SAVE ME!

We've all heard of miracle stories where a couple of lucky and blessed people escaped dangerous situations even though it seems very unlikely at that time. You've probably read many miraculous stories like this BUT have you ever wondered what would you do if you are stuck in the very same situation?

 Besides calling the emergency services for help, heres what you can do in 6 life-threatening situations. 

• CHOKING

    

Imagine you are having your dinner alone at home. As you were eating a piece of meat, the phone rang. While rushing to answer the call, you gulped down the piece of meat instead of chewing it into smaller pieces. You suddenly feel that you are out of air to breath. What would you do? Yell for help? Or just wait for someone to discover your lifeless body?

Quickly find a chair, a kitchen counter or any piece of furniture. Aim to hit the top of the chair against your upper abdomen. Thrust up and inwards. If you still can't breathe after six tries, dial the emergency services, even if you can't talk. 

• BEAR ATTACK

If you surprise a bear, DON'T RUN. That invites an attack. Instead, stand up and back away slowly, without looking the bear in the eyes. Speak softly to it. If it does charge at you, try to make yourself look as large as possible; Stick out your chest, raise your arms and spread your legs. Now you can yell at the bear. If it's going to attack, lie face down with your hands clasped behind your neck. Play dead and don't get up until you're pretty sure that the bear's gone. Leave the area immediately in case it decided to come back. If you're in a bear country, carry a bear-deterrent pepper spray.

[p/s: sorry for the cartoon image, i find that the 'real' images are a bit gory and scary :) ]

• LIGHTNING

If you're outside and a storm hits, quickly get inside. 

A large, enclosed building is the safest, but a car is also good as long as you close the doors and windows and don't touch any metal surfaces. Avoid tall, isolated objects like trees and partially enclosed buildings, fences or any metal objects. If you're with a group, don't huddle near other people; stay at least 5 metres apart. That way if one of you is hit, the lightning won't travel between you.

• LOST IN THE WILDERNESS

To avoid becoming the headline on the news, be prepared. Before you go for a hike, check the weather, take plenty of water and make sure someone knows where you'll be and when you'll be back. Bring along clothes that can keep you warm. In general, people who try to find their own way fare worse than those who stay put. Find shelter before dark. Make a signal with colourful gear or make a big X out of rocks. You can go several days without eating, so don't forage for food since there are lots of poisonous plants in the wild. The important thing is you have to stay hydrated so it's better to drink from a stream than go without. 

• SEVERE BLEEDING

You're gushing blood. What would you do? Let yourself bleed to death? NO! You have to be stronger than that, people. Use your hand or a clean cloth, paper towels, a scarf or any fabric you can grab, and push down on the wound until the bleeding stops. If you have a cut on your upper leg and you put pressure on it, you're just closing that vessel. But if you put a tourniquet on, you'll close the blood vessels AND stop the oxygen supply to the entire leg which would then lead to LOSING YOUR FOOT. So heads up people! The only time to use a tourniquet is when you really sure that everything below the wound is BEYOND repair.

• TRAPPED IN A BURNING BUILDING

If you're in an office building or any burning buildings and can't get out, DON'T PANIC. In any emergency situation, the difference between those who survive and those who don't is that survivors remain calm and fight through their fear. Call the emergency services. Close yourself in a smoke-free room and place a wet towel at the bottom of the door to prevent any smoke from entering. Then get close to the ground where there is less smoke so you can breathe and see better, and wait for help to arrive. If you're in a house, get as low as you can and crawl as fast as possible. Don't stop until you're well away from the fire. Then call for help.

So the thing that I'd like to centralized here is that there are times when we can't let our fear overwhelm us. If you let fear control you, then you wouldn't be able to find out where your ability lies. And you also have the honors of saying this:

                                       Fear is the father of courage and the mother of safety

I love trash!

Hello again people!

I know, i know, you might be wondering why  I LOVE TRASH, right?

Well, I don't!

The title is actually referring to the topic that I would like to share with you today.

So, have you ever heard about HOARDERS?

If no, allow me to elaborate more about it. 

Hoarders are people who suffer from compulsive hoarding or also known as disposophobia. These people have excessive acquisition of possessions and failed to use or discard them even if the items are proven worthless, hazardous or unsanitary. The act of hoarding actually interferes with daily activities such as cooking, sleeping and cleaning. Hoarders are also known as 'pack rats' because they literally have the same characteristics as a pack rat. :D  

According to the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, compulsive hoarding in its worst forms can cause fires, unclean conditions ( rat or roach infestations yuckks), injuries from tripping on clutter including other health and safety hazards. 

