Have you got questions about moving to Ipoh?

I recently made a new friend. She was one of my blog readers and like me, had moved to Ipoh from KL.

Naturally, she had questions about the ins and outs of life in Ipoh. Having children around the same age as mine, she needed much the same information as I had sought when I first arrived in Ipoh. But back then in 2009, there was no blog writer offering friendly advice about Ipoh.

I have had several more enquiries from prospective Ipoh-residents-to-be, and I am ever so glad to assist in helping newbies to Ipoh transition as easily as possible. I only remember too well how I had to struggle to learn about Ipoh, despite having in-laws here.

This new section in my blog is for Ipoh-residents-to-be.

Welcome to IPOH!


(image from http://seeker-kianhin.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-ipoh-for-rest.html)  

Papaya Leaf Juice as Cure for Dengue Fever

I just saw a friend's "share" on Facebook today on an article about papaya leaf juice saving a patient who was critically ill with dengue fever.

I should have written about this episode earlier but now is as good a time as any.

My own daughter came down with dengue fever in the first year that we moved to Ipoh. Our house was built on virgin land, and all around us was still plenty of empty land filled with large shady trees, tall grass and shrubs. Peaceful and green yes, but also abuzz with wildlife, including mosquitoes.

It was of course harrowing when the diagnosis was made that my daughter had dengue fever. We admitted her into hospital straightaway and she was started on the drip.

At the same time, my maid (bless her) told me that back home in Indonesia, they would drink papaya leaf juice to cure dengue fever. I was game for anything. I have never had any aversion to traditional or folk medicine in the first place.

So at home, my maid plucked several papaya leaves, washed them with tap water and pounded them to squeeze out its bright green juice. Several leaves just yield one or two teaspoonfuls of juice.

We fed them to my girl. We mixed some honey into the juice because it is extremely bitter!

I can't remember what my girl's platelet count was that first night. But it was of course low. Some time after taking the juice it was  time to do another blood test. Her platelet count starting climbing up! She was discharged after 2 days.

We don't know the exact dosage of the juice to consume but my maid said just to drink as much as you can!

After my little girl recovered, I was also asking around on how to strengthen her ("poh" in Cantonese) general health after this episode. I was given advice by our insurance agent who herself recovered from dengue fever.

I was told to buy 2 frogs from the market and 3-4 small bitter gourds.

Double boiled frog and bitter gourd soup

• Clean the frog meat and cut it into medium-sized pieces. 
• Wash, remove the seeds and thinly slice the small bitter gourds. 
• Arrange the bitter gourd and frog meat in layers into a double boiler. 
• Add a small bowl of water and double boil it for about 1.5-2 hours. 
• Add some salt if you like (you may also add a few pieces of goji berry/ wolf berry and Chinese red dates)
• Drink the soup once a week for several weeks after recovery.

Dengue is rampant in this part of the world and there is yet no absolute prevention against it. But God has given us natural ingredients to counter it. I hope this traditional knowledge will help.

There are many other testimonials about the efficacy of papaya leaf juice: dengue-fever-remedy, Top7 natural remedies for dengue, why-pawpaw-leaves-juice-cures-dengue-fever.

>>>  I am updating my post today as I came across another folk remedy for dengue which sounds simple and interesting, and backed by testimonials.

One Filipino remedy is to use a common weed that we can find in Malaysia. It goes by many names - tawa tawa, snake weed, gatas-gatas, patikan - and it looks like this. I am sure you will recognise it instantly. You will probably have battled to pull it out of your lawn or crevices in your cement sidewalk or driveway.

The recipe for the tawa tawa tea can be found at tawa-tawa-dengue-treatment. I have copied it here:
• Take 5 to 6 whole Tawa Tawa plants. Cut off the roots
• Wash and clean
• Fill a pot with clean water
• Boil the Tawa Tawa for one minute in a slow rolling boil
• Cool
• Let the dengue fever victim drink only the Tawa Tawa water for 24 hours
• Sip 1 to 1.5 glasses of Tawa Tawa water every hour

Newest

The Institute for Medical Research in KL recently carried out research into the papaya leaf juice folk remedy, publishing their findings in March 2013, in an Egyptian-based medical journal called, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Hindawi Publishing Corporation.

