Times have changed to the worst.

The other day, I overheard someone said that she had to work three jobs to live.  While I do not know what this woman's personal circumstances were, holding three jobs at the same time can be a very demanding proposition which is harmful to our health.  This also reminded me of my days attending a State-funded university.

Like many of my school mates, during the summer months of those learning years, by necessities I had also taken on extra work to help defray the tuition and living expenses for the coming semester.  And I did find the experiences of juggling a couple of jobs at the same time stressful and exhausting.  But when comparing with what this person's taxing employment arrangement, my multi-job day for a couple of months was a breeze.

First, in those good old days, finding a summer job was not difficult at all.  Then, tuition fees at State colleges were almost free.  At that time costs of living in general were also more manageable than it is now.  We might have attended a few home-coming football games between semesters.    Most of my fellow-students and myself had neither the time nor pocket money for any other extra curriculum activities on campus.  We neither smoked nor drank.  None of us could afford an apartment by him or herself.  We all had to work extra hours during the summer months.  And yet all of us had managed to graduate as planned without a cent of debts attached to our well-deserved diploma.

Now, let us hope this poor woman will manage to get out her job doldrums soon.  -  Ayee

Food for Thought - Greek Yogurt

A couple of days ago, I got a glimpse of Dr. Oz's show on television.  The subject of that portion of the show was about yogurts.  And its many benefits to our health.   I realized the products promoted on the show are for commercial purposes.    But the simple and straight forward knowledge Dr. Oz dispensed on the show is quite informative. Although I seldom watched Dr. Oz's show in the past,  this is not the first time I wrote about Dr. Oz on my blog.  The previous Dr. Oz show I watched  was about herbal tea. It seems Dr. Oz  has a special interest in relating nutritious foods to good health.  Since I am  a firm believer in proper diet, I shall start to pay more close attention to Dr.Oz's  learned advices from now on. - Ayee

It's time for a siesta!

When the temperature reaches 80-plus Fahrenheit, I can think of nothing but looking for a place to shelter myself from the scorching sun.  During these dog days of summer, air-conditioners and electric fans were yanked up to their maximum capacity in both private and public places.  But relief in air-conditioned rooms is both temporary and limited.  It appears to me the summer days are getting hotter each year.  And we all know how uncomfortable it can be when stepping out of an air-conditioned car on a sweltering day.  Besides the need of immense amounts of energy to power them, the air-cooling appliances we use today also emit extra heat into the  atmosphere.

So instead of using or inventing more "smart" apparatuses to cool us down, we should follow what some Spanish speaking people have done for centuries.  I read in Wikipedia that some people in countries with Spanish influence still observe this old tradition that was practiced many centuries ago under the rules of  the Spanish Empire.  Each day they close their shops at noon for a couple of hours.  So eveyrone can take a breather or two from the hottest hours of the day.

What a aplendid ideal!

Ayee

PS This piece was meant to publish in July after that unbearable heat wave that melt some hard candies that I kept in a glass jar.