Don't say I didn't warn you

Being single is sometimes not easy. Concerned aunties insist on giving their two-cents worth about what you should do. This was probably done to give you hope about the future and/or to end your so-called misery. I had more than just a couple of 'remedies' handed out to me when I was a single girl.

This gave me an idea to look up some old wives' tales. Some of them may not be familiar to you but you can be sure they were handed out generously to single girls at one point or other.

For instance, if a single girl wanted to know who she will end up with in the future, she was advised to do this:

"When peeling an apple, peel all in one piece from top to bottom or visa versa, (it has to be the whole peel), and then throw the peel over your left shoulder. When it lands on the floor look for a shape of a letter - it will be the letter of your future husband. "
My warning: If you happen to be going out with a Steven and the peel miraculously forms the letter "S", please don't be too overjoyed. While I would like to remain optimistic for you that Steven will be your main squeeze; be prepared. You may end up Shukri, Subramaniam, Soon Teck or Sudesh.

If you think peeling that apple all in one piece is a challenge, then try another method:
"Think of five or six names of boys you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off. "
My warning: If you cannot think of five or six names of boys, please don't throw in token names. Let's not play around. You don't want to risk ending up with someone you don't really fancy.

You may just want to heed this warning: "If you wash dishes and get water on your stomach area you will marry a drunk. You must wear an apron in the kitchen."

Lest you end up with this:

Now, looking at your potential husband, we will move on to the topic of health. This is for everyone.. not just single girls.

"If you're getting sick, unpeel a garlic clove and put it in your mouth. Leave it there for as long as you can stand it; then chop it up, leave it in the air for 20 minutes, and eat it."
And after you do that, you can be sure, no one will want you near them. That will give you time to heal and you will do a great service to others by NOT spreading those germs. If that pesky cough is irritating you, remember this "Lemon and whiskey take away a cough."

As mentioned earlier while some of the above may not be familiar to you, I am sure you have heard of this one:

"If you say something bad and you didn't really mean it, knock on wood to erase the words."
Some of us usually say "touch wood" or "knock on wood" while carrying out the action. If there is no wood around, please do not assume that any part of the human body constitutes wood!

Now, please excuse me. I am going to count the crows outside my house. (mumbling to self: "Let there be four. Let there be four",)

CROWS: "One's bad, Two's luck, Three's health, Four's wealth, Five's sickness, Six is death"

These old wives' tales were extracted from http://www.gardenplum.com/wivestales/