Merry Xmas everyone!

It's Christmas Eve, and it's snowing outside. A white Christmas for a family reunion and friends and relatives to gather.
I'm not a christian but how much anticipation towards this festive season is as much as everyone. Pap used to bring us for caroling, which was truly my favorite moment when i was a kid. Pap loves the warmth showered and how the people rejoice us. He embraces joy, harmony, care, merrymaking... We would be following the caroling choirs visiting hotels by hotels and we at the back tracing their tail along the tourist belt from Batu Ferringhi to Tanjung Bungah; Hotel Shangri-La, Golden Sand, Holiday Inn, Park Royal...till the very last Mutiara. My favorite Xmas song would be Feliz Navidad, Here comes Santa Claus, frosty the snowman, Rudolph the red nose reindeer,etc...

Now many memories swift to my mind,the caroling, the cartoons, the films especially home alone!! And i like every of them.

The snow queen

This would be my very last white Xmas in Russia. I can't feel any festive air here because mostly Russians are Orthodox and they celebrate on 7th of Jan. I can't see any lights, deco on the streets...sad isn't it? Anyhow i tend to delight myself by listening to Xmas songs..

Merry Jolly Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas songs by Frank Sinatra & Bing Cosby.

冬至，Winter Solstice Festival

冬至，Dong Zhi literally translated as the "arrival of the Winter". It's a festival when family members gather and celebrate the good year they had gone through. Usually it falls on the 21st - 23rd December. This is the beginning of the winter, the day when the people who stays at the northern hemisphere will experience the longest night fal of the yearl. Whereas the southern hemisphere will meet it within June 20-23rd. The origin of this festival comes from various cultures and places. For us chinese, it has a phylosophycal trace on the yin and yang, which Yin symbolizes feminine, negative and dark qualities of the universe, and yang masculine, positive and fiery qualities, and when something goes to one extreme it then goes to the opposite. Winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is the shortest day and longest night. After it, days become longer, which ancient Chinese thought meant yang qualities would become stronger, so should be celebrated.

The festival can be traced back during the Han dynasty, it was a day to make offerings to heaven and people’s ancestors, something both emperors and common people did.

And, when i did some readings on this warm festival, i realised that medicine plays a great rolte on this special day.

In other parts of northern China, such as Henan, people eat dumplings in honor of a famous doctor named Zhang Zhongjing (150-219). Zhang is remembered not only as a brilliant physician but as being very kind to the poor.

According to local custom, one year the winter was so cold that many people in Zhang's hometown of Nanyang suffered from painful chilblains. Seeing that his small clinic was no longer able to accommodate an ever increasing number of patients, Zhang asked his brother to put up a tent in the village square. A large cauldron was placed inside the tent to prepare medicine, in which Zhang had dumplings stuffed with mutton boiled. Every patient got a bowl of the soup with two dumplings, and their chilblains disappeared in a day or two. Zhang's mixture soon became a popular recipe, and when he died, people began to eat dumplings on the day of the winter solstice in his memory.

But in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have a meal made of red-bean and glutinous rice to drive away ghosts and other evil things. In other places, people also eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour. Since most of the Malaysian chinese has southern root, we eat tang yuan with sweet brothand thus the mutton stuff dumplings are stil not our commons. Eating Tang Yuan is symbolic of family unity and family prosperity. For good luck, families prefer to have some pink tang yuan to mix with the white ones.


Since we don't have the coloring here, we just made white ones..:) with the brownish罗汉果 sweet broth, a chinese gourd 。

Play for YouTube

I come across this youtube group and here's how you might find your true talent, by youself!! Whether you are a professional or amateur musician, old or young, regardless the locations and instruments of your specialty, you can upload the scores composed by renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) for this occasion. Upload the scores, learn hard and practice, record your performance and send your talent video. Share your passion in music right at your comfy home without stepping out from your doorstep.

Contestants will be judged by the board panel and the YouTube users and the finalists will travel to New York in April 2009, to participate in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra summit, and play at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Before joining the team, you would need to read about their rules and regulations here first.

