H1N1?? Me??

As you all know, I just returned from Bangkok. The person I was sitting next to on the plane has just been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus. OMG!!! What's the chances? Damn. And I've JUST had my appendix removed 2 weeks ago!! Do I have some neon sign that says "Take me to a hospital right now?" WTF?? So here's what I've done. I voluntarily went to a hospital middle of the night last night to get myself tested for it but they couldn't test me because I was normal and displayed no symptoms of H1N1 BUT because I've been exposed to it, I've been QUARANTINED for a week at home *troubled sigh* and can only do the throat swob test if I display some symptoms. If I show no signs in 7 days, I'm perfectly ok.



In case you're wondering, these are the symptoms of H1N1 according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

- Fever
- Cough
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Sore throat
- Body aches, joint pains
- Headache, chills and fatigue
- in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting

The virus typically spreads from coughs and sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the nose or mouth so keep washing your hands regularly coz the virus can stay on an object or surface for 2 to 8 hours!



Well, here's the worrying thing! I woke up this morning and checked my temperature. It was 37 on the dot (that shd be ok) BUT I suddenly had an itchy throat and the smallest sniffle which I could've got because the air con was too cold (so I'm telling myself) but I had enough symptoms to warrant a throat swab so I went back to the hospital for it. Gee, this guy was dressed for outer space or what? ;)


H1N1 has a higher risk of severity (according to World Health Organisation and CDC) for children, the elderly (over 65 yrs old) and for those who are pregnant, have asthma or diabetes.


Well, I'm not a kid or over 65. I don't have diabetes or asthma so there's no reason why I would die from this. I've just taken the swob test and I won't know till tomorrow if I have the H1N1 virus. I REALLY hope I don't have it but it's seriously not looking good. Will let you know once I know, nightey *sigh*

Bangkok Trip!

I was just thinking as I walked past a devastated looking girl at Bangkok airport that she must've had to say goodbye to someone. Airports are full of emotions depending on who's coming, who's going. For the business traveller, he might be pumped with adrenalin for an important meeting or weary and looking forward to going home to his family. For lovers, they count down the days in excitement till they get to pick up their partners from the airport but also dread sending them off.


Airports are always so multi-cultural.Who likes to say goodbye? At that moment of parting, I always feel it the most.



My sister lives in Florida and it's the hardest thing for us at the airport not knowing when we'll see each other again. She waves till she becomes a dot in the distance. So depressing! *sob*
I thought it was interesting seeing a monk traveler. He probably had no emotion at all, just "zen" haha ;)



I love the tuk tuks. It makes me feel up close to all the street sounds and everything around me. It places you in the middle of all that hustle and bustle, the mad Bangkok traffic and they drive like the wind. It's almost scary coz everything rattles like a tin can hehe ;)


There's something funky about them. I mean, who's got multi-coloured disco looking brake lights anyway? ;)



Everyone works so hard. The street peddlars are always doing something! Whether it's cutting fruit, selling things, cooking by the roadside...makes me appreciate what I have.



It's so crazy how you could be window shopping in Thailand and all of a sudden a couple of elephants are standing right next to you on the footpath lol ;)


I almost jumped out of my skin coz his hair brushed past my wrist without me realising what IT was standing behind me. OMG, it was such a HUGE elephant and his trunk was like a hoover. Everything I fed him seemed to be dumped like a bottomless pit into its cute mouth!

On my last night in Thailand, I'm glad I got to catch up with my girlfriend Sonia. I hadn't seen her in ages but we picked up where we left off. We always do :)

Dinner with Sonia, her Corsican husband, a Polish model and a photographer from Paris made dinner conversation really challenging coz there was Thai, English and French going round the table. Where is the translator when you need one?? lol ;)

Krap khun ka Bangkok! I will miss you but I will surely be back for another round of retail therapy, crazy tuk tuks and fabulous Thai green curry! *heavenly sigh*

Street sign

I'm in a tuk tuk now and I just took a snap shot of this sign when I realised I read it wrong coz "brunch" is spelt the way it would be said haha. I LOVE Bangkok. Haven't been here in ages but used to model here. It cracks me up how cute the accent is. Every "R" becomes an "L".

I was in an aromatherapy shop and and the girl said, "Solly, we no hap lows. Finid oredi" and what she meant was "Sorry, we don't have rose. Finished already!" lol ;)

I'm on my way to meet my old friend Sonia. Till later, then (this is the neat thing abt having a blackberry. I can blog on the go. So convenient!)

