let us laugh more.

Laughter and Health
We've long known that the ability to laugh is helpful to those coping with major illness and the stress of life's problems. But researchers are now saying laughter can do a lot more -- it can basically bring balance to all the components of the immune system, which helps us fight off diseases. (See How the Immune System Works.)

As we mentioned earlier, laughter reduces levels of certain stress hormones. In doing this, laughter provides a safety valve that shuts off the flow of stress hormones and the fight-or-flight compounds that swing into action in our bodies when we experience stress, anger or hostility. These stress hormones suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood platelets (which can cause obstructions in arteries) and raise blood pressure. When we're laughing, natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, as do Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells, which are a major part of the immune response, and B-cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies.

Laughter may lead to hiccuping and coughing, which clears the respiratory tract by dislodging mucous plugs. Laughter also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.

What may surprise you even more is the fact that researchers estimate that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing can be a total body workout! Blood pressure is lowered, and there is an increase in vascular blood flow and in oxygenation of the blood, which further assists healing. Laughter also gives your diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles a workout. That's why you often feel exhausted after a long bout of laughter -- you've just had an aerobic workout!

The psychological benefits of humor are quite amazing, according to doctors and nurses who are members of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor. People often store negative emotions, such as anger, sadness and fear, rather than expressing them. Laughter provides a way for these emotions to be harmlessly released. Laughter is cathartic. That's why some people who are upset or stressed out go to a funny movie or a comedy club, so they can laugh the negative emotions away (these negative emotions, when held inside, can cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies).

Increasingly, mental health professionals are suggesting "laughter therapy," which teaches people how to laugh -- openly -- at things that aren't usually funny and to cope in difficult situations by using humor. Following the lead of real-life funny-doc Patch Adams (portrayed by Robin Williams in a movie by the same name), doctors and psychiatrists are becoming more aware of the therapeutic benefits of laughter and humor. This is due, in part, to the growing body of humor and laughter scholarship (500 academicians from different disciplines belong to the International Society for Humor Studies).

Here are some tips to help you put more laughter in your life:

• Figure out what makes you laugh and do it (or read it or watch it) more often.
• Surround yourself with funny people -- be with them every chance you get.
• Develop your own sense of humor. Maybe even take a class to learn how to be a better comic -- or at least a better joke-teller at that next party. Be funny every chance you get -- as long as it's not at someone else's expense!

you can read other related articles here: Laughter

9:00 pm - parked my car in the garage, about to get the house key to go into the house...house key not in the compartment where it always is..not under the seats...not in my bagpack...officially gone missing.

9:15 pm - decided to drive to brother's friend's house to get house key from brother...didn't know exactly where his friend lives so just drove around and around the possible neighborhood hoping to find my brother's car. Praise the Lord! ..found brother's car!

9:30 pm - stood outside the friend's house, ringing the doorbell...nothing...gently tapping on the window and door...nothing...crazily slapping on the window and door...still nothing. Expectable when 4 young guys are watching basketball game...my slapping was not even 1/10th of the TV volume...

10:00 pm - finally got the key from my brother...yes, they finally heard the crazy slapping...actually, they thought it was a prank....30 minutes of slapping in coldness was not fun at all...

10:20 pm - almost got home...can't wait...bang!..i slipped on the staircase...knee hurts, elbow hurts, hand hurts...rain sucks...

10:40 pm - about to continue long hard french translation homework that i already started earlier today...majorly shocked...as i cannot find the file that i saved today...checked every file folder...no success...officially gone missing...re-do is required...i don't like words that start with 're'...RE-anything is not good...

someone please tell me what's going on tonight.....

hmm..so, apparently, i've been tagged as well....probably during one of my laughing moments...

5 random facts about me.

1) One thing I really hate yet ALWAYS happens to me is I can't find my glasses after I take off my contacts. So I would have to turn on every single light possible around the house and start squinting as i go search my glasses room to room. So maybe I am even more forgetful than I expected..

2) I like to go shopping by myself, but I like being invited to go shopping with my friends. This is my logic, I don't like to make people wait for me if I have to try something on because that would actually prevent me from making good decision about my purchase. But I like to go shopping with friends and I like to see them try on things because I don't mind waiting at all.  I am so weird.