How to enter this competition:
Registered Users who wish to enter the Competition (each, an “Entrant”) must create and submit two (2) original and distinct videos, each no longer than five (5) minutes in length and which follow the technical, creative, and legal entry requirements set out in Rules 5 and 6 ( which is too lengthy for me to copy and paste here), and elsewhere in these Official Competition Rules (an “Entry”). An Entry may be submitted anytime at the YouTube Symphony Orchestra site located at www.youtube.com/symphony (the “Competition Site”) during the Open Call for Entries which begins December 1, 2008 at 12:00:01 AM Eastern Standard Time U.S. (“EST”), and ends on or about March 2, 2009 at 11:59:59 PM ET (“Competition Period”).

Here is a brief workshop by Tan Dun

Lang Lang, the first YouTube Symphony Orchestra Ambassador, talks about the YouTube Symphony Orchestra and plays a piece of the Internet Symphony by Tan Du.

The Hong Kong chinese orchestra played the re-arranged piece, Eroica beutifully!

Music is life, they are the harmony of life essence, reflecting the every image of us. The notes dance their way and rhythm embeds the air..

Forensic Medic

Forensic Med is interesting. It sounds sci-fi to me, yet it's a medical sub-field dealing with judiciary,law, crime to civil action.
The 1st step to our classroom was disturbing.. especially when we're 'welcomed' by a hanging corpse right at the door step.






The classroom brings us to several crime scene, which may be obtrusive for viewers!!

scroll down if you dare...

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This lady must have been raped and strangled to death

A suicidal attempt?and drown himself with the warm water in the tub fastening the blood lost..

Probably must have been run over by a rail

Tomorrow will be our autopsy day..stinks stinks!!!!!!

World AIDS Day

Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

What is HIV?
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a member of lentivirus, which belongs to the retrovirus family, that can lead to AIDS ( Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome). It's the time when the patient's immune system becomes weak and easily infected with opportunistic infections, leading to various lethal complication. In all cases, without effective treatment the immune system will eventually become very weak and no longer be able to fight off illnesses.

Are HIV and AIDS the same?
No. When someone is described as living with HIV, they have the HIV virus in their body. A person is considered to have developed AIDS when the immune system is so weak it can no longer fight off a range of diseases with which it would normally cope.

How does HIV transmitted?
By bodily fluid. There are blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breast milk.
Major routes for the transmission trough unprotected sexual intercourse (oral,vaginal, anal), needles sharing, blood transfusion, breastfeeding, and mother to baby at birth ( vertical route).

Can you get HIV from kissing?
No. HIV cannot be passed on through:

• Kissing or touching
• Spitting, coughing or sneezing
• Toilet seats, swimming pools, or shared facilities or utensils

Can women living with HIV still have children?
Yes. HIV can be passed from mother to child, but there are steps that can be taken to reduce the possibility of the child contracting HIV to less than one per cent, including giving the mother and child antiretroviral HIV drugs, delivering the child by Caesarean and not breastfeeding the baby.

Global Trends

The number of HIV infected people is still growing.

Regional statistics for HIV & AIDS, end of 2007

How does the patient suffers?
HIV affects almost every organs. The immune system becomes poor and tend to get opportunistic infection ( bacterial, viral, fungal, parasital), and also have a higher risk of developing cancer such as Kaposi sarcoma, cervical cancer and lymphoma. Patients will have flu-like symptoms such as, fever, chills, sweats(usually at night), weakness, swollen glands, weight loss

Is there a cure for HIV?
No, but treatment can keep the virus under control and the immune system healthy. People on HIV treatment can live a healthy, active life, although they may experience side effects from the treatment(diarrhea, fatigue, malaise nausea). If HIV is diagnosed late, treatment may be less effective in preventing AIDS.
Currently used treatment is HAART (highly acvtivated anti-retroviral therapy). HAART allows the stabilization of the patient’s symptoms and viremia, but it neither cures the patient of HIV, nor alleviates the symptoms, and high levels of HIV-1, often HAART resistant, return once treatment is stopped.
Anti-retroviral drugs are expensive, and the majority of the world's infected individuals do not have access to medications and treatments for HIV and AIDS.





If you were wondering, this picture was produced by the French Government. Some time ago they released an advertising campaign highlighting the plight of AIDS and unsafe sex with this hard-hitting, provoking and memorable graphic.


Prevention of HIV
abstain - avoiding any sexual activities that could cause transmission of HIV.
Be faithful - The risk could also be reduced, through avoiding sexual intercourse other than with a mutually faithful uninfected partner.
Condom - or through the correct and consistent use of condoms.


Visit the World AIDS day org site.