“It can be concluded that the administration of 'carica papaya' leaf juice in dengue fever is safe and does induce the rapid increase in platelet count. It may play a valuable role in the management of dengue fever in the near future,” the Malaysian team wrote in their concluding remarks of the paper.

The news link for this report: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/papaya-tree-leaves-a-way-to-cure-dengue-062124867.html

(images from wikimedia.org and http://mui25.blogspot.com/2011/07/remedy-for-dengue-fever.html)

General Elections #13

This must be the most eagerly anticipated and longest awaited general election in Malaysia!

Today is March 1st and the leadership has yet to announce anything official. Sure, everyone is saying it has GOT to be this month.

With all the feel good news, good GDP growth for the country, not to mention all the $$ handouts to the rakyat over the last year or so, one would think the ruling government should be confident enough to call for elections.

I think, finally, with cyber-power allowing instant and free communication and dissemination of news/ views/ happenings, we are in a new era of knowledge and enlightenment. Leaders are now constantly kept on their toes. The slightest mistake or fauxpas or stupidity or insensitivity on their part will be immediately made known and shared hundreds of times before any damage control can hope to kick in.

That has got to be scary for political leaders.

As the rakyat, we have the right to expect the highest standards from our leaders.

For all the politicking and fight to win the elections, whether it be Barisan Nasional (BN) or Pakatan Rakyat (PR), what all Malaysians want is a capable, credible, clean and consistent government that works more than it talks to lead the nation into the future as a developed nation in the midst of economic and social challenges.

If any government of the day just got fat and lazy and didn't do a good job, it doesn't get elected again. A new government is voted in to serve the nation and to prove its worth. If that government doesn't deliver either, then it gets the boot too.

Simple. 

This is democracy.  

There's no need for anyone to get emotional or to whip out the racial card.

Malaysia's strength and unique allure is in its diverse racial and religious makeup.  

Grow your own herbs and spices

We feel like having asam laksa today, that spicy-sour and tangy fish-based soup noodle that's so Penang and so Malaysian! We all love it.

It's challenging to make mainly because of the amount of fresh ingredients required to produce that unique and powerful taste of asam laksa. And if you don't live in the SEA region, it would be difficult to source some of those leaves that are used.

I am slowly nurturing my herb garden so that I may have my own supply of fresh herbs whenever I need it. It's more convenient than having to run to the store or market for 1 stalk of lemongrass, for example!

The daun kesum (polygonum leaves) in the container on top and to the left of the chopping board  is an essential ingredient, otherwise you will not get that trademark asam fragrance. Then there is a large chunk of lengkuas (galangal), against which are resting 2 stalks of lemongrass.The pink buds are the buds of the torch ginger flower (bunga kantan). There's a whole bunch of mint leaves in the colander together with fresh red chilies and dried tamarind slices next to the pineapple.

Of the fresh ingredients, the daun kesum, lemongrass and galangal are homegrown!

It isn't that difficult to grow them, and you will draw immense satisfaction from the spice of your labour.

Growing daun kesum

• After buying a fresh bunch from the market and using the leaves, keep the stalks.
• Stand the stalks in a glass of water about 1 inch in depth.
• Keep them in a place where there is indirect sunlight.
• You may change the water daily to prevent any mosquitoes from breeding.
• After a few days, you should see roots forming. There may also be new green leaves. Let the roots grow to a substantial length (just some guess work will do).
• Transplant your daun kesum into a pot or straight into the ground in a sunny spot in your garden. Remember to water it.

Gingers and lemongrass

• These are easy to propagate plants. 
• Just get a medium sized rhizome to begin planting your collection of ginger plants.
• To ensure your success, choose a rhizome that has already sprouted some roots or shoots.

