Miss Marple's Tearoom

Shingles - It starts with an itch...

WARNING!!!

Below pictures might send you puking or make you itch like mad.

One summer day, scratch! scratch!, didn't think much of it.

Day 2, still didn't bother me that much other than me thinking its either bed bugs or I am just really dirty.

Day 3, scratching becomes a task and I even got my husband to help me scratch. He said it looked like major bed bugs and that I am DIRTY not the bed.

Day 4, I think this is more than bed bugs, it hurts and its growing...showed my mum a pick and straightaway she said..SHINGLES!!!! which followed by 'make sure you don't eat eggs and chicken'.

It's spreading and it's definitely growing redder...and more painful.

Day 5, I couldn't sleep cause of the pain, and constant itch. Literally had to sleep on my hands so that I don't touch it...not like it lasted long when it became numb and out of blood. Went to the pharma and Dr. confirmed shingles. No meds given other than pain killers.

It is still growing as you can see and spreading like i'm a piece of canvas. Inflamed as well.

 Day 6, I think it has stopped spreading but the pain has increased and now even other parts of my back hurts, itches and its just stinging me. As you can see Calamine lotion has only made me fairer and doesn't work on shingles.

Up close and personal with the bubbles....urghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I hate my body at this rate.

Day 7, More and more bubbles/blisters are appearing and I feel really disgusted with myself more than the pain and agony. I can't even sit up properly or have a proper meal. I wanna dig this chunk of meat out. I am high and overdosing on pain killers which makes no difference later I find out. 

Day 8, At this point, the pictures can speak for itself. I feel like I am hosting a crab family. With crab roe on my body. Very red and ultra sensitive. Went to the Chinese herbalist and he told me to stop applying any cream or even pain killers. Gave me a bunch of grass/leaves concoction to eat and boil to drink for 5 days.

Day 9, Day 1 without pain killers. This was when I realised that pain killers did not even work in the first place. Nerve and muscle pain is nothing like a headache...it causes headaches too. As you can see, from the above pic and below, there is no more redness at the sides surrounding the blisters. I did not use any cream other than dabbing Tea Tree oil to clean up the area. Those that have been accidentally popped is redder than the others. The pic below this pic is in the morning when I got out of bed...all red and stuff.

Day 10, The blisters are very prominent now, you can see the clear liquid in it. Blisters are getting bigger too. I didn't have any pain killers and neither did I apply any hydrocortisone.

This is what the Chinese doctor told me to do...I kid you not!!! He told me to mix 1 part Licorice Roots and 1 part Honey Suckle leaves to boil, drink it and use the leaves to patch on my shingles. Please be reminded, do it your own or you might infect someone. Throw it away and clean up and leftover. At first it kinda hurt as it was sitting on my ultra sensitive skin. After a while, I didn't feel anything but a cooling effect.

The before and after pics. Hard to tell any difference. 

Did the patches of leaves twice today and I can see that most of it is drying up. Peeing alot too due to the pots of boiled leaves I was told to consume. Less itchy but the pain is more intense internally.

Day 11 - to be updated...

Telling your friends you are selling something

Starting your own business be it in a bricks and mortar style, behind the desk in a home, freelance, online, or even direct sales/ multi level marketing must've been a breakthrough from your daily 9-5 ( I mean 11pm) kind of job esp in Asian countries. It is not easy to give up a stable income and more or less a long term employment unless you screw up or the system just sucks.

You spend countless hours and days to make your dream come true,''your very own right to call yourself boss''. As days go by and bills paid, stocks piled, website ready and up to go, what do you do next?

You can't just sit there and wait for an order unless you already have an established clientele from your previous dealings. We are talking here about, new business, new base, new name, new products and new problems.

First line of attack, we set up social networking pages, feeds, news like facebook, twitter, pinterest and so on. Try our best to figure out what all SEO is all about and at times spending more than we should at promoting when it is cheaper to pay a monthly sum to some IT dude. It's a whole new world in online marketing. Most people don't even know what SEO means. It's Search Engine Optimisation. You can google that.

Basically, our first line of victims will be our family and relatives. Depending on what you are selling, they are the most receptive and if they like you, they might help spread the word and if they love you or the item the chances of them buying is higher.

If its a Tupperware party and you have free gifts to give out, I am sure there will be alot of attendees and some sales. It's the FREE and useful stuff that gets them in.

