Sunday, July 23, 2006

With so many of us ill, falling ill and in the presence of people who are ill, and with the very important choral exam coming up, I strongly recommend all choir members to do this:

1. Drink 1 full litre of water at one go. If you are able to drink more, drink 1.5 litres. It should be plain water, so everything else doesn't count. Preferably room temperature too.
2. Wait a while, and then when you have to, go to the toilet and "pee it out".
3. Drink 1 more litre of water also at one go, or at least half a litre if you can't manage another full litre. Yes, you'll feel a bit full, that feeling clears in a short while.
4. Go to the toilet when you have to.

This is a good, fast natural way to flush out toxins from your body, and that can alleviate illnesses and speed up the recovery of those who are already ill. Research has proven that this also clears up your complexion and helps those who are weight conscious because water is a natural detoxifier and drinking more water clears water retention.

1. Avoid spicy food, and keep chilli consumption to a minimum
2. If you must suck cough drops, do not take strepsils (any flavour) or anything with eucalyptus oil in it. This is because these sweets actually increase the problem rather than help it. A good cough sweet to get is called "Difflam" and can be found in pharmacies. If you want something to feel better, drink honey water (Manuka honey or the 'blur' honey that is opague is excellent for this) or drink fresh starfruit juice. Most sweets do more harm than good.
3. It is better to cough rather than to clear your throat. When you cough, your vocal chords open and close, but when you clear your throat (AHEM!!!) your vocal chords slam against each other. In the long run, it damages your voice.
4. Ensure that you get at least 7 hours of non-stop sleep. That means official bedtime for all choir members is now 11.00pm... which is difficult (for myself and Mr Goh as well), but part of the discipline of being in a choir.
5. And please do not stress your voice by shouting and screaming. You are singers and your voices are your prized possession. Treat your voice like you would a very expensive piano or violin that you paid thousands of dollars to be able to use.

Monday's (24/7) practice is cancelled, as Mr Chen and I are unable to hold the practice. I suggest you take a rest from all things choir on Monday and Tuesday as we are going full steam for the rest of the week... This is the schedule as follows:

And for a post-exam treat... I will do a film-screening of RENT-THE MOVIE during the choir practice time on the Friday immediately after the exam - we can use my classroom and you can potluck food for a simple celebration. Is still official CCA time so this is not an optional thing. We will not have a party that soon after the exam as we'll be EXHAUSTED... parties can always come later and we want to have a day when Mr Goh, Mr Chen, Mr Nah and hopefully Mr Lai and all 3 of the choir teachers will be able to be there.