Ginvera Nutri White Marvel Gel

And so the experimentation with skin care products continues...by the way, I'm not paid in any way for writing these opinions and my opinions are true and frank (as always).

I've never used anything from Ginvera, until the end of last year when my son started sprouting pimples and black heads. He's at that age.

I used some scrubs on him but they didn't do any good in getting rid of his blackheads on his nose, and I'm too chicken to extract the black heads with the extractor as I'm afraid it might hurt his young skin.

Then my maid (bless her!) saw an advert on Ginvera Nutri White Marvel Gel with all the fabulous claims and she wanted to try it for herself (she has oily skin and occasionally  has pimple breakouts). She suggested that it might help my son too.

So off we trooped to Guardian pharmacy one evening and picked up the gel.

What Ginvera claims

That the Nutri White Marvel Gel is the 3rd generation of MARVEL GEL, which was first launched in 1991. It has been No. 1 in sales for 16 consecutive years in the dead skin and blackhead remover category.

Unlike others, this is the only dead skin and blackhead remover that can soften the deep layers of skin to remove dead skin cells and blackheads thoroughly and gently, without any heat or harsh polishing effect.

The gel:
• Thoroughly rubs away deep layers of dead and aging skin
• Removes blackheads without pain
• Removes dry, coarse, dull and dark skin
• Gives way to new born skin for fairer, finer and younger complexion
• Stimulates metabolism to lighten dark spots and pigmentation effectively
• Removes make-up
• Gradually lightens scars with regular use
• Enhances complete and quick absorption of skincare products
• Daily use reveals a smoother, softer, finer, fairer, more radiant and youthful skin

Directions

To be used daily on dry face with dry fingers. Squeeze a sufficient amount and dot on forehead, cheeks, chin, nose and neck. Massage about one minute. Must rinse off with water / facial cleanser after use.

I think...

.... that it does a fairly good job of exfoliating dead skin cells, and thus removing some of the blackheads that form as a result of clogged pores.

After massaging onto my boy's dry skin for the first time, it immediately formed little clumps, probably a mixture of the gel and dead skin. Rinsed off and cleansed his face as usual. After several times of using the gel, my dad-in-law remarked that my son's face had cleared up a bit and looked brighter/ cleaner.

I decided to try it myself. It feels like a very gentle scrub and the sensation of the little clumps forming is interesting. After that, the skin feels a lot smoother, not unlike the feeling after a thorough scrub and/or peel. But the gel is gentle and does not leave your skin red, unlike some harsher exfoliaters.

It's quite economical, at about RM19 for a 60 ml tube of gel. I got a new tube for myself so that I wouldn't have to share it with my son!

Update: Marvel Gels are all the rage now. With lots of cosmetic brands coming out with similar products, and Ginvera has another under their Green Tea series.

Roselle Syrup and Roselle Jam

This morning, my maid and I harvested a marvelous amount of roselle calyxes from our pair of roselle plants.

This is the second batch of roselle shrubs that we have planted. And they are a lot larger than our first roselle plants. This pair looks like they will continue to grow and live despite having given their bounty of deep red fruit. Whereas our first batch of roselle plants were single-season shrubs that died after they produced fruit.

My rottweiler busied herself sniffing around and occasionally seeking a pat while we were cutting off the fruit.

We then separated the calyxes from the little hard seed in the centre of the fruit. We plan to dry the seeds and keep them as our seed stock.

My maid (who taught me all about the roselle) then washed the calyxes and put them all into a large pot. She filled just enough water to cover the calyxes. We don't exactly have a specific recipe for roselle syrup or roselle jam, but whatever we do by approximation works!

The calyxes are boiled till they are soft, and lifted out of the deep red liquid. Add sugar to taste.

Then we used a potato masher to mash the softened calyxes to make the jam. Voila!

