are supposed to be allowed to change the rules and do the proposing in leap years.”

All of this was heartening to Ada, and although her mother disagreed, she bought their engagement rings herself. And in July of that year, she popped the Big Question to David.

“I got down on my knee, and I proposed to him,” smirks Ada. “Although we were alone, I’d never felt so embarrassed in my life. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that he was probably twice as ashamed as I was.”

When enough is enough

Sadly, some men cannot be pushed. Lina, a financial executive, had been dating Alan for nearly eight years. The question of marriage, she says, came up once or twice but never led anywhere — they were trapped in a beautiful, loyal relationship that just could not seem to take its final steps on its own.

“I was getting older,” says Lina. “I was going on thirty-one; he was the same age as me. But we all know that women feel the years more keenly than men, and I was scared.”

Her fears were understandable. Lina’s older sister had dated the same man for fifteen years before he dumped her for younger woman (she insists on calling her a girl). When she looked in the mirror, she saw a thirty-nine year-old has-been with bad skin and a flagging social life. Lina didn’t want it to end that way with Brian. So she sat down to have The Talk with him, to tell her how she felt. He took it badly.

“He said that he did want to marry me, but only when he was ready,” Lina recalls. “He wanted to buy a house and finish the installments on his car first — but that would take three years!”

Even so, Lina says that she would have agreed had Brian not made a crucial mistake: he got defensive, and accused her of trying to ‘trap’ him into marriage. That made her realise that it had nothing to do with the car or house or bank account. It was him.

“He was just making excuses,” Lina says. “It hurt, because you expect your partner — especially one that has been with you for so long — to love you enough to do anything with you. But Brian didn’t.”

And so Lina ended the relationship. Brian was crushed, but left in a huff, his ego too bruised for apologies. Although he came back with a ring some weeks later, begging to be given the chance to propose and to marry her, Lina stuck with her decision.

“Isn’t it scary how someone could change his mind so easily over something as serious as marriage?” says Lina. “I almost accepted. But then I imagined him making the same split-second decision to have an affair or to leave me, and that settled it.”

Lina is now thirty-two and back on the dating scene. But she’s taking things very differently now. She knows what she’s looking for, and she’s not wasting time with men who are not looking for the same thing.

“My sister waited too long,” says Lina. “Us women cannot do that, you know. We have a shelf life — if you pass it by, you end up in the personals column of The Sunday Mail.”

Calling the shots

Women certainly don’t have to and shouldn’t wait for the man to propose if they want to marry. As Ada said, 97-percent of men these days think its okay for a woman to do the proposing. It may be bold, but being bold is a real turn-on for guys. It does beg the question, though: why aren’t more women doing it?

Rejection is highest on the list for Debra, a 27-year-old web designer. “If I spot even a hint of doubt in his reply, whether Yes or not, I would be mortified,” she says. “It would be devastating to the relationship. Perhaps that’s why most women still prefer the status quo… even with the terrible risk of being dumped after your Use By Date.”

Ada agrees with Debra in spite of having taken that risk: “To be turned down that way is something that only a guy should ever have to go through, not a woman,” she says. “I know I would never have recovered if David said No. I only asked was because I knew he’d say Yes”

Will you boyfriend say yes to you? Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

The marrying kind of man

According to research by the National Marriage Project, the typical man of marriage:

• Grew up with both biological parents, and whose father’s played an active role in his life (63%).
• Made the decision to wed freely (not under pressure) and for his own reasons (81%). Only 15-percent of married men polled agree with the statement “You got married sooner than you wanted because your wife was pushing for it.” However, only 35-percent agree that “you got married because you were ready to have children.”
• Specifically looked for someone who will be a good mother (75%).
• Is more religiously active than the unmarried men. Nearly half say that they go to religious services several times a month, versus less than a quarter of the unmarrieds.
• Is happier being married than being single (94%). Married men agree that marriage improved their lives in two areas: sex and money. 73- percent say that their sex life got better after getting married, and 68-percent say that marriage has helped them become more financially stable.
• Does not see children as the central purpose of marriage (70%) — about the only common opinion he shares with unmarried men. However, 70-percent of married men hold more child-centric lives, and they are also more likely to want more than one child.
• Ironically, he also disapproves of unwed childbearing. Only 47-percent of married men agree that “It’s okay for a woman to have a child on her own if she can afford it,” compared to 63-percent of unmarried men. Married men are also more likely to say that “People should marry and not just live together if they have children” (64% v. 53%).

