Excuse me, are you a hypochondriac?

I'm 26 years old and I just had cholesterol, blood glucose and uric acid tests done at my annual visit to the gynae last week. Yes, you read me right - the gynaecologist. Some years back, I figured I might as well make sure everything down there is alright all of the time. So yearly, I head to that freezing little office to be peered at, poked and prodded, and ultrasound-imaged inside and out (literally).

Imagine this: You're lying down, naked from waist down and spreadeagled; the airconditioning is set to deep freeze; the gel thing that the doc spreads on my tummy for the ultrasound is cold; the (plastic or metal?) external ultrasound instrument is cold; the internal ultrasound instrument she sticks in is cold. And she has the cheek to tell me, "Relax"??

Two weeks ago, the last two fingers on each hand started to become slightly numb, especially when I held up the phone for more than a few minutes at a time. The numbness extended from the fingers down the sides of my hands. Since numbness is one sign of diabetes, I got worried.

The nurse at the reception had trouble comprehending that it was I, and not my mother, who wanted the cholesterol and glucose tests done. Pray, what is wrong with wanting to know if the stuff that sloshes through my veins is going awry? I have a friend my age who actually does have high cholesterol. Since I don't have the healthiest of diets and a strong family history of diabetes, I figured it's high time to check on myself.

Hence, I found myself at the nurse's office, staring at two test tubes full of my blood. Dark, viscous and the colour of red velvet, sitting pretty in their little coffins of glass.

I never understand why people don't like getting tests done simply for fear of what they might find out. You mean, it's easier finding out later than finding out now? So to avoid the torture of a one-week wait for potentially disheartening news, they go through another few years of background suspense, before being hit with potentially devastating news?? That's utter rot, if you ask me. I'd rather know now and be able to do something about it.

Being a health writer has its pros and cons I suppose. Pro: I actually take the trouble to research find accurate information and am more concerned with my own state of health. Con: I'm becoming more paranoid. I now scan the ingredients list on every facial wash, moisturiser, toothpaste and snack I buy. Trouble is, how do you avoid things like trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup when almost everything has them? How do you not use alcohol on your skin when there almost isn't a single skin product that (truly) comes without it? Even 'natural' products come with all sorts of crap in them.

Children and young adults get cancer, cardiovascular disorders and other colourful ailments. How does one live with peace of mind with all these at the back of their head?

Guess I'll just have to go through life kinda hoping that I won't have to suffer anything too chronic.

The Sandman Cometh

Neil Gaiman fans got a treat earlier this month when the man himself showed up on our shores. The fans were evidently VERY happy too, judging by the ridiculously long lines of people queueing for the book signings (I hear there were about 1,000 people each evening!). Thank goodness I had a press pass and had my stuff signed during the considerably quieter press conference.

I was going to ask some general public-friendly type questions so I could say something about it in the next issue, but the hardcore questions that shot from the aggressive and kiasu journalists in the front were pretty discouraging, so I ended up not asking any of my questions anyway.

At least I got a nice signing on Coraline and Dream Hunters. He drew a rat in a jacket in my Coraline, though I've no idea whether it is Wilkinson (from Sandman: A Game of You) or one of the Coraline rats (I don't remember those wearing any clothes). His signing in Dream Hunters got a bit smudged as silly me closed the book before the silver ink had dried completely. Still, at least it's quite clear if you hold it at an angle.

Hmm, didn't get a good photo of him though. This one is the best shot I got, even with the fancy big camera I loaned.

Latest rave: Snow, Glass, Apples. It's Gaiman's re-telling of the Snow White tale, and how! For someone who loves dark, gothic tales, this one is right up my alley, from open to end. Told from the queen's point of view, it lends a whole new perspective to the story. The Snow White here certainly ain't the two-dimensional little saccharin sweet princess. "Snow, Glass, Apples" is the last story in the book Smoke and Mirrors.

I'd always believed that the 'fairy tales' that we read as kids were descended from far darker lore, and turns out I was right when I got old enough to read up more about their origins. The fairy tales themselves are often dark, disturbing and sometimes downright sadistic. But kids don't get the full impact of the notion of getting eaten by a wolf even if they understand the idea of it. If adults re-read the story, they may get nightmares, imagining the process of being painfully chewed, a slow, wet descent into the animal's gut, and the extreme, suffocating claustrophobia of being inside the wolf.

Oh, but how I love how twisted these tales are!