The Dreamer's DREAMS...

My evening with the beautiful view. of Sea of Marmara...

2011-07-23T21:15:00.002+04:00

I might not have mentioned earlier, at the rooftop of my hostel I can enjoy the best view of the Sea of Marmara. My "room" is just right beside where I am sitting now. My "room" might not be as strong as the room built of concrete, but I fell in love with it for the breath-taking view. Imagine yourself, sitting in Europe, looking at Asia every night before you sleep, isn't it wonderful?

I haven't been writing about my trip for days, because, everyday, we went out early and came back really late. There were no time for blogging, no time for photo-uploading. Traveling on the land, and across the sea were interesting. I was talking about visiting Hippodrome on the first day, but I forgot to mention about the entrance fee for the Basilical Cistern. It's the cheapest entrance fee - 10T.L., as it's just an underground place to contain their water during the Roman Empire, and the audio guide was 5T.L (RM 8.2). The audio guide will tell you how big it is and who built it, the only important thing to see there would be the "Medussa head" - 2 stone-bases of 2 columns carved with a lady face with hair of snakes, it's at the inner most of the cistern from the entrance, there will be sign boards directing you to the 2 columns, you will know when you are there as there will be the brightest side of the cistern. There were legend about the Medussa head, but I think it's better to let the audio guide tell you about that.

As for Hippodrome, you don't need to pay to see it, it's just an open place with 2 huge columns. So, damage-free for your wallet!

Have I or haven't I mentioned about the "free information" volunteers? There are a group of university students from different part of the country, in their blue shirts and jeans, gathering at different places in the Sultanahmet, where most of the tourist attractions are, standing by to assist the tourists, either bringing them to their destinations if they arewithin walking distance, or showing them the way on their maps. What a wonderful work done by the Municipal. O ya, don't forget to grab your Istanbul map at the tourist information center near the Hippodrome. It'll be very helpful.

When we were at Hippodrome, we were sitting on the grass as the others were, too tired to continue, a man approached us with a stack of "Istanbul" guides. With the price of 30T.L., we thought the book is a little too expensive, so we rejected, he continued to "bargain" with us, we didn't want the book as we had our guide, he insisted, guess what, we got the book for 5 T.L. with a stack of postcard for free! Worth it! So if you don't really need it, don't give in until they do!

Then, we went to the Grand Bazaar, as we thought it's too late for museum trips. It's really huge, for those that know Moscow, it's something like the old ismailovskiy park where they sell clothes are everything else. We didn't get anything there as we thought of surveying the price first, we don't want to get cheated. Keep in mind that they'll be closed at 7.00pm, and on Sunday, so don't go there when it's really late.

After the Grand Bazaar, we thought of getting ourselves a Turkish dinner, but a pure one is really hard to find, as Sultanahmet is full of tourist and the locals have adapted to the tourists' taste, they were trying to sell us PASTA! Why would I eat PASTA in Istanbul? At last we thought it'll be a good choice to dine in at Izmir Restaurant, located on the way from Grand Bazaar back to Sultanahmet, the food wasn't bad, but one of the manager wasn't honest at all. There was one dish that they didn't manage to serve, the waiter, knowing no English, trying to inform us about that, but a sign was given by that particular manager and the waiter kept quite, we knew that something wasn't quite correct, and we waited really long, so we asked for the bill, knowing in our heart how much the total should be, the manager counted the dish that was not served and trying to cheat us, but after being reviewed, he was just trying fool around, we weren't happy with his attitude, there might be such people when you don't speak their languages, so BE CAREFUL!

On our way home, we grabbed 2 real cheap T-shirts, only 5T.L., not bad isn't it? That's how we ended our first day. I'll attach some photos next time, got to grab something to fill my stomach now, really hungry!

Istanbul - a historical city

2011-07-20T23:35:00.008+04:00

We were well known for carrying the heavy bags along the street, when we depart from our hostel, heading to our very first destination - The BLUE MOSQUE, we were invited to have tea in a restaurant - Ocean,s 7. One of the managers or bosses said that he recognized us carrying heavy bags. At first, I was trying to walk away, as I always think that these people were just trying to catch customers from the street. But, this time, it's hard to reject, he invited us for free Turkish Traditional Black Tea, which is one of the drink in our list, so, we just went in.

I guess most of us wouldn't feel appropriate to leave without ordering something else in the menu, at least pay a little? We ordered a simple chicken sandwich, as we didn't plan to spend a lot for lunch. It's one of the cheapest thing in the menu - 7 T.L (RM12.60), it's in the snack section, so we thought that it'll be a small piece of bread with some boiled chicken fillet and a few slices of cucumbers and mayo. But it came in a huge place with one large piece of bread cutting into half (something like Russian "baton"), with huge pieces of grilled chicken fillet, cucumbers and tomatoes, and is garnished with fries. So, lunch is done!