TYPE 1: The Trumpet Blower

Photo credit: numberstumper. Click on image to visit.

Typically sounds like…: I’m a cool dude with a sense of casual easiness. I’m very funny, with a dash of wicked humour at times. Extremely suave if I do say so myself.

Now, that’s not so bad, is it? Nothing wrong with hiding your flaws with a cool, composed confidence. Type 1 seems to be just what he says, but you should be careful for that very reason: no man would ever claim to be ‘extremely suave’ unless he is targetting gullible 18-22-year olds. Hey, would you ever advertise yourself as ‘drop-dead gorgeous’?

Advice: Type 1 has a dark side to him, and you should tread carefully. He could be anything from a serial killer to a serial dater. He knows it. He’s just hoping that you don’t know it.

TYPE 2: The Hunter

Typically sounds like…: Me? I’m just looking for a bit of ‘fun’ (hint hint). As long as you’re discreet, anything can happen, right? …It would be even better if you yourself are committed but just want to have some fun on the side.

That introduction could pass off as a harmless joke. Except that this excerpt came from a married man of forty, who stated his preferred match as a lady “between 20-28”. Type 2 advertisements start with hints, but usually end up pretty bluntly. Thankfully, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he’s after.

Advice: Always read between the lines when answering the personals. Sometimes, men too can mean ‘yes’ even when they say ‘no’.

TYPE 3: The Guesser

Typically sounds like…: I guess that due to my job I don’t have time to search for my other half. I love to go to the movies, but I’m always alone. I guess I would love to find someone to share my life with. I’m lonely, I guess.

Type 3 doesn’t really know what he’s after, and can be a source of bitter disappointment. The trouble with him is that he hasn’t even decided for himself whether he wants someone or not. It could be that he’s been hurt many times before and is still not sure whether or not he should start looking for someone new. Or, he knows he needs someone, but doesn’t have a clue as to what sort of person she should be. With this type, the phone calls taper off, your email goes unanswered and he eventually drops off the face of the planet.

Advice: On any given day, the fickle man is far worse to know than the fickle woman. Contact him of you wish, but don’t get your hopes up too high and always be ready for an inconclusive end.

TYPE 4: The Honest Blunt

Typically sounds like…: Very open minded by nature, wild & naughty at times. 165 cm, 55++ kg, average height but slightly under weight for a guy. God has given me a gift: I look much younger than my age. See it to believe it. I’m looking for a friend … but who would know what would happen after a week, a month, a year? Nothing fat and ugly, please….

No doubt about it, Type 4 is as honest as the day is long. But although this virtue is highly-prized, I don’t know if you’d appreciate his candour for long. You can depend on Type 4 to be conscientious in his communication with you, but he’s not for the faint hearted — expect him to point out your flaws to you, as though you weren’t already aware of them yourself. Although not completely agreeable, he is at least reliable.

Advice: Try to appreciate Type 4’s candidness. Otherwise, look for someone more subtle.

TYPE 5: The Desperado

Typically sounds like…: Interests are travel, meeting people, outdoor sports, listening to music, nature, clubbing, shopping, water sports, billiards, cars, computers, internet, dancing, football, gym, aerobics, hiking, motor racing, mountain climbing, cinema, etc….

Type 5 seems to be interested in an awful lot of things, but how does anyone find that kind of time these days? They don’t. Type 5 is afraid of narrowing his appeal too much by being in any way specific about what his interests are (online searches often match people according to interests). He is desperate for any company, no matter what they like doing or where they are from.

Of course, a person’s marketability should hardly be determined by what they enjoy doing. But consider this: would you really hook up with someone who forces himself to enjoy the polka as much as you just because he can’t find anyone else?

Advice: Keep an eye on Type 5, and maybe later when he’s a little more experienced with the personals, he’ll be able to tell you more about what he likes.

TYPE 6: The Best Friend

Photo credit: crystalflickr. Click image to visit photographer.

Typically sounds like…: If you have questions on computers, ask me. I am quite an “ugly” man, so if you’re looking for someone who’s macho or handsome, turn the page. I may be boring, but I am very caring. I want someone to chit-chat with between 20-32, loves IT, and cannot be too ugly or too pretty!