Sleeping in airports

I guess one of you might experience sleeping in the airport either for a transit or to save a couple $$$ if you're on a tight budget. Some might find it cozy and clean, and even better then the local lodgings..to top of it..it's FOC!!
Voted for the best Golden pillow airport...Singapore Changi Airport.


The runners up go to:according to alphabetical order.

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands

2. Athens, Greece

3. Auckland, New Zealand

4. Helsinki, Finland

5. Hong Kong, China

6. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

7. Oslo, Norway

8. Seoul Incheon, South Korea

9. Vancouver, Canada

you might find this site helpful if you're planning to crash in any sleepable airport ..and there are also the worst airports which would doom your trip and make your vacation miserable...

Sleepinginairport

May she Rest in Peace

We just lost an amiable and strong woman.
Who brought young-hearted ambitious individuals to seek dreams,
great dreams of fighting against disease.
She has bred many doctors, but she's left too soon.
Gone yet not forgotten,
your memory lies within us,
forever in everyone's heart.
May she Rest in Peace.

Medical Student Syndrome

Being a medical student is not publicly 'common',normal,and some might be called weirdo,brainy,nerd..u name it..
Medical student syndrome is a constellation of symptoms that are observed on medical student when they are exposed well enough to medicine. It's considered as a psychological disorder which affect the behavior and mood of a medical student

In a more medical way,the medical student's disease is also called hypochondriasis of medical student. The medical students would perceive themselves to be experiencing the symptoms and disorders from what they are studying. When they are studying the frightening disease. they tend to develop vivid delusion on it ,thus getting 'disease of the week'.


Some signs and symptoms that were observed are listed below:

1. Insomnia

2. While they are not sleeping, most of their times are spend in front of their books.

3. Talk alone without anyone around (like they were having hallucination).

4. They talk about what they read anywhere and anytime.

5. Like to recall anything that they read.

6. Absence signs (blank with no respond for a few minutes while their eyes are looking upwards.

7. Drink coffee a lot to make them stay awake.

8. Force themselves to stay awake at night.

9. Bring books everywhere they go.

10. Afraid of wasting time.

11. Hate co-curriculum activities

12. Able to communicate well with others but they are unsocialized.

13. Like to complain but in the end follow the rules.

14. Wear formal gear everyday.

15. Look very schematically.

16. Watch Anime and Play games when they did not have exams.

17. Sometimes they are aggressive and explosive but most of the time are able to control it.

18. Depressed.

19. Laugh alone when reading a non-humour book.

20. Laugh at themselves when they confront with problems or troubles.

21. Hate to go outside of their rooms.

22. Not intact with reality.

23. Not up to date with the surrounding events.

24. Deafnism (pretend to be deaf).

25. Hate their School’s Dean.

26. Do not want extra times in their exams.

27. Tension most of the time

28. Shouting frequently without any stimuli.

29. Jealous with the other course that have more time to sleep.

30. Love the library at the same time hates it.

31. Like to discuss their knowledge with the others.

32. Suicidal ideation.

33. Over or lower confidence

34. Always feel that they are having no time to do something. (delusions)

35. Sensitive

36. Love McDonalds.

37. Love the instant mee.

38. Like to blame others.

39. Very discipline. Did not like to break the rules.

40. Thinking too much when making decision on things other than medicine.

41. Quiet.

42. Experts in bluffing the answers.

43. Seldom fall sick.

44. Like to relate anything with medicine

45. Talk about sex normally and know so much more about it than anyone else.

46. Like to imagine things.

47. Like to make jokes every times.

48. Always say yes even the answer is no, or say I am not sure. No answers most of the time.

49. Always happy even though they are stressful everyday.

50. Frequently buy expensive textbook.

51. No time to defecate and urinate especially during exam because always thinking about their books.

51. Difficult to find boyfriend/girlfriend.

susah-lah..

Hello Singapore!

Hollywood actress Gong Li had just been officially given a Singaporean citizenship.

The Straits Times reported that the 43-year-old Gong -- star of "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Farewell My Concubine" -- collected her Singapore citizenship certificate on Saturday(8th of October 08), along with 149 other new citizens.

In 1996, she married a local tobacco tycoon Ooi Hoe Seong and her decision in becoming a Singaporean according to a HK paper ,is that she's unhappy with her stay in Hong Kong and decided to make Singapore her 2nd home.

i would have to think about that too!