It feels great to have a bountiful harvest from my own garden to be made into delightful treats for the family to enjoy. Hope you will try your hand in growing roselle too. It is very easy to do in Malaysia, with enough sunshine and rainfall.  

Applying for Identity Card at the new UTC Perak

Wow! I've reached a milestone. Or rather, my son has.

He just turned 12 and is now required by law to apply for his Identity Card (IC) which all Malaysians are obliged to carry with them.

I would have gone to the National Registration Department in Meru but for the newly opened Urban Transformation Centre of Perak (UTC Perak). It was officially opened by none other than our esteemed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Friday, 15 February 2013, right spank in the middle of the Chinese New Year week.

So I told my son that we would get his new IC at the UTC Perak. He had wanted to go to Meru, which is farther out from where we live in Ipoh. You know how kids love to go for longer drives. Besides the Kompleks Pejabat Kementerian Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri in Meru is a large, newish and (still) clean building with ample parking in its compound. 

The UTC Perak on the other hand, is housed in the same old dated building as the wet market in town. It now occupies the empty and abandoned floors once home to the Super Kinta supermarket. "Yucks!" my son had complained.

UTC Perak

Contrary to my assumption that the market building would be quiet with ample parking below ground, all the parking bays were full! At 4pm on a Monday. We had to circle a few times before we found a spot to park. 

The moment the kids got out of the car, they smelled the market.

I assured them that the UTC would not smell inside. Anyway, it was a good chance for me to introduce them to the market where I buy my groceries from which all their meals come from! 

We got a little lost trying to find the entrance to the UTC so I decided to go the safe way and find the main entrance of the UTC which fronts the fresh chicken vendors. The people in charge had of course erected nice shiny metallic boards to block off the unsightly chicken stalls.

Once inside the UTC we walked around a bit and finally found the National Registration Dept. Departments of all manner can be found in the UTC so I guess you can get all your routine, boring and frustrating dealings with the authorities done at one place!

Applying for the Identity Card

To apply for your child's IC, you need to bring your child's original birth certificate and the parent's original IC. Then you fill up the form that the officer gives you.
 
Our queue number was 2486. I asked how many people were ahead of us and was told there were 60! It was already 4pm, but the officer told me that everyone with a queue number would be attended to before the close of business today. 

Hmmm, perhaps I underestimated the number of people who would be doing this kind of errand during the CNY holidays! Oh well, we were already there so there was nothing else to be done except to wait.

We hung around a bit to observe the pace of numbers being called up. They seemed to be moving along pretty well, almost one per minute. Too good to be true!

We had a snack at Mc Donald's and came back after 20 minutes. Our number came up pretty soon after. The lady officer sighted the original birth cert and my IC. She then took both my son's and my thumbprints. Then she sent us off for his photo to be taken and we were done by 5pm! I was told to come back for his IC in 3 days' time.

60 people ahead of us and all done in 1 hour. I was suitably impressed. 
 
Perhaps this all has to do with an election year (call me a skeptic!) The officers were even reasonably polite and friendly, as opposed to all the sour faces we are accustomed to seeing at government offices. Maybe dear PM Najib had given clear and present instructions that the rakyat is to be served with smiles, as we pay taxes (their salary!) and we vote!



(images from someecards.com and nst.com.my)
  

Chinese New Year and Lap Chun

This Chinese New Year, for the year 2013, will fall on 10th February, ushering in the year of the snake.

My parents always thought, and therefor taught me, that if one is born on or after the first day of the Lunar New Year, then the newborn's Chinese zodiac sign would be that of the new lunar year. But years later, in consulting a feng shui master for my parents' house, and having picked up a healthy interest in feng shui by then, my parents learned of the all-important "lap chun" day in the Lunar Calendar, which is the first day of spring. The new lunar year actually starts on this  "lap chun" day and not on the Chinese New Year day!

Very confusing, I know! Because then, we discovered that my son is actually a dragon and not a snake. A bonus! My son was born after Chinese New Year but before the lap chun date in the year succeeding the year of the dragon.