Type 6 won’t do well as a life-time companion perhaps, but you can’t deny his sincerity. A man who steps forward and declares himself ugly faces getting no responses to his ad whatsoever, what more requesting that girls who reply not be too pretty, either.

With this in mind, you can be pretty sure that Type 6 has no ulterior motives, and probably just likes to chat a lot. He balances his honesty with reality. Type 6 fits the best friend role very well. He has no false hopes about getting any further in a relationship, and, best of all, is content with that. Count on him to never let you down when you need someone.

Advice: Treat him kindly. If he is as ugly as he says he is, don’t tell him so. Pay him the due respect that he gives you.

TYPE 7: The Plainly Spoken

Typically sounds like…: I am looking for a like-minded woman to have an affair with. I love to experiment, if you know what I mean. No pretenders, please.

Bravo. Type 7 doesn’t mince his words. Married, bored and not even willing to go through the normal procedure of ‘let’s meet first’ before cutting to the chase, he uses the personals not to fill anyone’s life with meaning, but only to fulfill his own perverted desires. There is no deciphering with Type 7. Everyone can figure him out… or so it seems. Just what does he mean by ‘experiment’, exactly?

Advice: If you’re gung-ho about having affairs with married men and would like to expand your sexual horizons too, then have fun. Others – even the curious – should stay clear.

TYPE 8: The D.O.M. (Dirty Old Man)

Typically sounds like…: 54, Single; am looking for an athletic, intelligent, woman (25-35) who is self-reliant and who can deal with a travel schedule which can be hectic (USA, Europe, or around Asia).

See it? The man is looking for women half his own age! Type 8 is choosy about who he wants in life, and has obviously settled his heart on remaining single for the rest of his life. He wants no life-partner; only temporary maidens whom he hopes to attract with his money and opportunity for travel! A self-centred male chauvinist, Type 8 only wants women in their prime — not before, nor after.

Advice: Get a life. No one needs to take up with Type 8.

TYPE 9:  The Forgotten Deal

Typically sounds like…: Looking for someone (35-45) with an open heart, has natural beauty without makeup, not too demanding, sincere in her relationships, likes to help people and knows how to cook.

Type 9 is usually a forgotten 60-year-old who has just woken up and discovered that he is no longer the youthful bull of his prime. Uh oh. Time to find a woman to take care of him in his old age. Either that, or it’s a sad case of his ex-wife being dead or having just left him. Either way, you wonder why.

Advice: You shouldn’t really have too much to worry about with Type 9. He knows his time is past. It’s up to you.

TYPE 10: The Real Deal

Typically sounds like…: I am a businessman; I wear glasses. I am romantic, understanding, and love ladies who are fair. I love meeting friends and outdoor activities. I’m looking for someone loving, romantic, understanding, charming, clean and tidy. Homely and sporting, thinks of family up-keeping. Looking for marriage-minded ladies for long term relationship.

This is it. Type 10 has all the qualities of a genuine, candid and worthwhile personal advertisement. He is both honest about his looks and what he’s looking for. He knows what he likes, and what he doesn’t. Therefore, you can take everything in between as the truth so far as he knows it.

Advice: Type 10 is the ideal balance between honesty of self and sincerity in expectation. Ending on the note that he does, don’t waste his time unless you’re serious about it, too.

Photo credit: Miss Gong & The Flickers. Click image to visit them.

Do you remember the last time you were on the bathroom floor with nothing but your knickers on, your stomach wincing and the world spinning around you like a top? Do you sometimes spend the night in what is known as the ‘recovery position’: resting your head on the toilet bowl imagining it to be your pillow till morning?

At approximately 2 pm (morning, in this case) you wake up with a ton of bricks for what used to be your head, a hairbrush for what must have been your tongue and a needle cushion in your stomach. With eyelashes stuck together — thanks to that lovely Bobbi Brown mascara — facial pores that have become craters and eyeliner gone crusty around your eyes, you look like a nightmare. This is when you say, “I’ll never do this again” — a classic promise that we all make to break. Because the next time you need to get over some bloke you fancy who broke your fragile heart, you head straight for the tequila shots.