What Happen When You Don't Weed (Need) the Kittens?



They grow roots...so cute

Happy Halloween

Extragenital Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a pathological process, characterized by abnormal growth of cells that is similar to the cells lining in the uterus. There can be found elsewhere outside the uterus. As for the implant growing at different organs and system, they are termed extragenital Endometriosis.
The endometrial cells share the same properties with the original one inside the uterus, they shed and bleed in each menstrual cycle.
The implants can be in the urinary bladder, intestine, kidneys, lungs, esophagus, post operative scar, conjunctiva, brain.

causes: still unknown by the experts. They are suggesting the immune and the hormonal system play an important role.

Theory 1: Back flow of the menstrual blood carrying endometrial cells into the target site, via bloodstream or lymphatic system, they reach to other organs and system. This could also happen during abdominal operation, c-section, uterine perforation, conservative myomectomy. This is the most likely explanation for the rare cases of endometriosis that develop in the brain and other organs distant from the pelvis, thus migration theory.

Theory 2: embronic genesis. There are areas lining the pelvic organs possess primitive cells that are able to grow into other forms of tissue, such as endometrial cells. (This process is termed coelomic metaplasia.)

Theory 3: Dysfunction of the immune response system, which may affect the body's natural ability to recognize and destroy any misdirected growth of endometrial tissue.

Theory 4: Hormonal disorder. Steroidal and gonadotropic hormones disorder. Hyperestrogeny and increase FSH( follicle stimulating hormone) lead to rise of the activity of the implant endometrial cells.

Who is affected?( MedicineNet.com)
Women in their 25-35. Some reports show girls as young as 11 years of age.
More commonly found in white women as compared with African American and Asian women. Studies further suggest that endometriosis is most common in taller, thin women with a low body mass index (BMI). Delaying pregnancy until an older age is also believed to increase the risk of developing endometriosis.

clinical picture:
1. Intestinal endometriosis: abdominal pain coinside with menstruation. Sometimes intestinal obstruction.

2. Endometriosis of the urinary bladder: disordered micturation or even blood in urine, ( hematuria).

3. Endometriosis of the lung: coughing with blood ( hemoptysis) and chest pain during menstruation.

4. brain endometriosis: headache and seizures.

How is extragenital endometriosis diagnosed?

Other symptoms related to endometriosis include:pain during intercourse, lower abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation, tenesmus( bowel evacuation) during menstruation, low back pain, irregular or heavy bleeding( menorrhagia), hematuria.

In rectovaginal exam (one finger in the vagina and one finger in the rectum), the doctor can feel nodules (endometrial implants) behind the uterus and along the ligaments that attach to the pelvic wall. At other times, no nodules are felt, but the examination itself causes unusual pain or discomfort.

Chest xray
Ultrasound: reveal nodules or endometriotic cysts
laparoscopy: corroborated with biopsy. therapeautic laparoscopy can also be done during this manipulation.
endoscope

tumor marker test: Cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) in blood, but it's not as sensitive to mild or moderate disease. As with cancer, CA 125 doesn't perform well as a screening test for endometriosis because it's least sensitive when the disease is in its earliest stages.

treatment:
depends on severity and the implants.
2 types: medication or surgery

For pain: NSAIDS (ibuprofen)
For the hormones:
1. Goserelin:Zoladex

2. Norcolut

3. Utrogestan

as for endometriosis the treatment as below:

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRH analogs)

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRH analogs) have been effectively used to relieve pain and reduce the size of endometriosis implants. It prevents menstruation and lowers estrogen levels, causing endometrial implants to shrink.

Oral contraceptive pills

Oral contraceptive pills (estrogen and progesterone in combination). The most common combination used is in the form of the oral contraceptive pill (OCP).

Progestins

Progestins (Provera, Cycrin, Amen) are more potent than birth control pills and are recommended for women who do not obtain pain relief from or cannot take a birth control pills. But not recommended in women with plan pregnancy.

Danazol (Danocrine)

a synthetic drug that creates a high androgen (male type hormone) and low estrogen hormonal environment by interfering with ovulation and ovarian production of estrogen. Eighty percent of women who take this drug will have pain relief and shrinkage of endometriosis implants, but up to 75% of women develop side effects from the drug.