What i'm getting to is your second line of targets...your friends and acquaintances. Once again this depends on the item for sale. If it is insurance, assurance, some sort of stupid funeral fund I am 95% sure everyone will give you the ''Okay, I will think about it.'' treatment and never want to answer your calls or open your e-mails...what's worse is telling everyone else about it.

I have tried to 'sell/promote' some items in my lifetime and this is the feedback I got from friends.

• Thermomix (AUD2,000) - With home cooking and baking on the rise, surprisingly more people were excited about the product and quite a few people bought it...and a lot of others I found out has it.
• Bel'Air (Essential Oils) - This was a big hit when Lampe Berger was big as well. Sold quite a fair bit and also helped many as this promoted health.
• Insurance/Assurance - Don't bother, I almost lost friends from jokingly wanting to approach them. It is upfront NO!. I admit that I was not born to sell such products. I love my friendships too much.
• Amway/Cosway/Tupperware - Harder these days as every tom dick and harry is a member and they don't need you for further discounts.
• Jewellery - These are not cheap and usually people just buy it on a one-off basis unless you have a rich tycoon who buys diamonds from you every other month or even year. People feel an obligation to buy when it comes to friends but please don't as if they feel this way, they won't even show any interest which is worse. Alot of trust is needed.
• Festive cookies - A whole lot easier to sell be it friends, family or whomever.
• Electric stove - Too many brands out there and it is harder to stand out unless you do a home demo with an opposite sex to the potential buyer...like sending in Jamie Oliver to demo his cooking skills on the stove. Ladies love it and are blinded and buy it.
• Alcohol - Easy kill, when it's discounted its a seller. If it's rare and imported and good, it sells itself.

It is at times hard to part with the friendship, but sometimes a little bit of push might entice them to believe in your products and be your channel of passive advertising. How much is too much depends on yourself. You will feel guilt, shy, reserved, ultra confidence before they put you down and so on but you have to stay strong and believe in what you are doing. Take it as constructive criticisms and character building plus you are getting free knowledge.

The introduction of your venture is also an important event. The initial 'Hey I have something to share with you' is probably one of the most important times and usually using that line is an almost sure fail and the recipient's wall of skepticism builds up. Half the time they will be thinking of ways to reject you nicely. Unless you are selling a miracle or a real double-corn ride on the rainbow. The truth is you have nothing to SHARE but you have something to SELL! and it might not be of any use but just BUY it!.

I have been approached by many friends/acquaintances who want to sell me stuff or want me to join them. I feel there are a few approaches which I think almost got me. They pick their prey and pan out their words very carefully.

Such as...

(Someone selling insurance)

-'I've been in this business for donkey years and I am very flexible with my work hours. It is very satisfying when you can help someone to plan for their future. It is a small sacrifice for a lesser headache when you retire of if something happens to you and you leave your family with a large debt.' Ahem! I have no debts at the moment, I have no children, I have no job, I have way too many insurance.

- 'Oh, there is no such thing as enough in insurance. Even better when you can get your insurance premium paid for free if you recommend a potential to us to sign up or approach.' Geez that's like ME selling insurance just that you are doing the calls...

-'Come join my team, we work for XXX agency and we are one of the Top teams with alot of support and training. We will make sure you excel but you must be ready to work hard.

(Someone selling a car wash service)

-'When you come back to your car, it will be as nicely polished and waxed, you even get to have the products and do an upkeep at your own time. Low maintenance and easy'. I got caught up in this esp under the burning hot sun and a dusty car with bird poop. He did what he promised and gave me the stuff...years down the road I saw the similar product for AUD1.99 in BIG W. FML!

Anyway,

I guess the best approach is to present a like for like example, show some proof of the results, explain the hidden details no matter how bad it is. Be honest with what you are trying to sell and always tell them there is no obligations to buy. Most of the time I tell my friends that they are not obligated to buy and that any feedback or criticisms of the product is good for me, that way I can learn more and still maintain my precious friendships. Most of the time, you can tell if they will buy in the first 15 minutes, there after it is really on your skills and the product's magic to sell itself. Unless of cos you are selling an iPhone or Foxtel. 

Don't product push too much, you have to sell yourself as well. 

I hope I can make it working on my own as this is unbelievably SO NOT EASY!

Shingles - The painful ordeal

Just got diagnosed by the Dr that I am suffering from shingles. The photos are too gory and I will only post them up once I have recovered from this ordeal.