My inlaws were not aware of this little bit of Chinese feng shui knowledge but were very pleased when we told them their grandson is a dragon baby after all. My inlaws then chimed that there is always a dragon in the family. Ahemmm...............

Since the Chinese can be said to be obsessed with dragon babies, I found these lap chun calendar birth years for dragons from  born in the year of the dragon: 

• 09:16 Feb. 5, 1928 – 15:07 Feb. 4, 1929
• 07:07 Feb. 5, 1940 – 12:48 Feb. 4, 1941
• 04:52 Feb. 5, 1952 – 10:44 Feb. 4, 1953
• 03:04 Feb. 5, 1964 – 08:45 Feb. 4, 1965
• 00:39 Feb. 5, 1976 – 06:32 Feb. 4, 1977
• 22:42 Feb. 4, 1988 – 04:26 Feb. 4, 1989
• 20:40 Feb. 4, 2000 – 02:27 Feb. 4, 2001
• 18:22 Feb. 4, 2012 – 00:12 Feb. 4, 2013

Feng shui master Lillian Too simplifies all this by stating that lap chun almost always falls on February 4 every year (as is corroborated by the calendar of dragon years above). So, if one is born before February 4, your Chinese zodiac animal would be that of the previous year.

An example for further clarification that I found on skillon.com explains that when a child is born on 25 January 2012 ( a dragon year), does she belong to the previous year's Rabbit or the 2012 Dragon? The answer: she belongs to the Rabbit and not the Dragon. Why? This is because as long as she is born before “Lap Chun” which normally falls on 4th or 5th February, she still belongs to the previous year’s Chinese zodiac sign. This is always the case regardless when the date for Chinese New Year is. So, with Chinese New Year on 23rd January 2012 and “Lap Chun” only arriving on 4th February 2012, all those born between 4 Feb 2012 and 4th February 2013 (according to the able above, up to 12.12 am) belong to the Rabbit.

To further complicate matters, there are years in the Chinese calendar called blind year or double blind year, when there is no lap chun, hence no official start of spring! This happens when the Chinese New Year starts after 5th of February and ends before or after the first day of spring in the succeeding year. Needless to say, such years are said to be inauspicious, or perhaps, more challenging than usual.

Peanut Root Soup for Growth

It is a Chinese belief that making soup from the roots of the peanut / groundnut plant for children - usually male children - just before or round-about their puberty, will help them reach their full height potential.

I remember my Mom telling me this when I was about 11 or 12 years old. But she never made it for me as I am a girl. They didn't want a girl to grow too tall (hard to find a husband it seems!).

Fortunately, I am considered fairly tall for a Chinese girl, about 5 feet 6 (166 cm).

Having a boy and a girl of my own, with my boy soon turning 12 and with his voice breaking now, my interest in the peanut root soup was rekindled. Here in Ipoh, I asked a couple of friends and one said she did make it for her son.

No harm trying, I thought. A tall boy is better than a short boy, haha!
 
I looked up the net to see if others had tried this soup, and I found lots of people have! Some claim to have grown taller thanks to the soup while others say that it had no effect.

The Star newspaper had a writeup (answering a question) on this some time ago, and I have copied the information below:
I was informed by numerous people within the Chinese community that soup made from roots of peanut will help youngsters to grow taller, especially when given to them during their teen years, but it is not advisable to serve them the soup after they have reached 16. The roots are usually boiled with a young male chicken for three to four hours. Boys whose voices are starting to break are given three doses of the soup. Can you elaborate on this? – G.P. Ng
Not only peanuts popular in Chinese diet, but the seed coat, shell, leaves, stem and roots are useful as well. Peanut is commonly used in making soup. Boiling it together with barley, red date and si seg makes a cheap yet nutritious soup that supplies essential nutrients for the young and aged.

The nut and roots of the peanut are used to make nutritious soups.

