Talk on Autism

If you are a parent whose child is autistic, or if you know of anyone who has an autistic child, or even if you suspect your child may be autistic, and want to know how to identify the symptoms, then it would be very beneficial for you to attend a 2-day workshop where you can learn how to deal with autism. This workshop is conducted by Ruth S. Arunasalam who has vast experience in teaching students of all ages, from school going children to professional adults, and who is also specialized in autism.

I know Ruth in person as she is my current TESOL teacher whose motive in teaching is purely selfless and goes all out to make sure we all leave this course fully armed with all the training and knowledge to enter into the real world of teaching. In fact, I am already feeling more and more confident after every class, and I daresay I will be fully prepared to start teaching by the end of her class, which would be end February.

Please click on the picture for the advertisement which appeared in The Straits Times, Friday 17.02.2012:

Clogged Pipe Nightmare

Ever had a frustrating moment with your sink pipes clogged? I mean, water is just not flowing down the drain pipe and is literally stuck? You're thinking of pouring down hot boiling water, or a bottle of solution you've bought from the mart, down the pipe. But first, you'll need to get the water, which is already filling up the sink, cleared, before you can do that. What works?

The plunger! I mean, use the old fashion and reliable plunger! That's if you want to avoid opening up the P-trap under the sink and remove all the years of accumulated unwanted pieces of nightmarish blackish waste glued around the inside wall of the pipe with your, preferably gloved, hands. Need I mention the stomach-wrenching odour too?

We have a double sink and while I was out browsing for movies at a local video shop on a nice hot Saturday afternoon my wife text'd me that the sink was clogged, and the water stubbornly refused to go down despite using the plunger. Also, that she couldn't cook so long as the sink was stuck.

Well, she came to the right place. I mean, the right person. I'm usually the handyman at home. Fixing my own bathroom flush tank, replacing broken faucets, some simple stuff, here and there, so long as it's not electrical nor major piping. It's only a matter of 'when' I get to work. But this.. this was critical, if I ever want to get home food into my stomach. So off I went to the only place opened for business, Ace Hardware, the place where I could spend hours looking at wares and not buying.. if I have hours to spare that is.

It took a good 30 minutes to select a good solution, in my opinion, and a good chunk off my coffer, which coame to RM33+. This one says you get to pour only 1/5 of the bottle into the drain pipes and leave the sink unused for 15 minutes for the solution to clear the clog. As for other products you have to pour half and that leaves you one more chance. Here the picture of the bottle which I bought:

When I reached home I saw evidence of unsuccessful attempt by my wife in using the plunger; water was stuck in both adjoining sink. So with her help in using a stopper in one sink, I started popping the plunger on the other sink. At first I was doing it the wrong way in lifting the plunger over the water after each pop. Water still remained. Then I started popping the plunger up and down a few counts before lifting it over the water and repeated the steps. The water gradually began to subside after each succession and I realised that the up/down strokes helped to shake the clog loose from it's hold.

Finally, after successfully having freed the sink, I cleared the remaining muck off the sink and began to pour 1/5 of the Liquid-Plumr solution into the sink and let it do its magic for the next 15 minutes. Anyway, it all took less than 5 minutes to clear the clog.

If you moved into a new home, but it's actually a second-hand house and has not been occupied for a good 6 - 12 months, and you find that the kitchen pipes are clogged, don't bother with any solution, be it acidic or not. Forget the steps I told you about. Go get a plumber or contractor. They'll do a better job.

Sleep Apnoea

Sleep Apnoea is something I came across during my visit to the clinic late last year. I chanced upon a health magazine while waiting my turn and I thought it was all too relevant to my condition where I used to doze off while at work. Little did I realise I was to become a test subject last Friday for sleep study and getting eventual treatment in the days to come.

I have been wondering why I used to get occasional sleepiness during work while doing programming. My focus seemd to drift off to wonderland and my head nodding to and fro, oblivious to the watchful eyes of colleagues. I knew I am one person who never enjoy physical exercise and always sleep late those days, like after midnight, surfing away in the tide of the internet, and waking up at 5:30 in the mornings. I always thought that this stubborn regime contributed to my thunderous snoring every night. Poor wifey, had to wake me every now and then to turn over to my side to stop the snoring.

I also realised that in the past 2 years I was unable to keep awake while driving to work every morning. Even day time driving to Bangi for work or meeting I sometimes had to struggle very hard to stay awake. My wavering focus even got the better of me even in meetings, but more prevalent during monotonous seminar. I even had to fight to stay awake during homily every Sunday at Mass.

For temporary remedy I have tried the medical patch over my nose, sold at Guardian, purportedly helpful in suppressing the snore but it was just a waste of money which I would gladly have used to purchase another pack of cigarettes. I kept telling myself it could be due to the age thing and so I started to do some walking, not wanting to allow the age thingy to depress me. Couldn't commit as usual.

So when I read about sleep apnoea I was convinced that I might be a victim of such a condition because the symptoms mentioned in the article were what I have been experiencing and it also warned of the fatal consequences that may happen not only during sleep but on the road when dozing off behind the wheel.

to be continued..

How to Shape-Up your Toes!

Fun guaranteed! Danger! May cause addiction!

Online Driving License Renewal

Techology can make life much easier and simpler if it's well-designed. But I have seen how technology is often misinterpreted and becomes a tool (or rather 'victim') for entrepreneurs to make a fast buck, and, instead of saving cost and energy, end-users are paying a high price adopting some s0-called technology that is not up to specifications and involve high maintenance in cost and manpower. Well, that's what I see happening ..

Whatever, I'm grateful for some quarters implementing useful technology that benefits a lot of people, like the MyEG Services. Finally, I dare say that I no longer have to physically go to any counter to renew my driving license, road tax renewal, pay bills, and lots more. Well, except for the postal department where I still need to collect my parcel in present everytime I received the notification from the postman that I wasn't home during his round.

My driving license expired 2 weeks ago and I was only too happy to take the opportunity to log in to MyEG website and had my license renewed. Paid for a year's license and aditional rm5 for delivery and rm2 for service charge. My license was delivered after 3-5 days by courier. No hassle there!