I am currently suffering from an outbreak of the shitty virus zoster which decided to grow some bobbas on my ribs.
Day 1 to 3

• I realised an itch under my bra line on the left of my ribs. Didn't think much about it. Just scratched it on and off. Thought I had a bed bug episode, even my husband thought so. Energy levels were weird, I was told that grumpy was my meal of the day.

Day 4

• The initial patch was getting redder now it was inflammed. Took a photo and whatsapp mom and she said I had shingles...Didn't think much.

Day 5

• Decided to go to the Pharmacy, and the pharmacist said yup its shingles and I should see a doctor but also told me to get some hydro-cortisone. After, I drove to the clinic and the doctor was happily poking my rash (no blisters yet) and confirmed it was shingles and prescribed me pain killers and cold sore cream. F*&K this time. Pain x 100

Day 6

• I could see some mini blisters coming out and some spread of small patches around the initial patch. This looks gross. Pain x 100, I want to use a cheese grater to grate it all out.

Day 7

• Feels like a 100 acupuncture needles are pricking me every few seconds. 
• Ticklish, pain, burning, festering, growing, drilling, itchy, hot, tight, sore and the list goes on.
• Inconvenienced by the fact that I can't slouch or sleep on the right side, bend over without letting it rub against. I have to sit up really straight or at a 45 degree position backwards.
• I feel disgusted looking at myself and its not helping that I keep taking photos to show my mom.
• I am in so much pain.

Day 8

• Popped one massive blister probably while in bed. Hurts like mother of all pain.
• The rest look really really intense red like its gonna pop anytime.
• The pain is more unbearable, had to pop 2 pain killers which ultimately knocked me out. 
• Found a Chinese Medical Centre while having dinner in Footscray and asked for some remedies, the owner of the shop gave me a concoction of 12 types of herbs and to eat it in powder form twice a day. He told me to boil honey suckle leaves and some roots to drink daily and to put the leftovers over my shingles.....and to stop applying whatever cream. (Apparently he to said ''those western pharmacy will ask you to apply deep heat sort of cream, it will make it worse''.)

Day 9 - I am writing a new post on this with gross photos....

Google being my best friend, meant that he remained my first point of research.

What I found out.

Internet facts:

1. Shingles usually affect elderly people more towards those >50. NO!!!! I am no where even near 35. I just found out a friend got it when he was 25 and on the face. Shingles knows no age.
2. Take anti-viral medications within 72 hours of onset of symptons. Why can't you give it to people who have not shown signs of little bubbles forming yet? When I went to the Dr it was only a slightly raised rash that was red and had not spread to other parts. But I was not given the meds. Dying here!!!
3. Take pain killers. I have been taking 6 tabs of panadeine/codeine in a day and I can still feel every burn/bite/pinch/drill/pain/itch/burrowing of the damn virus. All it did was make me sedate and not able to scratch.
4. Put some Eucalyptus / Tea tree oil to reduce itch/inflammation. The Eucalyptus oil did last for a good 1 hour and the tea tree oil lasted maybe 30 minutes and its back to pain/itch/burn bla bla bla.
5. Hydrocortisone. I bought Dermaid 1% no difference. Then I somehow stupidly bought Sigmacort which is also 1% no difference. The both looks the same, smells the same, texture is the same. Price is also almost the same. No diff. I used my brother's Efficort Lipocream and it does have a bit more of help in terms of lowering down the pin pains.
6. Aciclovir cream. This is some sort of cream for cold sores. Somehow I do not see how something for the cold sores on the face is gonna help the shits thats growing on my body in multiple folds. This is some anti-viral cream. I don't know what I am suppose to experience after applying it.
7. Mostly caused by stress and low immune system. For the past 3 over months I have not been working, I live in a non-polluted place, I practice good hygiene if not even more in the past few months due to minor minor OCD, I eat well, I hardly had fast food/take away. I had long sleeps and basically everything was just tops.
8. Only people who have caught chicken pox will get shingles. This is true. I even had the chicken pox jab prior to catching chicken pox and now this. Should I even go for shingles vaccination after this? 
9. Calamine lotion. Worked for 10 seconds and got more intense. I am guessing this is only good when the blisters have erupted like volcanoes spurting larva.

What my relatives say I should/shouldn't do based on the Chinese/neighbourhood/village way.