Hangovers happen to the best of us. The ‘happy juice’ makes us feel really good, but like everything else, overdo it and you’re in for a hard time. Apparently, though, it’s not the alcohol itself that’s the culprit (hard to believe, I know), but rather a by-product of ingested alcohol: acetaldehyde.

Your body breaks alcohol down into (among other things) acetaldehyde before transforming it into less harmful substances. Next, a host of depleted minerals short-circuits your nervous system whilst the acetaldehyde does further damage to your brains. Low blood-sugar sets in and this is accompanied by horrifying headaches and dry-mouth symptoms brought on by dehydration. If you don’t know by now, alcohol is a diuretic: it forces the evaporation of a vital portion of the body’s water. Coming off the effects of a mild overdose of depressant drug — like alcohol — leads you into nervous shock. Your nerves react by going into a relatively hypersensitive state.

The sum of all the above is nausea, head spins, twitchy nerves, grumpiness and general unpleasantness. Some report diarrhoea. Because I suffer from gastritis, I usually get a prickly acid feel in my stomach and even heartburn. Oh yes, the list of reasons to NOT drink again is very long in the morning, but look on the bright side: these symptoms are fantastic excuses for not going to work.

The severity of a hangover varies according to your age, ‘enzymatic capacity’ to deal with the poisons and the quantity you guzzle. So, the older you are, the worse it gets. The more you take in a shorter space of time, the more you’ll feel the alcohol. And if your physique looks somewhat anorexic, your chances of an almighty hangover are far greater than it is for lardy types.

But never fear — celebrating happy occasions or brooding over sad ones can turn out better with these tips… and the Miracle Cure for the morning after.

Preparing for the night out

• For starters, never leave home on an empty stomach. Pump yourself up with a hearty meal loaded with minerals and starch to absorb the alcohol so it doesn’t all go directly into your bloodstream.
• Next, water: I know its no fun having to run off to the ladies every time a George Clooney-ish dude starts chatting you up, but if you want to still like him in the morning, you must be sure to fill up with plenty of water before leaving home.
• Finally, bring out the blender and get the secret potion below ready for when you get home. Keep it close by, preferably next to your bathroom.
• It might be a challenge to squeeze these tips into your already tight beauty regime for that sizzling night out, but do it and you could save yourself a whole load of pain in the morning.

While you’re out

• Remember that dark beverages are more potent than lighter ones. Avoid brandy, red wine, bourbon and scotch and stick to gin, rum and vodka. Apparently, a bad chemical named ‘congeners’ occurs naturally in fermented drinks which explains why darker drinks have more ‘congeners’ than lighter ones.
• Whatever the colour, never date a cheapskate who only buys you cheap drinks…especially red wine. It contains an extra hangover-inducing poison called ‘tyramine’.
• Try consuming less than one drink per hour. The science behind this is that your liver breaks down alcohol at a rate of about one beer per hour. In my experience, alternating alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic beverages always keeps my body hydrated.
• If all else fails and you know that you cannot handle another drink for fear of looking like a loser in front of the boys, sip on tea and pretend its whisky. You can also sit or stand next to a plant and water it with your glass’ contents.

When You Get Home

• Throwing up is good. It gets the alcohol out of your system so that it cannot cause more damage while you sleep.
• Never take analgesics (any form of headache pills) as they aggravate your stomach and may even worsen the hangover. If you’re the type that needs to pop a pill once back home, take a multivitamin. This is a good way to replace the lost nutrients and minerals.
• Julian Mokhtar, a rock guitarist and hard-partier by any standards, says that he attempts to down two large glasses of H2O as soon as he hits home. Works like a charm for me, too.
• Some swear by lime juice over a bowl of steaming instant noodles, while for others its pancakes and honey. In truth, any kind of food will do. The starch will help absorb the alcohol and protect your stomach’s walls from further damage while you sleep.

The morning after

• No coffee and certainly no alcohol. Eat (more so if you’re not feeling queasy) and go back to bed. Simple. Forget the age-old hair-of-the-dog technique (having more alcohol to calm your shattered nerves) unless you want to become an alcoholic.
• Personally, I love a shower when I rise (from the bathroom floor). There’s just something about it that works well for us girls, like washing that man out of your hair.
• As for makeup, be sure to clean your face. Yes, even if you did end up in someone else’s house. Clogged pores make us look scary.
• Finally, get your Miracle Cure (see below) ready and down it in one go.

