I had a streaming cold, constant sneezing and the cough that goes with it as the body attempts to deal with the phlegm which stays inside and drips down your throat.
You can buy masks from pharmacies in Singapore (not all branches - usually only the larger ones). Or pick one or a few for free from mask dispensers in a medical centre or hospital.
You can wear a mask to stop your germs spreading to others onto surfaces or into the air when you cough or sneeze. However a mask restricts breathing which is already difficult when you have a cold. You cannot stand up and speak to an audience wearing a mask.
Fruit Cured My Cough
At a meeting of a Toastmasters International group, Focus, in the interval I ate the fruit provided as one of the options. (A food court was downstairs.) I ate melon and pineapple. The effect was instantaneous. My problem was cured, which was good as I had to stand u and speak as Language Evaluator at the end of the meeting.
Next monring I woke feeling dreadful, same symptoms as previous days. I had fruit for breakfast. Again, instant cure.
Pineapple In Pizza
At lunchtime at another club at Gemalto, we were served pizza. It contained pineapple, just enough to get me through being the Test Speaker (giving a speech for others to evaluate).
Afterwards I walked with the other visitors back to the MRT station One North. The weather was hot, as it always is in Singapore. I felt seriously dehydrated. I bought three pieces of fruit from a stall and felt much better. Less sneezing, no more need of paper tissues (good for the environment as well as fewr germs being spread around to others).
In the evening I went to Kampong Kembangan Community Cub to their Toastmasters International speakers club. I gave a speech. (And later won the ribbon for best speech.)
Before the meeting and in the interval we were offered chocolates and chocolate biscuits. I love chocolate biscuits. Especially when speaking. the energy rush is what I want for the moment I stand up and adress the audience.
A member told me that the Kembangan Community Centre gives the club a free room (albeit a small room) and even supplies free biscuits. One member had supplemented the supply with more biscuits from M & S.
How I longed for some fruit! Refreshing fruit. Vitamin C. The benefits of apples have been known for centuries. Hence the rhyming saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
You can add lemon to water. It is supposed to be bad for your teeth, to ea away at the enamel. I drink lemon water followed by plain water to rinse my teeth.
Whilst you are shopping in a supermarket, if you are not sure whether your evening meeting will include any savoury food or protein, a banana is filling.
I had to cut short my Language Evaluation because my nose was starting to drip and I did not have a tissue to hand. I had removed my jacket with the pockets in order to look more streamlined and elegant. How I longed for a piece of fruit.
Size Of Sample
I am only one person. Now, what works for me won't necessarily work for you. I could have an allergy to milk or gluten. You might not have a cold. I am only a sample of one. It's possible that psychological factors were involved, stress, hunger, eating too little, eating too much, drinking water.
However, my own experience was that eating juicy fruit made a huge difference to my comfort. The whole room benefited because the fruit reduced the amount I was coughing which interrupted other people's speeches when I was in the audience.
Concerts And Coughing
For years I have known about the effect, the disruption, of people coughing at concerts, noticeably in the intervals, sometimes during the playing. Now I have seen the effects of coughing affecting speakers and members of the audience. More importantly, I think I have found a cure.
If you are organising a meeting, please provide water and fruit for the speakers as well as members of the audience. If you can influence the people providing food, please ask for fruit.
I made a request in advance for water and fruit. I got the water. I should have asked what kind of refreshments would be provided. I am now making myself a list. Of course, some venues change the food and drink at every meeting depending on the size of event and budge, the person ordering, and the caterer. Nonetheless, a few place consistently provide fruit as policy. Others don't. Here's my list:
The star rating is my rating for the supply of fruit and water. Items in brackets not necessarily at every meeting.
Sheraton Hotel - Toastmasters Club of Singapore *****
First, second and third Monday evenings of most months except for public holidays such as Xmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter, Singapore National Day.
Fruit provided. Fee of $20 for visitors includes the fruit, other food, water, usually lemon slices for you to add to hot water to make your warm lemon tea or cold lemon water, and coffee.
Sheraton Hotel. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Sheraton Hotel viewed from gallery where you eat outside the conference room before the meeting and during the interval.
Useful websites
singaporeair.com
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2122064-you-should-be-eating-10-pieces-of-fruit-or-veg-every-day-not-5/
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have many more posts on hotels, Community clubs, and Singapore. Please share links to your favourite posts.