Walking under the hot sun was unbearable. It's 31'C according to google. With my spectacles on, I can't put on my sunglasses, I didn't have a hat. I just felt like fainting.

The Blue Mosque was magnificent.
Free of charge! It's quite congested, there were people praying, cleaning up themselves at the "fountain". The queue was pretty long, but the workers are efficient, we didn't wait long to enter.

It wasn't early when we finished visiting Blue Mosque, and the tiredness of traveling from the airport earlier, we didn't enter Hagia Sophia the same day, though it's just opposite of the blue mosque. Instead, we went to the Basilical Cistern, a place we visited quite coincidentally that day, as it was suggested by a shopkeeper, who ran across the road to grab customers for his shop, located just next to the cistern.

One of the thing I hate the most about traveling in Istanbul is, they don't have discount for student! And all the 50% discounts, with or without müzekart, are only valid for their own citizen. Entrance fees for various museums varies from 10-20T.L. (RM36-72). Pretty expensive.

Then we went to the Hippodrome, nothing much from there, but it's famous for its remaining building structure.

There are so much more to mention about the first day, but it's pretty late now. So, it's time for bed. Let's continue tomorrow!

My way HOME...

2011-07-19T23:46:00.005+04:00

6 years have passed, and I am no longer a student, but a graduate. I have spent my last week in Moscow packing, never-ending packing. No matter how many times I thought I have finished packing, I ended up stranded in a pile of stuff, to be thrown away?to be given away? or... ... (confusing)

This very morning was my last day in Moscow and I was heading to a must-visit place - Istanbul. It's an early flight, so we didn't spend much time in bed, just a couple of hours. Thank God, we were able to take a short nap in the plane. Turkish airlines - I would give them an 8, out of 10. I love it for its seats. They are so spacious. The food is good. Generally they got A+ for everything except there are no smiles on their air-stewardesses' face, probably due to early hours?
Turkey international airport -Artatuk airport is pretty cool, except that YOU NEED AN 1 OR 2 EURO COIN FOR THE TROLLEY.

The so-called coin exchange service doesn't look honest at all. I have 10 euro note with me, all I need is him changing it into coins, but instead, he tried to give me Turkish Lira instead, no exchange rate stated, nothing was told or indicated. He looked like he's up to no good, so instead of accepting his TL, I grabbed my 10 euro note and ran. I might be too paranoid, but I think it's better for me to drag or pull my luggage than got cheated!!

Right outside the exit of the baggage claim, there are many ATMs, HSBC is one of them. If you are citibank ATM card holder, you might need to walk all the way to the domestic terminal to withdraw. To me, withdrawing from ATM is the best way to avoid cheating.

The way to the hostel was a very tough one. We should have asked for a transfer from the airport to the hostel, we regretted. Having 30 kgs luggage with you, you better take a cab or a shutter! We took 3 hours to reach safe and sound but smelly and sweaty! However, God is good, on the way, we met plenty of good hearted people. 1st came the English speaking pretty young lady, showing us the way, helping us to buy the multiple metro pass. For so long we have never felt so lost, it happens when you don't speak their languages.

After leaving our over-weighted luggage in the hostel, we began our tour in Istanbul. Sultanahmet - it's indeed a very pretty place.... - to be continued..

Here comes the KING..

2011-05-09T12:02:00.007+04:00

Haven't been writing a post for months.... The reason is, I have been working hard for my "baby" and guess what? After months and months of looking and searching, choosing and considering, I have gotten it at last!!!!Canon EOS 1100D EF-S 18-55mm IS II

It's not a very professional one, but for me as a beginner I think it's good enough to start learning taking good pictures for special moments.

Practice makes perfect! I will do it step by step! =)

S.Y.Soo

Things on sale

2011-04-10T12:53:00.015+04:00

After weeks of seeing others selling off their stuff, it's time for me to start digging out my stuff, do some stock checking and here you go, things on SALE!!!
I always wonder, how much should I sell my stuff, how should I sell them? iVolgina store does work actually *Big Applause*, but the notifications do annoy me sometimes (I know I can turn them off, but I need them sometimes!) I hope others aren't turning theirs off, because I have THINGS ON SALE too. =)
IKEA GORM CLIP-ON BASKET - 150 rub/basket (CASH & CARRY) - I have 2 pieces
Hangs on a shelf; easy to move as required. Several baskets can be hung vertically to provide added storage space.
Width: 29 cm
Depth: 27 cm
Height: 15 cm
*Comment - very useful, I hang on the wall-shelf to create extra spaces for storage, esp for small things*
IKEA VAGGIS NOTICEBOARD (with thumb tags) - 150 rub (CASH & CARRY)
Can be hung horizontally or vertically to fit into the space available.
Width: 58 cm
Height: 39 cm