The Miracle Hangover Cure Recipe

1. Take 2 aspirins
2. Take 200 mg cysteine (available at specialty food stores)
3. Take 600 mg vitamin C
4. Take 1 tablet vitamin B complex
5. Mix the following ingredients in a blender:

• 1 banana
• 1 small can Red Bull
• 6 large strawberries
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1-2 cups milk (or soy milk)
  ¼ tspn salt
• dash of nutmeg

Note: Drink it ALL up. If you can down it in one go, you shouldn’t have a hangover, anyway.

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Beaches are lovely so long as you are safe.

From Advisories on travel to Hospitals to Zinc supplements, there is a lot to think about when planning a trip to a foreign land. This guide walks you through the ABCs of travelling safely and offers resources where readers can find more information about their travel destinations.

A    Advisories on travel

In this age of guns and bombs, governments regularly release travel advisories as a pre-emptive measure against travel to certain countries… although they are sometimes badly founded. A good resource of travel warnings and tips is at http://www.backpackers.com.

B    Book in advance

Nothing could be more hazardous to your holiday than not having a proper place to stay. To avoid the danger of traipsing about looking for a reputable hotel, always make your bookings in advance.

C    Cash and change

Cash is King, they say, and is often the only language people understand. Cash can get you out of tight spots better than any amount of credit cards, so whilst plastic is helpful, cash is a necessity. Have the equivalent of RM200 in local currency on you at all times.

D    Disease

Epidemics like SARS and bird flu are only what you read in the news, but many countries are dealing with all sorts of outbreaks like cholera and Ebola. Getting vaccinated before you leave the country does not guarantee you will not pick up some mysterious virus while on holiday. To check on the latest outbreaks worldwide, visit the World Health Organisation’s website at http://www.who.org.

E    Embassy

The first thing you should do when you get to your destination is find the Malaysian Embassy and to make a mental note of how to get there. Your Embassy is the safest place in any country for you to be in should there be (God forbid) civil unrest and/or riots.

F    Fatigue and stress

Travelling is very tiring and very stressful, as you’ll soon find out. Alleviate jetlag symptoms by timing your arrival to be in the daytime (easier adjustment to a new time zone) and by drinking lots of water. Beat the fatigue by getting lots of rest on arrival and chilling out by the pool or spa. You’ll enjoy the rest of your time spent there much more once you’ve got over the trip itself.

G    Guard yourself

You can take some measures to protect yourself by taking along a personal alarm with you, as well as a can of mace or stun gun. However, do look into whether these items are legal in the country you’re visiting before getting on the plane — mace is considered a weapon in Canada.

H    Hospitals

Medical attention can be difficult to come by if you’re the foreigner. Many hospitals are suspicious of foreign insurance policies, and refuse to accept them. Before leaving, check with your medical insurance company for hospitals that recognise them in your destination country. Look up http://adams.mgh.harvard.edu/hospitalwebworld.html for links to hospitals all over the world.

I    Insurance

Normally, a Personal Accident insurance policy will cover accidents, whether the policyholder is on business or pleasure anywhere in the world. But travel insurance policies take it a step further, and can provide coverage for death, disablement, medical expenses, personal liability, baggage lost, damaged or delayed, loss of personal money, travel cancellation due to accident or sickness, unused travel arrangements due to accidents or sickness and/or delays due to strikes or hijacks.

J    Jungle illness

Photo credit: Alireza Teimoury. Click to visit photographer.

If you insist on travelling half-way around the globe for tropical rainforests, do beware. You can get bitten by all manner of insects native only to that country, not to mention reptiles that would be happy to ruin your holiday for you. Make sure you take a guide with you who knows the local wildlife. “Keep some hydrocortisone cream handy, as well as a good insect repellent,” advises Ms. Wong Heng Lee, a pharmacist.

K    Knowledge (of the locals)

You don’t want to commit any social faux pas and risk the wrath of an offended local, do you? Get to know the customs and ways of the people you are going to be spending your holiday with before you leave. For a list of tourism offices worldwide that can give you this information, check out www.towd.com.

