How not to get sea sick

I went to my hometown for the Christmas break. While the family gathering was fun, the trip back could have been a lot better.

I traveled by boat on my way back, and I (thankfully) slept through most of the trip. I woke up feeling a little dizzy sometime later though, as I felt that the boat was being tossed by huge waves. I wasn't expecting any turbulence at all, the sea was calm when the boat left the port (I jokingly told myself that if I were Jesus, I would have commanded the wind and the waves to be still at that point.)

The other passengers were getting seasick, and having experienced the same thing many times before, I resolved to conquer the blasted thing. I usually take a pinch of salt with me when I travel, because someone once told me that salt helps prevent nausea. So I ingested a little amount of salt and it helped a little, as I was getting a bit nauseous then.

My martial arts teacher taught me that breathing is key when performing a great technique, so I decided that it might help me. So, every time the wave moved up (on the way to a crest), I took a deep breath in, and then out, whenever the wave moved down (on the way to a trough). I repeated the cycle until at last, after what felt like a very long stretch (actually it was a little more than an hour), we reached the port. Whew! Thankfully, the breathing exercise worked, and I got off the boat still able to walk a straight line and feeling a bit triumphant for not giving in to seasickness. I was so glad to be on terra firma.

Why am I chronicling this? So I could remember this technique the next time I travel.

[As an aside, I got some information regarding seasickness prevention here and here.]

:)

Do you know what "Absquatulate" means?

According to the geek on this site, it means: "to leave without warning". So there. :)

Chocolate

I knew it! Chocolate is healthy! This article confirms my belief that eating chocolate is good for one's well-being. Why do you think I crave it so much? :P

Wisdom of a 9-year-old

I was a bit surprised when I read this bit of news: a nine-year-old fourth grader named Alec Greven has written a dating book entitled "How to Talk to Girls". Slightly curious, I checked the book's excerpt and was quite impressed with the way he expressed his insights: simply and to the point. Check out this sampler.

:)