Quit Smoking Anyone?

Quit Smoking Anyone? - Sharing my experience

The Background.

The other day, I bumped into an old uni mate at Clarke Quay. Could tell he was happy to see me and I was wondering why. Turns out he thought I came out for a smoke and he found a smoke-break-buddy. But when I told him I have stopped smoking completely since August 2005.. He looked heart-broken. Guess no one would have thought i would have quit.

I was a smoker for 19 years since secondary school. Basically I grew up smoking and my whole adult life had smoking built in to my daily life. 3 packs a day was a norm.

There was not a single day of my life that I did not smoke. The first thing I reached out in the morning was for a smoke. I made sure I had a spare packet the night before. Waking up without a cigarette before breakfast was unbearable.

Watching movies in cinemas was a drag cuz 30 minutes without a smoke was unbearable. Exams? I will take toilet break and would finish a paper sooner so that I could go for a smoke. Heck I am even convinced myself that smoking can cure migraines cuz I stopped having migraines when I smoke.

So anyway, I have decided to share my experience on quitting smoking. Hope it benefits someone you may know.

Some Things I personally experienced when I was quitting smoking..

1) How do you cope with stress if you cannot smoke? I used to always have a smoke when I am tensed, nervous, excited etc.

It is not the cigarette that helps you calm down Actually what happens when we take the smoke break is that we change our mental focus away from the immediate situation that is causing tension/nervousness/excitement. It is not the actual cigarette that calms you down but rather the mental focus. So find something else to mentally focus on. For example, you can start thinking about me being naked.

2) The mouth and tongue starts having weird tastes.

This is not nicotine craving or any withdrawal symptom related reaction. It is just basically your mouth/tongue/taste buds rediscovering how it is like to start tasting again. Years of smoking has numbed the taste tissues that the return of the taste sensations tastes weird

3) The tips of your fingers/toes start to tingle and has this smooth crispy sensation. My hands started to tremble at some point a few times..

This again is NOT a nicotine craving/withdrawal symptom related reaction. It is the feeling of blood finally flowing to the tips of your fingers once again after being restricted by the harmful chemicals. Your blood pressure is becoming normal. This sensation will pass eventually (Actually I enjoyed the tingling sensation).

4) Initially the body seem to tire easily/ or you feel sleepy often.

What is happening is that your body is getting used to a healthier you. Taking short naps will help. I also remember sleeping 14hours once even though i didnt do anything particular tiring. Basically the body needs to adjust. After a week, it is would just be mainly mental and psychological.

5) Taking each hour/day/week as it comes – taking little steps.

Initially, I started congratulating myself after every hour. Going past the 4 hour mark was a milestone as the nicotine in our bodies would be cleared and our bodies would start craving for nicotine. What we crave for is not the cigarette itself but the nicotine within the cigarette. Going one day is another milestone that I would reward myself.

6) Daily Habits

This was probably one the toughest part cuz smoking is part of a smoker’s daily routine. We just need to consciously replace smoking with another activity that suits us. For example

Morning wakeup cigarette. – This was the toughest for me personally. I had to resort to eating anchovies.

Post Sex cigarette smoke – Go for another round.

Anyway, the point is to replace the smokes with another activity that will be a substitute. I remember writing a list of substitute options for each regular smoke-break habit.


7) Remembering your personal and other reasons for quitting

The personal motivating factor for me then was i was going through a period of multiple crisis which actually broke me. I was utterly defeated. Quitting smoking was the best way i could redefine myself to make a comeback of sorts. It was a mental challenge i gave myself. Quit Smoking and I am BACK! It may be lame to some people but it worked for me.

8) Believe your body will cope and adjust, the rest of the challenges are just mental and psychological

Remember the first time you started smoking? You body rejected the cigarette when you coughed and when you felt giddy. Your body then started adjusting to the poison you were feeding yourself. Smoking was never the natural state but your body adapted to it. When you quit smoking, your body will also adapt to the new state without the nicotine though it will just take time(about a week). The rest of the challenges are just mental and psychological which means it is a choice you have to make.


Anyway, thats all for now. Got to go back to work.

The Bro Code

THE LEGEND----DARY BRO CODE.... Inspired by Barney!!!


1. If a girl falls into the following criteria, she is off limits forever until the end of time:

A. Is your bro's mother.
B. Your bro specifically told you he wanted her.
C. Is your bro's sister.
D. Was a serious ex-girlfriend of a bro.

Cousins and stepmothers are fine..........

2. A bro is always prepared to offer wingman services at all times. In addition, a Bro shall, whenever possible, provide his Bro with protection.

3. Should a Bro be near to closing with a girl, his Bro shall do anything within his means to ensure the desired outcome, up to and including the seduction and distraction of said girl’s wildly unattractive cousin / friend / mother

4. Fancy Birthday and Christmas presents for your bros are optional. Beer always makes a great gift.

5. Never drink the last beer, unless you've been granted specific permission that it's OK.

6. A Bro always reciprocate a round of drink(s) among Bros. If the other bro is temporarily out of money or left his wallet at home drinks can be lended but must be repaid, later that night by wingman services or any other act of entertainment or at the next gathering.

