Cold can cause back pain!

So I've been having a slightly sore back for a while, maybe a week. I didn't think much of it because it was at the most annoying and it wouldn't bother me that much so I just ignored it. I was thinking it was probably my awfully soft bed (though most comfortable!) but probably not too good for the spine...possibly.
Then yesterday afternoon I went to the gym and all of a sudden it became more than just a nuisance and was becoming really a hindrance to my workout and posture, I had a slight problem straightening my body! But it was still manageable so I finished my workout and then met a friend for drinks, I had an ice-blended drink - big mistake! And it was also raining heavily so the weather wasn't helping. I started having runny nose and next thing I know I have a cold and awful back pain!
My question is, whether the sore back a few days before was a sign or was it just a coincidence? But it was no coincidence that it suddenly became really painful when I had full blown flu. So I looked it up on the net and guess what? Tons of people had the same symptoms! A lot of people apparently have lower back pain when they have a cold! Some too panadol and others painkillers but generally they seem to not work that well, a few suggested having a hot water bottle pressed against the area to alleviate the pain and it worked for me...while the water bottle was hot, but this morning when I woke up the pain was still there, though after stretching a bit and loosening my back up it's slightly better but I still can't make sudden movements. It's amazing how fragile our bodies are if you think about it, it feels like I've suddenly aged 40 years!

Trucks of death..

I can never understand how in the movies, trucks can just come out of nowhere without a sound to hit someone or someone's car. I mean yeah it is a very effective technique to shock people but actually it doesn't make sense at all. And the more times I see it in movies the more I find it preposterous that there are directors or writers still employing this old and tired movie trick for a cheap shot at scaring people (perhaps waking them up from being bored to death by the movie?) I think they should dig deeper to find more original and creative ways rather than resort to such a cliched by-the-book trick..

Superstition and tradition...irrational?

I wonder what is it about tradition that motivates people to follow it. It's Chinese New Year right now as I write this and there's all sorts of chinese beliefs and superstition such as not cleaning house during this season because one might sweep away one's luck, and one should cut his or her hair before the celebration (I forgot the reason for this) to the tradition of buying and wearing new clothes because it's supposed to be a 'new' year. You would think these are such antiquated practices but I was surprised to learn that a lot of people still practice it..maybe out of fear in case the superstitions turned out to be true? I guess in this day and age of science, people have not changed much in their thinking and dare I say..rationality?

Licking the knife..

My friend and I were talking, as usual, about guys...and we got to talking about turnoffs for us. We're by no means perfect but everyone has some pet peeves and annoyances, and beyond that just 'crimes' that simply offend our sensibilities on a personal level so greatly that it may even cause us to rule out a potential mate..

For him it was 'licking the knife', apparently some very uncouth and uncultured people have to idea how to use cutlery properly and end up sticking the whole knife in the mouth when eating. The thought of it is hilarious and while to me it would be considered a minor offence, to him it was a deal-breaker and he simply decided he would rule out the guy.

For me it is burping. I hate indiscriminate burping and while I do find it so offensive, I'm a (very :) understanding guy generally and wouldn't consider it a deal-breaker, however if it happens often (which it probably would) then it would seriously affect my 'long term enjoyment' of the person's company!

Whatever it is, we all have things we can't stand, and while I always advocate compromising for the sake of 'bridging the gap', sometimes licking the knife just won't do!

Please save Malaysia!

I know I haven't written here in a while and while there are tons of reasons why I should continue (like not wanting to deprive the world of my rantings lol) I thought I should talk about this, I mean it's such an important issue; countries and governments have risen and toppled due to this and it is the VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.

I just attended a political rally for the opposition on Sunday and there were some damn passionate speakers ther. There were people of different races, gender (sexual preference too!) and all were united in speaking out against the injustices of the ruling government that has been in power for far too long (nearly six decades!) resulting in large scale corruption without fear of reprise and that is just wrong!

No government is above the law and hopefully the people of Malaysia will be united in taking down the present government that have dragged Malaysia through the mud along with its citizens. Vote the Opposition! Save Malaysia!

Unscrupulous people

The tactics people resort to nowadays to close a sale..I was approached by a 'representative' from EON Bank (for those of you not from Malaysia it's one of the local banks here) and he wanted me to sign up for their credit card, telling me that there is a 50% on every movie ticket that I buy. Now the movie buff in me of course is going 'what?! Yipee! Now I can watch movies for half the price all the time!' Then the rational part of me sets in and wonders what's the catch, so I ask the guy and he said there's no catch, 50% for tickets and 10% for dining at the Cafe there.

Fine so I sign up and then later on when I was expecting my card, I was informed by a friend that he got duped because there was a $60 limit on the discounts, meaning about 10 tickets after I would no longer have the discount! By that time it was too late and the bank had already approved and issued the card and it was en route for my collection. So I tried to cancel it but they said I would still have to pay the $50 compulsory fee by the government! I told them that's not fair as I was tricked into signing up but they just would not hear it.

So I had no choice but to activate the card and now have to use it 3 times a month in order to have the $50 deducted. What pisses me off the most is that these unscrupulous salespeople think they can get away with this kind of nonsense. I made an official complaint and after a week the guy called me and didn't even apologize or sound humble and just continued to argue with me! Needless to say I gave him a big piece of my mind and wished him ill because people like that deserve it for treating people like fools. It's just terrible that people are so unethical nowadays. And worse is I suspect the bank may even be aware of this and not doing anything about it!

In or out?

I'm not sure what to make of America's penchant for airing their dirty laundry in public. Is it as therapeutic as they think or more damaging to the self esteem in the long run? I saw a woman who was an alcoholic talking about her experience 2 years ago when she was a drunk and misbehaving and it was all taped for the Oprah show and shown on national tv. Today she is not an alcoholic anymore, but she's lost her whole family after the show and I'm sure faced a lot of stigma. Was it all worth it? She got better, probably due to social pressure...but at what cost? I suppose the road to recovery very often comes at a price...