Aromatase inhibitors

they block the conversion of hormones such as androstenedione and testosterone into estrogen and by blocking the production of estrogen from endometrial implants themselves. This deprives endometriosis of the estrogen it needs to grow. Early studies suggest that aromatase inhibitors are at least as good as other hormonal approaches and may be better tolerated. Also used in treating breasts cancer.
Lupron

• Lupron depo shot is also a gonadotropin and is used to lower the hormone levels in the woman's body to prevent any growth of endometriosis. The lupron shot is given in 2 different doses a once a month for 3 month shot with the dosage of (11.25mg) or a once a month for 6 month shot with the dosage of (3.75mg). This puts the body into a "medicated menopause", resulting in side effects such as mild to severe hot flashes or a drop in bone density (which usually recovers after treatment). The therapy is less invasive than surgical approaches.

surgical:
Laparoscopy. Endometrial implants may be excised or obliterated by laser. If the disease is extensive and anatomy is distorted, laparotomy (opening of the abdominal wall via a larger incision) may be required.
Hysterectomy
In severe cases of endometriosis, a total hysterectomy and the removal of both ovaries may be the best treatment.
Surgery is always combined with oral medication to suppress recurrent.

Reincarnate from chocolaty heaven!

Craving cakes make me indulge into heaven..atonia for awhile and reincarnate.

Today i just had a ride to heaven..

I took the recipe from a friend of mine, thinking of making my own home-made choc-moist steam cake. Had the recipe but we had trouble in finding the ingredients from a single supermarket.Eventually we had to run into 2 different places to get the ingredients. Russians do have their own way of cultivating their boring lifestyle and we have to put them together by running here and there. Is finding enjoyment that hard here in Russia? Please prove me wrong if you could..well never mind,it is my final year here and I'd like to make my year as happening and meaningful as possible...(with my coolest and best friends a.k.a housmies)



Mum...you would be proud of me..love.

Bad Hair Day?

Which hair style suits me the best?ha ha...recently found a pretty playful and creative site to simply make a fool on yourself.

Granny from padi field

Afro from the church choir

Mdm xxx who teaches History

Last leaf before en route

Final autumn in a foreign land,
i treasure every moments that bring me gaiety,
and scribble every thoughts and inspiration,
and pictures telling their own stories.
HQ08

Dubai Burj Al Arab lookalike apartment standing arrogantly facing the Volga river next to my kvatira.

Golden hue of autumn

crimson leaves

Getting down-under

Guys, i've promised to post about this in my last post...so here you are...enjoy!

Panties and knickers, they are actually the same piece of garments covering the genital parts ,meant to be worn under garments = underwear, below the waist level. Panties are used by the American and Canadian, whereas British and other commonwealths call them knickers.

Some history about panties:

Before the 60's, grannypanties were worn. In the 70's , when the sexual revolution took place, the public had taken sexuality into the next level. The concept of " free love" had taken the world by storm, with young people embracing the ethos of hippie and preaching the power of love and the beauty of sex as a natural part of ordinary life. So, panties had gotten smaller and skinnier to be more openly sexualised.

They are divided into various types based on such criteria as amount of rear coverage, width at the sides, and height at which they are worn.

Bikini:
Worn lower then the waistband. Has narrower strip and skinner touch.

Tanga:
Fuller coverage til waistband but the strips are reduced at the sides.

Thongs/ G-string/ T-back:
Like tanga but the rear coverage is not that full. It has a string strip designated to slip between the wearer's buttocks and becomes wider when it comes towards the top.

V-strings:
even less coverage then thong:

boy-shorts:
Boy shorts often cover most of the buttocks area, evolute from boys' shorts, sometimes we call it shorties. And they don't ride up like the thongs.(Embarrassing!)

Cheeky:
This style covers a little more area, but exposes the bottom part of the buttocks. Some wear as bikinis bottom.

Garters:
They are bands of fabrics to keep the stockings up.

**A garter is often worn by newlywed, and the gloom will toss to the male guests during the deflowering and unmarried male wedding guest who successfully caught the garter was believed to be the next man to be headed to the altar from the group of single men at that wedding. Traditionally, the man who caught the garter and the lady who caught the bouquet will share the next dance.**

high-waist:
for high rear and tummy coverage.

No-show panties:
high-tech dry fit micro-smooth panties to let the skin breath and pulling away moisture from the skin. Invisible under the pants.

Briefs:
give a full coverage til up to the belly.