Hello Summer!

Hello summer! What better time is there than now to play the consummate wanderer and explore new and unchartered territories. Fancy a trip behind the wheel on the open road, hiking up a mountain or doing yoga asanas on a sandy beach? Make sure to pack a sense of adventure and your Smile, and you'll be all set. Have a blast!

Keeping Your Feet Happy

Tye Lee Tze, a Singapore podiatrist, cautions woman against wearing spiked high heels. "The shoes you wear now can cause pain and deformities into the future." he says.

The wrong shoes can create back problems. leg paints, knee problems and toe deformities. Buy the right ones instead.

1. Active? Sports, such as tennis, that see you running in different directions use one type of shoe, while activities such as jogging need another.
2. Footwear should have plenty of room for the toes. Women should avoid wearing pointy-toed shoes.
3. There should be one thumbnail-width from the end of the shoe to the longest toe while standing. "some sales people will say the shoes will stretch to fit" says Tye. "That shouldn't be necessary."
4. Your feet tens to swell during the day, so it's best to try to buy shoes in the evening.

Do Try These At Home...

We all need to tackle home-maintenance jobs at some point. But we don't always have the tools or know-how. Here's a list of handy hints sent in by readers of The Family Handyman magazine.

1. When using a ladder inside, tape a pair of old running shoes over the top of each rail. The soles will grip the walls and prevent scratches and dents appearing.
2. Drilling holes in brick can be messy, so switch on the vacuum cleaner and place the nozzle under your work.
3. Need a mallet? Slip a rubber doorstep over the head of your hammer.
4. Keep a packet of disposable nappies in your toolbox. They are ideal for mopping up spills quickly - paint, oil, turpentine - in the workshop or home.
5. Avoid holding tiny nails (and hammering your fingertips!) by applying a couple of layers of masking tape to the surface you're hammering into. Press the nail into the tape to start the job.
6. To stop paint flickering onto nearby surfaces, cover those odd-shaped objects - lights, phone, doorknobs - with plastic wrap.
7. If you don't want to remove a door for painting, you can still brush the bottom edge by using a scrap of carpet as a paintbrush.

Slow Down for Strength

The latest fitness craze is slow-motion weight training. Recent hype claims that it's all you need to stay strong and fit. While strength training is important, and less time-consuming than aerobics, you need to combine it with some cardio, says Richard Cotton from the American Council on Exercise. We list the health benefits of each ty

CARDIO
1. Burns more kilojoules Thirty minutes of aerobics can slash twice as many kilojoules as half an hour of weightlifting.
2. Strengthens your heart Aerobic exercise cuts your heart disease risk.
3. Reduces cholesterol Cardio actually changes the size of cholesterol-carrying proteins, so they do less damage.

STRENGTH TRAINING
1. Prevents osteoporosis Weightlifting puts stress on your bones, aiding calcium retention.
2. Improves athleticism Lifting weights enhances performance in everyday activities, such as grocery shopping and heavy lifting.
3. Increases muscle s we age, we lose muscle, making us more susceptible to weight gain and injury.
4. Burns more fat The more muscle mass you have, the more kilojoules you burn.

Should you Starve a Fever?

"A fever is the body's normal reaction to certain illnesses, usually a bacterial or viral infection," says Dr Lorna Lavin-Simangan, a paediatrician at St Luke's Medical Centre in Manila.

A fever is a symptom of an another problem. Low-grade fevers don't need special attention, but high-grade fevers - above 38.4 degrees - should be treated.

Acetaminophen or paracetamol will usually ease a fever. A cool, moist cloth can be applied directly to the skin, but don't use ice.

As for starving a fever, Lavin-Simangan says it's bad advice. Good nutrition helps the body fight off the virus or infection.

Calling on the Cards

Prepaid calling cards are increasingly popular. In Singapore alone, more than 30 companies provide over 100 types of prepaid international calling cards. The cards' appeal is that they usually offer much less expensive rates than other types of services. But they aren't perfect. Here are some things to keep in mind when using prepaid calling cards.

1. Though call rates are often low, some cards have hidden charges like connection fees. Read the fine print before buying.

2. Beware if you need a log of your calls for business or personal reasons - calling cards don't provide any records.

3. Before you buy, check for hidden charges, such as connection fees.

4. Some cards only reach certain areas.

5. Many cards expire 90 days after they are first activated.

6. Make sure you can use the card where you want. Some cards can't be used in hotel rooms. Others are blocked in private residences.

Speeding Up a Sluggish Computer

Steps to take before spending money on costly upgrades.

Empty the trash.
Files dragged to the icon may be out of sight, but they still eat up valuable space. Only when the trash is emptied is space freed up.

Restart your computer.
Even when you quit a program, large ones may continue to siphon off memory. Restarting (or "rebooting") adjusts this problem.

Fix fragmented files.
Over time, files on your hard drive may become fragmented, producing error messages or crashes, Most PCs come with a defragment program. E-mail Microsoft for finding and running.

Purge old-email files.
Many e-mail programs save copies of every message you send. Empty or reduce this backup file to free up hard-drive space. Call your e-mail service for help locating the files.

Switch off start-ups.
Programs that support instant messaging and calendars kick in as soon as you start your computer and use up its resources. You're better off turning them on as needed. Call your computer's tech-support line for help locating these "extensions".