How to survive a hangover

It's the holiday season again. Christmas is coming this weekend and New Year is up next. It is time to attend gatherings and perhaps some parties. With the spirits high and alcohol flowing, it is easy to drink a tad too much. The feeling of hangover is the one of the worst feeling in the morning. Here are a few tips to survive and ease a hangover. I have accumulated these over years of experimentation on myself.

1. Drink plenty of liquid. Alcohol dehydrates the body and dehydration is the main cause of a hangover. Choice of liquid can be water, fruit juice, isotonic drinks, coconut water. These will replace the vitamins and electrolytes lost.

2. Solid food. If you feel like vomiting, eat biscuits or bread. The carbohydrates slows down the alcohol absorption in your body.

3. Hot soup. I like to have hot chicken soup with plenty of chilli. The spiciness helps perspire out the alcohol trapped inside my body. The headache from hangover always seem to subside after drinking hot soup. My tummy is happy as well. 

4. Sauna. Perspiration works. Sweat out all the alcohol. Please be mindful to drink plenty of water before going to a sauna. If you are likely to faint, please stay at home instead.

5. Rest. Take plenty of liquid and simply sleep.

Ways to avoid a hangover.

After you have experienced a hangover, you know you would want to avoid it if possible. You can try to avoid a hangover by following these tips.

1. Have a meal before drinking. Alcohol gets absorbed faster on a empty stomach.

2. Pace yourself. Have a glass of water beside your drink. Sip some water in between the alcohol.

3. Try not to mix different kinds of alcohol. My friends and I think chances of waking up with a hangover seems to be higher. Some articles I read says it should not matter. It's the amount of total alcohol intake that determines whether a hangover will happen. What about you guys?

Have fun and stay safe this holiday season! Don't drink and drive! =D

Nearing the end of the year

Holiday seasons are approaching. Before the end of 2016 there are a few things to get done.

1. Update resume

I try to update my resume once a year. It is a good practice to reflect on what was accomplished for a year and find room for improvement.

2.Employee Health Benefits

Every company has a set of benefits for the employees. After the year ends, the benefits resets to the original entitled amount. Before that happens, go for a dental appointment or do health checkups. Some might say it is petty to go after these health benefits. However, these are employee entitlement and we should not be shy in claiming them. Besides the dollar and cents that is paid by the company, the dental cleaning does good for our health in a way money cannot measure. The health checkups can help you find out if you have a particular disease or condition. 

3. Make merry with family and friends

Since it is a lull period, there is more time to be spent at home with family. Also, some friends take up the tedious task of organizing gatherings. The year end is the perfect time to reconnect with friends you have not met in a while.

4. Gifts shopping

Gatherings near the Christmas season typically have gift exchanges. One of the gift exchange games which I find interesting is Dirty Santa. The games involve participants attempting to attain the best gifts for themselves. It is interactive and fun, unlike the usual Secret Santa.  I found the rules online if you guys are interested to learn more. Link @ http://dirtysantarules.blogspot.sg/. After going through some gift exchanges, you get a feel which are the popular gifts. If you are not done with Christmas shopping and vexed about what to get, below is a list of gifts which are quite popular in no particular order. The price is in the range of 25 to 35 sgd.

•          Portable charger
•          Speakers
•          Book
•          TWG tea
•        Traveller bag lock

15 sharing tips for the twentysomething

1. Prepare for unforeseen circumstances by having an emergency fund. The amount should be roughly enough for six months without monthly pay check. It should be in cash or liquid cash.
2. Investment is like a new chapter in a Mathematics lesson. It is incomprehensible at first, but not so bad after a few lessons. It is not taught in classrooms, but it is beneficial to pick up a few lessons.
3.  Best time to start learning on managing your own money is today. No one cares about your own money other than you.
4.  Other people's social media is just for browsing. Only the best moments get uploaded to these social media platforms anyway. We can feel happy for friends that just made a big purchase or had a extravagant holiday. No need to feel there is a need to match up to the posts. It is exhausting on mind and wallet to keep comparing. Everyone has different financial planning.
5. Save up when young. Some peers have the mindset they should spend without worries when young and save up later. If they do not enjoy now, they might miss out the fun.
6. Fact is when we get older there are more commitments such as house purchase, renovation. wedding expenses and so on. Do the future you a favour and start saving up early.
7.  For those who are in school, get more internships.
8. Overseas internship/exchange program are fun.
9. We start to lose friends in our twentysomething. Keep the good ones close and do your best to remain in contact with others. Friends that wish to connect will fork out time.
10. Keep fit and healthy by working out. Find friends to exercise together, doing things in a group is more fun.
11. Invest in a good watch in the range of 300-500 dollars, it should last for a few years.
12. Getting your hands on the latest technologies is like chasing a shadow. There is always something newer and looks more cool. Identify the functionalities you need to buy a suitable electronic product.
13. Expensive food does not mean nutritious food. Splurging on dining during special occasions are fine. Other than that, do your wallet and body a favour. Intake of a staple with protein, vegetable and fruits are sufficient for your body and they should be affordable. Also, check the nutritional facts labels before buying.
14. Cut the sugary drinks. Other than containing carbohydrates, sugar has 0 nutritional value and lead to diseases.
15. Surviving a breakup is about filling in the voids that was created. You can fill it with alcohol, friends, family or new hobbies. 

Middle Class Millennial

Welcome to the place for the twentysomething! After working for around 4 years, I am in my late twenties and consider myself as a Middle Class Millennial. In short, a Mcm. What is a Mcm? Well, my age fits the description of a millennial, which means reaching adulthood in the 21st century. Middle class because I have to keep working for my monthly paycheck to sustain my way of life.

Being in the age of twentysomething is a luxury and at the same time, a confusing one as well. A luxury because we are still fairly young and probably still have the energy and drive to try out new stuffs. At the same time, we are looking for a direction to go. Twentysomething can be a time where we feel like we are swimming in a whirlpool.

While I am on this journey of discoveries during my twentysomething, I hope to set up a space where I can share some of my experiences. At the same time, learn from people who are either in the same journey, has moved on from twentysomething.

Do you feel the same way, are you a middle class millennial as well?