Coughing

I am coughing for almost a month now but not serious compare to 4 years ago when I had the most chronic cough lasted 3 months, which everyone suspected as TB :-(
Coughing is classified as acute (of sudden onset) if it is present less than three weeks, subacute if it is present between three and eight weeks, and chronic when lasting longer than eight weeks. (Quoted from wikipedia)
Been to GP, he inspected me but no prescription given. His reasoning, cough is non medicational illness. We need to boost up our immume system to fight the bad bacteria. I consulted a nurse by chance how to boost up immume system.... recommended to take Echinacea.
An earlier University of Maryland review based on 13 European studies concluded that echinacea, when taken at first sign of a cold, reduced cold symptoms or shortened their duration.[2] The review also found that three of four published studies concluded that taking echinacea to prevent a cold was ineffective.
Echinacea is popularly believed to be an immunostimulator, stimulating the body's non-specific immune system and warding off infections. A common reference source for believers is a 2007 meta-analysis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases[7]; however, this study fails to indicate important confounding factors that could drive the reported conclusion. The studies pooled in the meta-analysis used different types of echinacea, different parts of the plant, and various dosages. This review cannot inform recommendations on the efficacy of any particular type of echinacea, dosage, or treatment regimen. The safety of echinacea under long-term use is also unknown.[8]..(Quoted from Wikipedia)
Sadly, my believe for the wonder of Echinacea for curing my chronic cough varnished.
Finally, I found the treatment for cough from rubbing Vicks VapoRub on neck, chest and both soles, then wear stocking before retiring to bed. The next morning, my windpipe and nasal cleared. Thank you for the little wonder of Vicks VapoRub :-)

Wedding banquet

My life is always full of ups and downs...sounds familiar? I am quite a perfectionist and traditionist in term of cultural. Brought up in a small communities backhome where whole village "almost" know each other is very different from the cosmopolitan societies, where everyone mind their own business.
Frankly speaking, I prefer the western socialisation with a twist of eastern root. Don't get me wrong, I respect different cultures and all walk of lifes but feel more laid back and relax without conforming to norm that I disagreed. Have anyone wonder why cross-cultural life seems colourful to me?
I would suggest we go with the flow and use your judgement when dealing with different cultural occasions. Meal sharing is practically all serve at once in Chinese culture but Western serving by courses take 2-3 hours enjoying the dining atmosphere. Once I was attending a Chinese wedding banquet where meals served by courses but right to the last dishes (normally lotus wrapped fried rice or desserts), most of the contented guests already left. What is your reaction if you were not familiar with the culture...you may think the guests are making their move because they dislike the banquet or in hurry to get home?