3) I've made this promise to myself since I was about 14. I am going to buy a pair of nice men shoes from Clarks for my dad with the first monthly salary that I earn from my real job. Why? because my dad loves Clarks shoes but he doesn't like to spend money buying them for himself, my mom always secretly buys a pair and just leave them in the shoe shelf. And when my dad finds out, he would have this trying-not-to-smile expression on his face while telling my mom that she shouldn't have done so, and then next minute he would be wearing them and walking around the house and say "hey, they are really comfortable!".  I am looking forward to get that special expression one day.

4) I find immense amount of joy after spending hours wrapping a present to its ultimate beauty. This is probably the most impractical thing to do on earth as what people usually care more is the present not the wrapping. But I still enjoy doing it.

5) So shoes for my daddy, what's for myself with my real job salary? A Serger. For those of you who are not familiar with this term, I suggest you do something right now. Flip one of your sleeves inside-out and look for the complicated seam patterns about 0.5 cm from the edge of the sleeve. That's the product of a Serger. Isn't it cool? With the Serger, I'll be able to make any type of clothes I want.

hmm....if you haven't been tagged yet..TAG, you're it! =)

bl2i4n

loisjina

smartie

cartridgeblower

GraciousWork

So Dumb.

After reading some pages of french linguistics, the girl decided to get Big Mac from the McDonald's. She slowed down the car and stopped beside the ordering window where a young man was waiting to take her order.

young man: "hi, what would you like?"
girl: "umm, can I get the Big Mac meal please?"
young man: "coke to drink?"
girl: "diet coke please"
young man: "that would be $5.50, thank you."

Girl opened her pink fat wallet and took out a 5 dollar bill, couldn't find exact changes from the wallet, she slowly reached towards the compartment that has tons of changes, took out two quarters and a nickle. "wait, I'll use 5 pennies." So she put the nickle back and dug out 5 pennies.  She held the exact amount of money in her left hand. It was 8:50pm. 4 cars in front of hers weren't moving at all. So she waited. 8:52, she started to feel bored, so she decided to tidy up her passenger seat. She grabbed the DingDong sleeves and put them inside the pocket of the seat, carefully rolled the fake Burberry sleeves into a Chicken Fajita shape. Cars infront still weren't moving. 8:54, she took her Hamburger CD holder and was flipping through her collection because she wanted to do something to kill time.  Weird enough, from 8:50 to 8:54, her peripheral vision told her that the young man was looking at her..or at least her direction, the whole time. So she decided not to look sideways. 8:55, she kept flipping through the Hamburger while looking up to check if the cars started to move. Finally, 8:56, the very first car moved. Yay! she slowly let go of the foot on the brake and was about to drive forward so cars behind her can order.

young man: "...eh...you have tO PAY!" (his voice getting louder)
girl all of a sudden turned her head and looked at the man, "eh?...i have to pay...here?"
young man: "....yes, that's why I've been waiting..."
girl: "ah..ha ha ha, sorry, I thought I should pay over there; I've had the money the WHOLE TIME!"
She paid, but she didn't move.
young man: "eh..ok, you can go now."
girl: "eh..oh..ok, thank you!" (girl's face must be very red..)

"Kimberley, you're the dumbest drive-through driver EVER!" said my brother, after a good 30 seconds of breathless laugh.

hmm, i wonder what the young man was thinking when he saw the Hamburger in girl's car..."a wierd girl came to get real hamburgers has a fake hamburger in her car and was even flipping through it the whole time i was waiting for her to pay..."

ah...so dumb.

August 8th! today is FATHER'S DAY....i know you must be thinking " Father's Day has already passed...kim so dumb". but wait, today REALLY is Father's Day, except not here, but every single father in Taiwan is celebrating their day with their family! you get it now?. well, my brother and i made our father's day phone call yesterday, ha, and my cute dad still had to finish off the phone call with some 'reminders' : don't waste time watching too much tv, study, get your car insurance, get your car fixed, get the painting guy, etc. Normally i'd probably do my own thing while him going on with the list, but yesterday wes and i were just listening, well, at least i thought my brother looked like he was listening.

oh, my sharing yesterday, it went okay i think. people couldn't see, but i was kicking my right leg back the whole time when i was talking, i was pretty nervous but i hope i looked calm. =b