IKEA FABIAN WALLSHELF - 200 rub (long screws included) - (avalaible in 1 week time)
Width: 70 cm
Depth: 24 cm
Height: 17 cm
Max load/shelf: 10 kg
IKEA MIL Table Lamp - 200 rub (hold on till end of June)
Colour - Black
Halogen Bulb Included (+ 1 extra for free) *Long lasting -I used for more than 3 years for 1 bulb, so these 2 bulbs should be enough for you too.*
Height: 16 "
Base diameter: 6 "
Shade diameter: 4 "
Cord length: 6 ' 3 "

IKEA MARD CONTAINER - 150 rub for 1 (x2 available: 1 blue; 1 white - buy both free a cover and 4 rollers) - (hold on till end of june - available for booking)
Length: 37 см
Width: 37 см
Height: 26 см
*comments - very useful, love it a lot, can be stacked together, when you stack both together it's as tall as your bedside cupboard provided by the hostel, which most of us didn't get one!*
IKEA CONTAINER COVER - fit for the previous container

Except for the lamp and the noticeboard which I used for my long six years, all other stuff didn't accompany me more than 2 years. They are my new babies, as I don't like to spend on extra stuff when I was younger. *Jimat Cermat =)*

ALSO AVAILABLE:
- bathroom set, include-
> round mirror (can adjust agle)
> hanging cup for toothbrush and toothpaste
> toilet paper hanger
> hanging tray for soap

- ATLANTA 1.7L water boiler (150 rub)/(200rub + water filter) - available for booking (hold on till middle of july)

- General Surgery Textbook (English version) - 400 rub ->SOLD

- IKEA Standing Clothes rack - suitable for hanging clothes after laundary - width 99cm x depth 40cm x height 150cm - 300 rub

IKEA GLIMMA Tealights - 70 pieces - 100 rubles
Diameter: 38 mm
Burning time: 4 hr

Please comment if you are interested. =) PM in facebook / email @ ssy1288@yandex.ru

Author's name - IMPORTANT?

2011-04-03T23:42:00.006+04:00

Pernicious Anemia - Addison's anemia/ Biermer anemia/ Addison- Biermer Anemia (болезнь аддисона-бирмера)

Chronic Adrenal Insufficiency - Addison's Disease (Болезнь Аддисона/ Бронзовая Болезнь)

Does the author's name of the diseases play an important part? Sometime, it does. I wonder how others memorize all the author's name of the different diseases and diagnostic methods.

Sometimes, it can be so confusing and sometimes, I just got frustrated when the lecturer demands author's names to be given. Sometimes, some diseases were named after 3 authors. *Sigh*

I hope there is a manual for me to refer! =(

~~S.Y. Soo

Where our journey begins together...

2011-03-07T02:27:00.004+03:00

Browsing through the old photos, I stumbled into this particular one. I remember doing this when we went to Victory Park Moscow with Dr. Yip (a.k.a Yip dai lou), Dr. Zahrin, Mei Siu and Suresh.

Guess whose hand is this? Yes, it's Wei Soon's. There are many more where we tried different angle and different poses. We, indeed, had a great day together.

And now, we are all in different stage of our lives, different part of the world, different responsibilities to the society. Both doctors have entered their MO (medical officer)'s journey and Mei Siu, Suresh and I are soon to end our "final chapter" of our journey in Moscow.

Will there be another chance to hang out together? Will we ever stumble into one another again? I don't know. I miss a lot of my friends, especially those I once had a lot of fun together with, but now we hardly speak or write to one another, or even had lost contact with.

"Friends, we are friends forever, I appreciate having you being part of my life!"

To friends of others, you might not know how you have influenced someone, or how you have raised somebody from depression; they might not have expressed their appreciation or showed their cares; anyhow, YOU JUST PLAYED YOUR PART WELL!! You are a good friend!!

~~S.Y. Soo

'Cause God makes no mistakes...

2011-03-03T22:48:00.004+03:00

To me, Lady Gaga's songs are just too extreme. I like some of her songs, but I would hardly search for them.

A lot of people did covers of her songs, but I like this specific one. Like what Maria Aragon said in Ellen show,

".. well, it's probably because of the meaning of the song. It's very great meaning, it's about just being yourself, because God makes who you are, and you are no different from anybody else."

Since then, I fell in love with this song, probably not the original one (it's too much of base for me), but those covers done.

Everyone is born superstar. Because God makes no mistakes!!