7. If a Bro suffers pain from a permanent dissolution of a relationship with a lady friend, a Bro shall offer nothing more than a “that sucks, man”, "fark it" and quantities of beer. A Bro will also refrain from commentary – deserved or not – regarding said lady friend for a period of three months.

8. A Bro shall never reveal the score of a sporting event to another Bro until that Bro has thrice confirmed it’s cool.

So there you have it, my fave selection of the bro-code..................

So Proud!

We just had our 43 national day and our Singapore Olympic Table Tennis Team (some say the China "B" team) have ended Singapore's wait for an Olympic medal after 48 years. It is truly time to feel proud.

We should indeed be proud our country is doing so well that our sisters and women do not need to go overseas to work as maids.

We should also be proud that our elderly also do not need to go overseas to work too but instead can stay here in Singapore to pick up used cans, sell tissues or work at food courts in their golden years

I could go on and on about what other things we can proud about but my teachers used to tell me not to be too proud so i should stop here.

Whats my point?:
The measure of the success of a society is not how the young and able thrive, but how it takes care of the old and weak. (Flying XQ August 2008)


Carpe Diem, Memento Mori

Fountain of Youth

This is a special repost from my frenster blog for a friend :)

Was talking to some new friends how young i was and hey.. both guessed that i was in my late 20s. Wooooo Weeeeeee.... either they were trying to be polite or alcohol has become a fountain of youth.

Anyway, that made me think about one fundamental theory i had in my 20s then about people we know/come across/play marbles with/kissed/fought with/dance with............ Here is how it goes.

1/3 of the people we know or know us will always love/accept/accomodate and react generally positive towards us regardless of what we do.

1/3 of the people we know basically dun care what we do and are basically neutral towards us in spite of how we try to impress.

1/3 of the people we know or know us will always bitch/dislike/talk down and generally react negatively against us no matter how we try to manage their perceptions.

Where do you wanna focus your life energies on?. Think About it.

XiaoQiang Original Quote of the Day:

No Task in life occurs under ideal or perfect circumstances, everything and i mean EVERYTHING has to done under less then ideal circumstances. Wait for the circumstances to fall in place, and you will do nothing!

Carpe Diem, Memento Mori! (seize the day, remember we are mortal)

Coping with Rising Costs of Living

Oil Prices up, Food Prices up, Minister Salaries Up . Everything Up but our income never go up so how?

I have decided to do up a list of things I could do to manage the running-away prices.

1. Dun order drinks when you eat out at foodcourts. Drinks are the most mark-up item in the menu. Bring your own water bottle. (This I think I can do)

2. Stop having sex.- Saves on condom, contraceptives and tissues (This I dun think I can do)

3. Shower once a day (This I am not saying whether I will do)

4. Share your internet access with your neighbours (this I cannot tell you if am doing cuz I think it is illegal)

5. Cancel your cable and watch tv for free on the internet with china channels, bittorrent (this I am already doing).

6. Do your own laundry – Save water bill, washing machine electricity bill, and it is good exercise.(this got time then I do)

7.Stop smoking (This I already done…lolzzz)

8. Stop drinking beer and liquor (this I am not going to do, lolzzzzz)

9. Rice expensive then eat more potatoes aka kanteng (Who knows, maybe our spoken English can improve)

10. And Finally, sleep more – the one human activity that is truly free (This I love doing!)

So there you have it. My starter’s kit on how to cope with rising costs! Have a great week ahead!

Carpe Diem, Memento Mori (Seize the day, Remember we are Mortal)

Double EyeLid Glue. Part II (Before and After Pics)

Well, there were frens who asked for the "before and after" pics on the double eyelid glue and its effects... so here you go


This below is "Before"!!!






And this cuter one below is AFTER!!!




And do check out the lip balm/lip gloss on the second pic.... nice or not?

Personally methinks this version looks like a possible huggable teddy-bear-bolster version.............

hmmm merchandising possibilities awaits.......... something like this perhaps?




Have a Great Week Ahead!

Double EyeLid Glue? Anyone?

Hahaha... never thought the day would come where i post a cosmetic entry in my blog... but here it goes................

Anyone thinking of getting a double eyelid?

My younger sister had a tube of double eyelid glue which she never used cuz she already got such nice eyes(bopian take her glue and use so i must say nice things).

Anywayz, so she had a double eyelid glue but didnt really use it. So in one of those brother-sister crap toking session, double eyelid glue was mentioned and i gamely tried it out and hey presto! IT WORKS....

Doesn't make me an adonis, but it does make my eye look bigger and more alert as well.

The brand is called Koji EyeTalk and is available as Sasa and some Watson stores. And for those who wanna find out how it looks like or use it. Here's the link

http://www.koji-honpo.co.jp/makeup/movie/eye_talk_300.html

Further research online revealed that Koji EyeTalk is one of the better eyeglue brands around in the market.

And apparently there were cases of people actually developing "natural" double eyelids after regular usage for about 2-3 years. Goal 2010 here i come.... provided i actually continue using it till then.........

And no, i am not turning gay yet (Dun let the pink text mislead you) Lolzzzz