L    Law

Did you know that it is illegal to kiss on railways in France? Or that you may not pay for a fifty-cent item with only pennies in Canada? The law is funny sometimes, and you ought to check with the local embassy if there are any strange practices you should know about.

M    Maps

Only people with very little grey matter attempt exploring without an updated map of the area. Make sure you pick up a tourist map from the local tourism office to avoid getting lost and stumbling upon unsafe parts of the neighbourhood.

N    Nightwear

In some parts of the world, temperatures can fluctuate madly between day and night. It could be a searing 35°C at noon, only to fall to a chilly 15°C at midnight. You should look into what temperatures to expect at all times of the day before you leave so that you can bring suitable attire to sleep in.

O    Oxygen and Hypoxia

Because of reduced cabin pressure on an aeroplane, the oxygen level in our blood is slightly reduced leading to mild hypoxia. People with cardiovascular or respiratory disease or certain disorders of the blood such as anaemia or sickle-cell disease may not tolerate hypoxia well. Consuming caffeine beverages like tea or coffee and alcohol cause dehydration and should be avoided before and during your flight.

P    Pregnancy

Commercial flights are normally safe for mother and foetus. However, air travel is not recommended in the last month of pregnancy and until seven days after delivery. Medical clearance is required for pregnant women if delivery is expected less than 4 weeks after the departure date or if any complications in delivery may be expected.

Q    Quality assurance

When shopping overseas, it’s important that you look for Quality Assurance stamps on stuff you buy, especially electrical items. This is to make sure you don’t purchase substandard goods which may pose a hazard to your health. Some common worldwide stamps of approval include CE, FCC and UL.

R    Research

One sure way of spending your holiday in tears is to find that it is not what you expected. Some basic research into what your activities are likely to be when you get there goes a long way — glossy travel brochures have been accused of lying about “white, sandy beaches” more than once!

S    Safe sex

Since you’re probably past your wild days in SingleVille, I’m going to assume you’ve had your fill of sexual partners. However, being human, we must allow for unexpected zipless encounters. Make sure you always have a condom with you when checking out the muscles on the beach or gyrating hips at dances. Better yet, don’t have sex at all.

T    Thrombosis

Prolonged immobility lets your blood settle in your legs, which in turn can cause swelling, stiffness and discomfort and venous thrombosis. By itself, this is not serious. But sometimes, clots may be carried through your blood stream to your lungs causing a pulmonary embolus. Risk factors for thromboembolism include having a previous history of venous thrombosis, being over 40 years-old, the use of hormone therapy, pregnancy, recent surgery or trauma, cancer, genetic blood clotting abnormalities and varicose veins. People in these risk groups should seek medical advice before travelling.

U    Ultraviolet (UV) rays

Getting a tan is high on everybody’s To-do list when travelling. But UVA and UVB rays penetrate our skin, and cause skin ageing and wrinkling. They can also contribute to skin cancer. Most doctors will recommend using a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays and has a SPF of 15+, even on cloudy days. You should apply it before make-up at least 30 minutes before going into the sun, and reapply it every two hours.

V    Vaccinations

Vaccines against various illnesses such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP), BCG, polio, measles, rubella and hepatitis B are easily available at most clinics and hospitals, not too mention the good-ol’ flu shot. They can save you a lot of misery, if you know what is good for you.

W    Water

When you sweat, your body loses a lot of its natural fluids. When travelling from cold countries to hot countries, you need to consume a lot more water than you used to avoid dehydration since you start sweating more.

X    X-rated and contraband

To avoid being picked out at Customs counters in airports, do make an effort to read through the list of contraband items banned from entering the country (usually available at the tourism office). Many countries have very strict laws against pornographic literature, and smuggling drugs may result in the death penalty.

Y    Yards and metres

In spite of the near universality of the Metric system, many parts of the world still use the Avoirdupois and Troy systems of measurement. This can make it very difficult to correctly communicate what we need. Bring along a simple unit converter and calculator to make sure you don’t confuse the locals.

Z    Zinc

Zinc is a wonder of nature little appreciated. It sharpens your five senses, keeps your skin healthy, and helps fight viruses. It is also a very important antioxidant, speeding up the healing process of open wounds. Your daily intake of Zinc should be around 8-11mg a day; if you’re pregnant, you need at least 13mg a day. Taking some Zinc supplements along on your journey will help keep you in the pink of health.