Just landed!

At Bangkok airport customs now. Goodness, can you see in the background how the passport officer is wearing a mask? Even the guy sitting next to me on the plane had one on. Made communicating a lil awkward. I was like "sorry what did you say? Oh, you need a pen" lol ;) I felt like the plague. Well, fingers crossed, I don't catch anything and return home safely.

I'm excited to be here tho. What strikes me about travelling is everything just looks and feels so different. The sanskrit looking Thai words on the EXIT sign and someone bowing to me as I left the plane with a sweet "sawadee ka" made me realise in 2 short hours that I was no longer in boleh land ;)
Oh goodness, I was so busy typing I didn't realise I was standing in front of the baggage belt from Dubai! Hehe Well, better run along. I'll write more once I've settled in kay? Laters! :)
Live The Moment
www.jojostruys.com

Jessica Alba was exactly where I was....

Who would think that I would actually have something in common with Jessica Alba? Even if it was just for a few days? And it wasn't even pleasant. Let me explain.



When I was all groggy after my appendix op last week, the surgeon warned me I might get severe gastric as a side effect *oh great!* Could I possibly get more uncomfortable than I already was? Interestingly, Jessica Alba came to see my doctor (she was only 19 at the time) with a terrible case of gastric when she was here in Malaysia to film the Sleeping Dictionary.


He said she was warded for a couple of days at the hospital as his patient (goodness, to think she was marooned here at Damansara Specialist Hospital). He had no idea who she was at the time. She told him she was filming a series called "Dark Angel" but he said he'd never heard of it (but that's coz it never hit this part of the world till 2 years later ;)



So I said to my surgeon, "Well, you certainly know who Jessica Alba is NOW, right?" He laughed "of course, of course" And you know what? Jessica Alba personally wrote him a thank you card which is stuck on his wall amongst the hundreds of other thank you cards he's collected over the years but when he leaves his clinic every day, he told me seriously "I just glance at it, you know to make sure it's still there" Can you blame him??? How many doctors can say they had Jessica Alba as a patient, don't play play! lol ;)



So there I was at the hospital today for my follow-up check up so I started looking for that card. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack but I found it! Really friendly handwriting and a very heartfelt thank you to my doctor from a very young Miss Alba *smile*


For those of you who don't know, straight after my appendix op last week, the surgeon said I should recover quite rapidly since they used keyhole surgery to remove my appendix. The incisions are very small and they basically put a camera through one of the "holes" so they can view the working space. Incredibly, this tiny camera actually records the whole op and there's only one copy of it which they give to the patient. That's me!



All I can say is, OMG!!! I felt faint when I was watching it. This isn't some ultra sound with grey shadows. You're really in there!! taking a look inside and all the organs are in sharp crystal clear focus. That in itself almost turned my bandaged stomach yikes ;)


Watching my own operation when I got home was morbid yet so purely scientific. I found myself being part horrified part fascinated watching WHAT they did while I was on that operating table and HOW they did it. I've been on cam before, up close n personal but never like this lol ;)

If you ever have sharp pains low down on the RIGHT hand side of yr abdomen, go see a doctor!

It's quite mind boggling to think my entire appendix was removed from an incision so small! There are 3 entry points and unlike appendectomies which can leave quite a scar, I was left with only three small white band aids on my abdomen. Oh, and the bandages were removed only today yay! But this doesn't mean I can hit the gym or start doing yoga just yet but at least I'm walking around at a normal pace again (coz I kid you not, all of last week, I was moving round my house like a was a hundred years old! :)

Celebrities who left us too soon...

I'm at home watching MTV and all Michael Jackson's old videos are playing right now. It's making me sentimental. Death is so final and as usual, it always serves as a reminder to all of us to not waste our own lives.

Justin Timberlake wrote on his site, "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones"



Whenever someone dies young, it really hits us coz we just don't expect it. Especially when you've seen them in print, TV or films, larger than life. Let's take a walk down memory lane...

James Dean died when he was only 24. He was breathing heavily from the scene of the car crash and put into an ambulance but he didn't make it and was pronounced dead on arrival.

On Jan 22nd 2008, Heath Ledger was found dead in his bedroom. He was only 28. I used to study in Perth and I have a couple of guy friends who went to school with Heath. It was such a shock to hear of his sudden death.


