To realize her dream of becoming a flight attendant, a girl in Chengdu recently hired a coach for 500 yuan (US$60) a day to teach her how to swim, reports Tianfu Morning Post.

Huang Juan, 22, a company clerk, found herself matching all of the qualifications required to become a flight attendant for a foreign airline but one - to be able to swim at least 50 metres.

Informed the company will arrive in Sichuan early next month to recruit 50 to 100 flight attendants, the girl immediately called in a professional trainer who pledged to help her acquire the skill within only five days.

The girl is now practising in earnest.

Breast enlargement causes swellings on belly

A fashion-conscious girl who received surgery to enlarge her breasts has ended up growing four swellings - two on her chest and two on her abdomen, reports Chongqing Morning Post.

Wang, 24, who lives in Chongqing Municipality, underwent the breast-enlargement operation at a small beauty salon in Central China's Henan Province in 2002.

However, one year later, the girl began to sprout two breast-shaped swellings on her belly which slowly enlarged as time passed by. Wang said she was ashamed to use public bathrooms and had to undergo another operation to get rid of the extra growths.

Medical professionals caution not to trust unauthorized hospitals or clinics performing such procedures.

Suggestions for pastimes sought to replace mahjong

The municipal government of Suining, Sichuan Province, is seeking a healthy pastime for local residents through newspapers to replace mahjong, reports China West Metropolis News.

The Suining Government decided to prohibit its citizens from playing mahjong in public places after a Taiwan businessman refused to invest in the city, reportedly because he was upset by the fact that most citizens took mahjong as their sole source of entertainment day and night.

Some residents suggested promoting Sichuan Opera across the city, while others proposed various activities be carried out at local libraries, gymnasiums and museums.

Not so lucky day for village leader

A superstitious village head who intentionally chose what he thought was an auspicious day to move to a new office building ended up being involved in a traffic accident on the way to the new office, reports Chongqing Evening News.

Zhou Deyuan, head of the village of Huaxi near Chongqing Municipality, consulted a local fortune teller for the big move and was told Saturday would be a lucky day.

That morning, Zhou hired dozens of workers to move everything into the new office but unfortunately their vehicle was hit and two workers were slightly injured.

The accident has become a laughing stock among locals.

Youngsters get taste of alcohol poisoning

Three young students who were curious about the effects of alcohol wound up in hospital last week after their drunken escapade, Chongqing Commercial News reports.

One boy, 11, from Chongqing Municipality, and his two classmates paid six yuan (73 US cents) to purchase two bottles of alcohol and guzzled them down on their way home.

The boy was later found lying on the street unconscious, murmuring to himself.

His father was informed and immediately rushed the boy to hospital where the other two were also being treated for alcohol poisoning.

Education professionals called for school teachers and parents to help children deal with their curiosity for alcohol properly.

(China Daily 03/31/2004 page4)