Sugarbabes

A while back last year in Ug I was experiencing a loosing battle with mosquitoes gunning to take a bite out of me at any given opportunity if I omitted to use the protection I'd taken.  I wasn't taken serious even when presenting with bumps allover to certify my predicament from the skirmishes I was having with mosquitoes.  Some persons went even far as saying I had a magnet which attracted them to attack only me.  I found this very puzzling and couldn't see the funny side of things as anyone who has been tortured by the sound and effect of mosquito-bites will tell you! 

Anyway today I came across a colleague at lunch who'd just returned back from the tropics on holiday. She went on to recount how it went - seems like the whole globe is developing.  She too had a difficult time recognising St. Vincents from when she was last there.  Amidst our chat she revealed something to me that I am now hotly pursuing with my science buddies to confirm.  You see, she too had a very difficult time with mosquitoes whilst on St. Vincent (an Island in the Caribean) and after a lot of agonizing as to why it appeared she was the only one being targeted by these creatures, she was told it was because she lacked iron. Apparently mosquitoes don't much like iron and opt for females whose iron stores are not always as good as males. Well I neva!!!  So if there's anyone else out there who may agree with this belief or discredit it, I'm all ears!!!

Just when you thought you were practically married with children (or at the very least kept a toothbrush at his flat); the break-up comes from out of the blue.  Or, scenario two, you might have been expecting it for weeks.  Whatever the circumstances, nothing makes the trauma of a break-up any easier.  You can forget about it ‘cutting both ways’, the pain and punctured pride of a split always feels  more like you’ve undergone full body surgery – without even the plastic yet perfect figure to show for it afterwards.  Despite this, what awaits is still a long and winding road to recovery.

It’s universal and incontrovertible truth that breaking up is hard to do – but it’s doubly difficult if you’ve quite literally been screwed and chucked. Chances are you didn’t even get an orgasm out of the experience…so you’ve been shunned and short-changed: it really is a bloody hard life.  Your immediate thought, naturally, is Am I really bad in bed? (Trust me, this is unlikely.)  The next: Should I have braved that Brazillian? Well, please rest assured on that one too – the male attention span being what it is, he probably wasn’t down there long enough to notice your topiary…if you were lucky enough for him to be down under in the first place, that is.  We know men who have split with women because of an infrequency of blow jobs, but God forbid you should ever complain to them about their resounding lack of reciprocation.  Frankly, with some men, you are lucky if the foreplay involves anything more than unwrapping the condom (though, clearly, there are others who can take you to seventh heaven with a simple demonstration of their Cardbury’s Crème Egg techniques – less, ‘How do you eat yours?’ more ‘My God, how do you do that?’

As a couple, you may have been together for days, weeks or months (hell, maybe even years – if so, I’m impressed), but whatever the length of liaison, he has now ended it.  He’s dumped you.  Whatever you do, don’t auction all your belongings on eBay in recognition of the fact that your life is now officially over – as it most certainly is not.  A view shared by most, don’t be a woman scorned, be a woman savvy enough to come out of this with your head held high. Maintain your dignity – at least until he’s not around to see you cry.

Gosh you can tell the years I'm clocking on.  I am sounding more and more like those annoying agony aunts or uncles that keep dishing out advise on how to deal with heartbreak (you can never be too certain these days as a Joan could on the flipside turn out to be John).  I don’t know why it’s called heartbreak, it should be termed heartburn or emotional terrorism seeing as that’s a word which is “hip”. 

Though many people frown upon herbal medicine and indeed some even think its all mumble-jumble, I have personally found that taking Echinacea can reduce chances of catching a cold as well halving the duration of a cold.  Many people swear by vitamin C when it comes to preventing or fighting a cold. Personally whilst I think it does fight the invading gits, vitamin C actually does very little to prevent the common cold occuring. This is not to say that one shouldn't make sure his/her diet includes sufficient amounts of the vitamin, however, as the body is unable to produce it on its own.  I am saved having to remember to popor chew vitamin C tablets every day - virtually most drinks come with it added, courtesy of nanny state. 

Another common misconception regarding the common cold is that, once you have one, there is nothing you can do about it. Antiviral drugs, however, if taken soon enough can reduce the duration of the illness and make you feel better in the meantime. Other medications such as Lemsip will also help to make the symptoms of the cold less unpleasant.  If everyone around you is falling over with cold and flu symptoms, there are a few things you can do which will limit your chances of falling ill. Wash your hands regularly (amazingly this practice is being taught and drilled into persons in these developed countries!), avoid people who you know are or have been ill and try not to touch your nose or face (yes, that includes picking your nose however much attached you might've become to such a habit). And if you do catch a cold, don't worry too much - your immune system will deal with it and it should only last for seven days.  Any longer and you prolly need to  check it out with your doctor.

The common cold isn't caused by cold weather or any other common misconception - it is a virus which can be caught either through the air after an infected person has coughed or sneezed or from contact with the saliva or nasal secretions of a person carrying the virus. The virus is constantly mutating, which is why it is impossible to immunise people against the condition.