On Aug 31st, 1997, Princess Diana passed away. She was only 36. She was one of the first public figures photographed touching a person infected with HIV, changing public opinions on AIDs sufferers


Princess Di once said "I think the biggest disease the world suffers from is the disease of people feeling unloved. Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children"


On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and crew completed filming the music video for "Rock The Boat" in the Bahamas islands. They originally had a flight scheduled for the following day, but Aaliyah and her entourage were eager to return to the US due to the filming finishing early, so they demanded that their heavy equipment be on the plane rather than leave it behind. It resulted in the aircraft being well beyond the standard weight and balance tolerance provided by a Cessna aircraft.


The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, about 200 feet (60 m) from the runway. It's really sad. Aaliyah was only 22 and she was scheduled to be filmed for the sequel of the Matrix as the character "Zee" after she finished shooting "Queen of The Damned" but who could've predicted her death?


It's important to make the very most of our lives coz "Life is short" and for some, even shorter than others. Aaliyah once said, "You have to love what you do to want to do it every day"

Hanging Out at Home

Wow, this is kinda weird, no filming, no shoots, no constant messaging on my berry when I'm rushing everywhere and no meetings for the whole week! Hey, I could get used to this ;) Since I can't exactly go anywhere straight after my appendix op, I've decided to pamper myself at home with a honey and oatmeal face masque. It smells so nice, you could almost have it for breakfast. I've even done a home hair treatment.

I haven't worn a drop of make up for a week. It's given my skin a good rest. Having so much free time on my hands without feeling guilty about it is quite a luxury. So, I've decided to do all the things I don't usually have the time to do. For starters, I don't set the alarm (coz there's nowhere to be hehe) and I've been averaging more than 10 hours a night. So glorious! Mind you the painkillers do make me drowsy in the afternoons so I have afternoon siestas as well.


I've just finished the very last season of Prison Break. I'm sad it has all come to an end. Was that a good series or what? Loved it! Such incredible scriptwriting. My pug, Pickle grabbed Desperate Housewives out of the cupboard. After a few "no, no, let go" shrieks from me, we all settled down and started watching Season 5. I'm really getting into it. So many real life stories and the kids have grown up so all these new challenges for the parents. It has really evolved and it's set 5 years later.

I've had time to stay in touch with everyone on my lap top. Pickle (above) was waiting for me to get off the computer coz she wanted to contact her chihuaha boyfriend on facebook. She set up her own account and everything! lol (no, I'm not delirious, just kidding!!) hehehe


Ruby is the still a puppy and she always looks so concerned when I speak to her. I'm not sure if I'm meant to laugh or cry. They all have such amusing faces ;) lol Thank you guys for all your "get well" messages. I'm sure I'll be up and running in no time but for now, as you can see, I'm keeping myself happily occupied round the house. For those of you who living quite a hectic life, try to make it a point to slow down and have some quiet time. Spending a whole day at home can really recharge your batteries. Don't accept any invitations that day. Have a date with yourself and do whatever you feel like doing! :)

Operation time!

OMG, my teeth were chattering when I was wheeled into the operating theatre. Part nerves and partly because I was freezing!

I noticed how everyone wore boots in this spotless, clinical zone. The walls were white, the ceiling was white.

The huge silver lights I was placed under reminded me of outer space. I felt so small in that big white room. Like a tiny speck under a microscope.

I was taking in the details on the wall trying not to think about the needle. I didn't dare look down when they started strapping my hand up "here goes, here goes" I was telling myself. A mask descended on my face and I was told to inhale, exhale. I started breathing in the gas and I was out before the needle hit me. It's the last thing I remembered. General anaesthesia is so strange. It's like stepping into a time machine. One blink and the whole op was over.

I vaguely remember seeing my appendix in a small jar and someone saying "Can you see how it's inflamed?" Uh, nope! Aside from the fact I was disoriented I didn't even know what it's meant to look like! ;)

It surprised me tho how such a tiny thing could cause me so much trouble. Last night was pretty rough. I basically couldn't move. Just so sore so they gave me a painkillers jab (Gosh, I hate needles!) but it really took the edge off the pain. In fact, I felt sorta floaty, a bit high and I fell into a deep sleep.

I feel a hundred times better today. I'm off the drip, eating like a normal human being again and they said I can leave tomorrow. Yay!

Thank you all ever so much for your well wishes. I received them through my black berry and it made me feel less alone. Till later, when I'm back home, wishing you all good night! :)