Category Archives: Personal

Donate blood, save life

Posted on November 7, 2011 | 8 comments

Did you know 1 in 3 people need blood? But despite this only 1 in 30 people will donate blood.

–         Australian Red Cross Blood Service

The first time I went to donate blood, they weighed me and said “You are underweight to donate blood.” 

It was a bit embarrassing but I couldn’t do anything about it then. 

After a few years, I tried again and yeeepiii, I was eligible to donate blood. 

Since then I have been donating blood nearly every three months if I am in Sydney and AS has been donating blood since he came here. He used to do it before as well but not in a regular basis but now both of us do it regularly. 

 I just got an email and my next donation is next Monday. I am looking forward to it as it feels good that I am doing my small bit to help someone who needs blood to be alive.

For those of you who have never given blood, you should consider it as it is not difficult or even painful. All you have to do is go to a collection location which can be easily found on the Red Cross websites. Make sure you have a good meal and plenty of water before you go. You need to go there with a form of identification and they will give you a questionnaire to fill up. Once you have filled it up, they will interview you regarding your general health, check haemoglobin levels and blood pressure to ensure you are eligible to donate blood.

 Then you lie down on a bed, they will put a needle in the vein (believe me it is not painful, you won’t even feel it) and take out about 470 ml of the blood and all done.

 They even provide snacks after you give blood. Normally it is a piece of fruit, some chocolates and water so once you are done you sit down in the waiting area for 15 minutes, have the snacks, make sure you are ready and fit to go back.

The whole process takes around 60 minutes for the first time and if you donate regularly, it will take around 30 minutes as you don’t have to do the long interviews again when you have a Donor card.

My blood donor card

 Here are the few facts from Red  Cross Australia website 

Who can give blood ?

 Most people are able to give blood if they:

  • are fit, healthy and not suffering from a cold, flu or other illness at the time of donation or in the previous 7 days
  • are aged between 16-70 years (in QLD and WA 16-17 year olds require parental consent)
  • weigh more than 45kg (16-17 year olds need to weigh more than 50kg)
  • are prepared by having plenty of liquid the day before donation, especially in warm weather. In addition, in the 3 hours before donating, please drink at least 3 good-sized glasses of water/juice.
  • eat something in the 3 hours before donating
  • bring ID. Please bring at least one form of photo identification.

 And here are some more interesting facts

  • negative blood is universal and can be given to anyone
  • Platelets have a shelf life of only 5 days
  • 470ml of blood is collected when you donate blood
  • Australia has one of the safest blood supplies in the world
  • Within 24-48 hours of giving blood, your blood volume is completely restored
  • You can donate double platelets- helping twice as many people

Hope you will consider giving blood and save 3 more life. 

 

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My Halloween Theme Birthday Party

Posted on November 2, 2011 | 13 comments

I have to admit marriage has more perks than problems. It gave me two brains to think with and four hands to work with, when I needed it.

As I had mentioned on my previous post (Need some help with Halloween food!), we were planning a Halloween themed birthday party for me. It was last Saturday and I am so glad that I had AS with me to help with the cooking and the decoration.

I was joking with AS that he was taken over by some Halloween ghost because for weeks leading to the party, all he talked about was how he wanted to decorate the apartment. He had this vision and I helped him and the end result was awesome!

Everyone was so impressed with what he had done with the decoration. We had our window in the living room decorated with Halloween silhouettes. He spent lots of time making this. We also had a big cloth painting of the Grim Reaper with red eyes and a scary voice.

The best decoration was in the bathroom, behind the door. He used a mask like in Scream with my long leather jacket and black plants. Then he had this Halloween plastic knife which looked like it had blood coming out of it, and he attached it to the hand of this spooky figure. Many of my friends got a fright when they went to the loo. 😀

I was really happy with my friends and family when they too got into the Halloween spirit (pun intended) and dressed up for my birthday party. They came as the devil, a vampire, a witch and many more scary and ghostly apparitions for which I don’t even have names 🙂 . A picture speaks a thousand words, they say, so I will let you decide what they were for yourself

Even the cake was spooky with eyeballs, ghosts and pumpkins.

Overall I had the best birthday ever especially when AS surprised me with the wonderful ring that he got for me.

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Need some help with Halloween food!

Posted on October 17, 2011 | 2 comments

At the end of this month, it’s my birthday and every year I organise a party to celebrate it. I know it is a bit lame to organise your own birthday party but I want to enjoy my birthday, so there! 🙂

Anyway this year, I am planning a Halloween theme party and I have already invited around 20 of my friends.

Halloween is not as big in Australia as it is in US or Europe. Only recently, some shops have started to sell Halloween customs and decorations.

We went shopping yesterday so we have bought our costumes and decorations. AS is going to be Count Dracula and I am going to be Devil Woman. We bought a few skulls, bats, some wall decorators, a big skeleton, some eye and witch shaped chocolates, Halloween themed table cloth, plates and napkins.

I think I won’t be able to buy any Halloween food as I didn’t see any in the shops yet. So I was thinking I should make some myself but I am not sure what kind of food is served in Halloween. I have Googled for some answers but most of the recipes seem too complex. If anyone has any easy recipes, please let me know. Need help real bad!!!!

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In every person a child is hidden that wants to play!!!

Posted on October 13, 2011 | 3 comments

Yesterday we were invited to my cousin’s (K’s) place for dinner along with some other friends. One of the friends got my nephew an Angry Bird Game and we bought him some play dough.

Angry Bird

Once we were settled, the boys helped my nephew to open his gifts. My nephew loves to play Angry Bird on mobile phones so one of my friends opened the game to show the little guy how to play the real game But I think he enjoyed it  so much while giving the demo, that he kept on playing. Then it was AS and my brother who joined him and I followed. 🙂

It was really fun. I guess we were having more fun than my little nephew. I think he got bored quickly after we finished our game and he started making a train with the birds and piggies soon after.

That was just the beginning of our “Play kid” day. I thought I will show my nephew some play dough trick as he watches “Mr. Maker” all the time. But at the end of the night, it was us who had more fun with the dough than the kid. My friend taught me how to make an elephant, and I made the head of dinosaurs, and some Angry Birds. My friends were also making ice cream, flower, flag, and anything they could think of.

 I guess we are never too old to play Angry Bird and Play dough. There is still a child in every person that wants to play.

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