Imagine living in this kind of environment every single day of your live. Just by staring at this picture for 5 seconds can give you severe suffocation :(

There are people who collects almost ANYTHING. Some focus on certain things only like books, newspapers, boxes, or, wait for it.....ANIMALS! Animal hoarding is getting more common in the States as they keep a larger than usual numbers of animals as pets without having the ability to properly care for them, at the same time denying this ability.They feel so attached to their so-called pets and find it extremely difficult to let the pets go. These sort people is in a very serious state of denial, right? This is how hoarders feel :-

Well, there is some truth in that. But, hey, you can keep all those 'valuable' things of yours, just get it organized. So that your house would not look like it has just been hit by a hurricane. :)

Here are some television shows focusing on the lives of hoarders. At times, you just can't help but feel sorry for them no matter how disgusting their house looks like. :(

Maggots in the coffee pot
Laundry

     And, yes, who can forget the famous hoarder of all, Oscar the Grouch, from Sesame Street!

Interested to know more about hoarders? Google it! It's fun!

                            Don't hoard unnecessary stuff, let's hoard knowledge instead :)

Do you speak sign?

Learning new languages in life is tough when you are so used to your native language. So is it a bad idea to learn a new language even if you've exceeded the 'critical period'? 

                    ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Learning a foreign language does not only help you in terms of speaking fluently in that particular language but also getting to learn about the cultures of the language you are learning. So let's say if you are a HUGE Korean boyband/drama series/movies fanatic, why not make your interest more interesting, huh? Learn Korean! Not only can you drool over the cuteness of those Korean guys, you can ACTUALLY understand what they are singing or talking about! Very cool AND educational! :)

Okay, now back to Earth, people.    

Today's post is actually going to be about SIGN language. Even though it does not involve speaking, it is another way of communicating with others. 

"If we hadn't a voice or a tongue, and wanted to express things to one another, wouldn't we try to make signs by moving our hands, head, and the rest of our body"  - socrates

Sign languages are as rich and complex as any oral languages even if it is not what we consider as a 'real' language. Guess what? It even has a complex grammar of its own!

So let's not confuse ourselves with the complexity of the language and start with something simple. The alphabets! 

 Interesting, right? Hey, if you find this picture confusing and hard to follow, don't worry. I have something that is so much better.

                                     Now you've signed your ABCs, I'm so proud of you :)

Start from scratch guys. Big dreams start from small initiatives. So have fun with the alphabets first then you can easily proceed to the harder ones. Good luck! :)

                   Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand

Isn't this world a crazy place?

Lately, I often came across certain things relating to asperger's syndrome be it books, movies or articles. Taking it as a sign from God, i decided to dig deeper about this syndrome and was surprised with my findings.

Many people assumed that those who suffer from Asperger's syndrome are stupid or a less harsher word wpuld be LESS intelligent. Well people, you are absolutely wrong.

The thing is, Asperger's syndrome is somehow related to autism BUT their characteristics differ from each other. Those who have AS have problems with social interaction and repetitive interests and behaviours. However, they usually have less trouble speaking and fewer learning disabilities compared to those who suffered from autism or down syndrome. The most amazing thing is that they are often of average or ABOVE average intelligence!

Amazing, right?

So let me share with you some interesting stories about asperger's syndrome.

 Looks familiar? Yes, this is the ever-so-popular movie by Karan Johar, "My Name is Khan". If you haven't watch this, well, what are you waiting for? This movie revolves around the life of Rizvan Khan, an Asperger's syndrome sufferer, who is obsessed with repairing electronic things and memorising facts about places. He is afraid of socialising and not able to express his feelings towards others and does not possess any sense of empathy.like Rizvan, he does not know how to express his love to his own wife. Instead of saying those three sacred words, he prefers to write it in his journal. Still doubtful? Here, take a look.

In the book "House of Rules" written by Jodi Picoult also focuses on the life of a teenage boy who suffers from AS. Unlike Rizvan, Jacob Hunt LOVES forensic analysis. He even shows up at crime scenes and telling the cops what to do. Read this to find out more about the story. :)

So basically, what I am trying to point out here is that there is no need to make fun of or look down upon the people who suffer from this syndrome. God has a funny way of showing intelligence in his creations. They deserve acceptance and respect like we all do.

  One may look stupid from the outside, but from the  inside, one may be a genius.

      SO DON'T YOU EVER MAKE FUN OF GOD'S CREATION MAINLY BECAUSE

                                            Yup, this COULD happen, people ;)

                             Someone with Asperger’s really is like you, just more extreme.