The seed coat of peanut, especially those red in colour, is used to treat problems concerning blood and bleeding. Peanut shells are included in prescriptions for treating cough. Boiling fresh peanut leaves in water and drinking the concoction before bedtime is to ensure a good night’s sleep. However, there is no scientific report on how soup made from peanut root would affect the growth of children.

On the other hand, in recent years, several healthful components were found in both matured and young peanut roots. Researchers at National Chiayi University, Taiwan, have identified resveratrol in matured peanut roots (J. agri. food chem., March 2002).

Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant found in red wine. It has been touted as a health component with many healthful benefits including preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

A glucose-specific protein-like substance known as lectin has also been isolated from peanut seedling roots (Indian J. of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Dec 1993). People who are lectin-intolerant may have problems ingesting foods such as soya, wheat and legumes.
Would drinking peanut root soup during the teens help to increase immunity or decrease allergy problems in growing children, promote better health and even make them grow taller? These need to be investigated further. Nevertheless, the soup is very tasty and adults enjoy it too!
*********

I made my peanut root soup with the following ingredients (advised by friend):

• 1 bunch of peanut roots (fresh or dried)
• 1 black chicken (cut into large chunks)
• 7 black shitake mushrooms (the black ones Chinese use all the time)
• 1 litre of water
• salt to taste

After washing the roots thoroughly, as well as washing and soaking the mushrooms beforehand, I put all the ingredients together and boiled for about 2 hours.

My son didn't mind the taste. It tasted rather earthy and "roasted" to me! My friend said to just make this soup once for my son, but after reading the Star, maybe I'll make it for my son twice more. Believe it or not!

(images from annieliciousfood.blogspot.com, treehugger.com, ars.usda.gov)

Grandparents raising grandchildren

I was flipping through an older edition of The Star on my I-pad while waiting for my son outside his tuition teacher's house.

Da-dee-dum, then the article with the picture of a bespectacled Grandma wrapping presents with her grand-daughter popped up. The article was entitled, "Raising grandchildren can be hard on grandparents' health".

I reproduce an excerpt from the article here:
Two years ago, Ruth Maxey was raising six children, including twin granddaughters, a niece and the girl’s three siblings. She was also in her 60s. It got to be too much, and in January 2011, Maxey had a stroke, not long after she retired from a demanding job as a hospital administrator. She has high blood pressure, which is a risk factor, but “I’m sure the job and raising the kids and the rippin’ and runnin’ had something to do with it,” she said.

My own parents are in their 70s and my mom is still the granny-nanny. She was nanny to my kids until my elder boy turned 7 and my little girl turned 3, then I stopped work and looked after my own  children. At that time, my parents were only in their 60s. That was 5 years ago.

A difference of 10 years makes a big difference in the level of an elderly persons' capabilities - hearing loss, vision impairment, gait abnormalities, cognitive decline, reduced energy levels. A geriatrician said that grandparents face significant emotional and physical challenges as they try to keep up with toddlers, pre-schoolers and teenagers.

I have looked up several granny-nanny stories online, and all the grannies say that while they love their grandchildren to bits, they also admit that caring for them does take its toll on their health and emotional and social well being. Some of there grannies have their grand kids live with them on a full time basis, due to financial constraints faced by the parents or a breakdown in the relationship of the parents. Those situations, I believe, put even greater strain on the grandparents, but things being as they are, sacrifices need to be made.

My own mother dotes on her 2 toddler grandsons whom she babysits, but age is catching up with her. Her movements are slower, she complains of aches and pains, falls sick easily and does not have time for her own social and personal activities. That someone even asked my mom, "But what else have you got to do??" made me mad. That was such an unkind, stupid and selfish question to ask. Everyone has a right to his or her own time, to take care of their own personal matters, to have a morning stroll, chat with friends and go to church. Especially at 74.

I am very grateful for my parents' help in looking after my children when I was building my career, when we could not yet afford to be a single income family. Today, I just want my mother to be able to enjoy her old age, and to enjoy her grandchildren without the burden of caring for their daily needs.