1. Do not eat chicken or eggs. I didn't really gave too much about that and guess what...for 3 days I tried to avoid and on the fourth I just had to eat that yukke ( Korean version of beef tartare) with raw egg. I only had a lil and when I got home, the surrounding skin around the blisters were all red and inflamed. Hurt like mad.
2. Chinese doctor. I apologise that I am about to call this guy mad, but he advised me to eat all the really toxic stuff like fried dried shrimps, prawn crackers, eat whatever actually and let the virus go full blown. He told me to even burn the tip of the needle and prick all the blisters and apply some sort of medication that my dad has DHL'ed to me. Hoh god! He must be insane.
3. Use toothpaste with mint. I have thought of using this but have not gone to the extent cause we use Sensodyne and I don't think its the one with mint.
4. Body is very heaty. This is one metaphor that no Western doctors can comprehend. What the hell is heaty. Well basically, when you have a lot of heat or I think dehydrated, have a temperature, feel hot inside, sore throat, eat alot of deep fried, fatty, spicy stuff. Anyway, when you are heaty, you get more shit. So I had watermelon, bananas, barley, fruit juices, vege soups, rice, easy to digest stuff like porridge. Hopefully to help ease the heat out. 
5. Don't stop the virus. I was advised not to use any medication or creams and just stick to pain killers. Dude, I am about to turn into a pain killer addict. I need more help.
6. If treated properly by the Chinese doctor, Shingles will not reoccur. In Chinese they call it ''growing snake'. The Chinese doctor will then use some sort of josstick/ fire on a stick to sort of smoke the snake out and kill it. They call it a snake cause it goes around . Whereas the Western medics say it does not go to the other side. Whatever. Plus the Western doctors never promised of nonoccurrence.

At this moment I would love any sort of remedy to reduce the pain. It's overwhelming.

Noob vs Windows 8

Just bought a new ASUS laptop with an Intel Core i5. I know I am outdated but who cares, not that I am running a series of servers or what nots. Anyway, its brain is inputted with Windows 8. 

Everytime I want to do things normally I have to click on DESKTOP ( The black coloured massive icon on the left)

All my programs are on the same ugly screen which I have to scroll all the way towards the left. Most times it just hangs and shows me those 5 stupid icons on the right.

But they decide to leave this the same...

The crap I am facing as a first timer using Windows 8 ( the last I used was Vista)

1. Everytime you want to launch a program, you have to go in search for it. It doesn't just pop up on the left  Start button like it used to.
2. The scroll is not smooth. Please stoppppp copying Apple.
3. F**k loads of pre installed apps and for the first time you have to either Disable Live feed or just uninstall it.
4. It feels like a badly created software of Apple. Ipad works faster than this shit.
5. Takes a longer time to load even with a 4GB Memory. (Don't ask me to upgrade).
6. This is my third day using it. For the past 2 days, it has gone 'RESTART' on me for 7 times without warning. Thanks to whatever bloody updates they have. BAD!
7. RESTART and laptop does not RESTART all the time. 3/7 times it just went OFF!
8. I believe its the software and not so much the brand of the PC.
9. It went BLACK SCREEN on me NOT blue, when I decided to CANCEL a download. 
10. Ctrl+Alt+Del does not work all the time.
11. I think its a frozen system as it takes 8 seconds for Chrome to load. The HELL!!!
12. Internet Explorer does not belong in the year past 2010.
13. If I had 100 programs do I need to scroll like forever?
14. I dunno where to find the ''RUN'' system icon.
15. I am too lazy to google how to use a Windows 8.

I need more time with this thing. If you have no patience please delay buying and using a Windows 8!

Stupid racist counter girl

Location: Woolsworth at Newmarket, Kensington , Victoria, Australia.

Girl: looks African to me

Item: Taro or Yam

Girl: what's this? ( has no idea what she is looking at )

Bro: it's yam.

Girl: ( pressing screen to find the item on the register )

Bro: can you try taro?

Girl: Taro? What's taro? ( continues pressing and asks if we wanted to get someone else to check.

Me: Just search TARO.

Girl: yeah Taro? Ya there is a taro.

She continues to put in the digits and said

" Yam is Chinese" and smirks!

What the fuck is up your stupid brain?

Just cause I'm Chinese doesn't mean I would stupidly speak in Chinese to you dumb ass!!!!!

When the fuck did Yam became Chinese?

That's racist to me with a stupidity on her part! Go back and learn some manners.