~~S.Y. Soo

Lyrics
It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M
Just put your paws up
'Cause you were born this way, baby

My mama told me when I was young
We're all born superstars
She rolled my hair, put my lipstick on
In the glass of her boudoir

"There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are"
She said, "'Cause He made you perfect, babe"
"So hold your head up, girl and you you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say"

I'm beautiful in my way,
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret,
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way
(Born this way)

Ooo, there ain't no other way
Baby, I was born this way
Baby, I was born this way
(Born this way)
Ooo, there ain't other way
Baby, I was born this way
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Don't be!

Give yourself prudence and love your friends
Subway kid, rejoice the truth
In the religion of the insecure
I must be myself, respect my youth

A different lover is not a sin
Believe capital H-I-M (hey, hey, hey)
I love my life, I love this record and
Mi amore vole fe yah

I'm beautiful in my way,
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret,
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Ooo, there ain't no other way

Baby, I was born this way
Baby, I was born this way
(Born this way )
Ooo, there ain't other way
Baby, I was born way
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

( Queen ,
Don't be , Queen )

Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Whether you're broke or evergreen
You're black, white, beige, chola descent
You're Lebanese, you're orient
Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'Cause baby, you were born this way

No matter gay, straight or bi
lesbian, transgendered life
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to survive
No matter black, white or beige
chola or orient made
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to be brave

Special treat for our STOMACHS №1

2011-02-27T14:23:00.007+03:00

On the 23rd Feb, I cooked...

Homemade Spicy Fried Chicken with mushroom soup and a simple salad

.... and tried my own recipe: Blackberry Gin - I bet you would like to try it too... =D

*****

Then, on 24th Feb, we had our group CNY celebration in my room, I love the food and the atmosphere, everyone was enjoying and laughing. This would be the last CNY together for us....

First come our 5 happiness Cold Plate

Then, come the Peking Chicken, Fried Chicken, Mushrooms with Broccoli, Black Fungus with rice noodles, and so much more......

"Gong Xi Fai Choi"

Cook - Shu Shien Yong, Boon Beng Goh, S.Y. Soo; Special Feature - Eric Kim; Guests - All the members of group 61 =)

~~Medical Student

From carbon to diamond...

2011-02-26T13:17:00.007+03:00

Whenever the teachers wanted to sign my credit book, they would be astonished by the the photo in front.
The question is, "Is that you?" With my face blushed, I would always say, "Yes, that's me."

I would not blame them, it's a huge different. If you are to see my secondary school photos, you will not believe those are mine.

I think most of us have the same experience. Came as a innocent pure little girl, return as a confident bright doctor.

Moscow - a place I grew up

Moscow - a place I learned to build relationship, a place I saw true friendships, a place I fell and a place I learned to get up back on my feet. Recalling the excitement to study abroad 6 years ago, saying goodbye to my beloved family, I left home to go after my dream. My dream - to be a doctor; my dream - to help the helpless; my dream - to see people got healed.

There was no fear in me, when some others were crying homesick, I was just too excited to be here, in Moscow. Moscow is not the place I have dreamed of, not the place where you will consider to go to, not the place you will migrate to, not the place you will want to stay for the rest of your life.

Remembering coming out of the airport feeling tired (as I had just vomited in the plane), I was curious, nervous and excited! Just knowing the least of the language ("Da" and "Net" - "Yes" and "No"), we started our 6 and a half year journey.

Things were expensive (and are still expensive now), we just had chickens and cabbages for the first 3 months. It wasn't easy to start to decide to buy or not to; to eat or to fast; to walk or to take cab; to cook or to eat out. I have to spend every single penny wisely, not to waste daddy's hard-earned money.

There were many times we complained, we complained the rise of the hostel fee to doubled, the rise of the tuition fee which was supposed to be as stated in the contract, we fought our way out. Though we failed most of the times, we learned a lot. We learned to deal with those wise cunning businessman, we learn to be good. (You know who I am pointing to.)

Even at the end of the journey, we have to organize our own graduation ceremony, as it's not our school tradition to have one; design our own robe; find our own sewing company; and pay for our own robe.

Life isn't easy; there were ups and downs; there were success and failures; there were regrets; there were many many more.

In these years, I didn't just study to be a doctor, I was a part-time cook, plumber, electrician, brochure designer, robe designer ... and so much more. I was a carbon, but now a diamond.

Life isn't always sweet, it has much fun when you look at it in a bright side. What do you think most of the student will do if we turn all these into self-pity? As I have said before, did you do your part well? If you can't do it here, find somewhere else where you can. You wouldn't want to waste your time struggling with self-pity, waiting for somebody to understand you. When there is someone there, you thank God; what if there isn't anyone?

The life is yours, decide to hide or to fly!

~~S.Y.Soo

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2011-02-23T17:05:00.003+03:00

"Most of the time, we can define the fetus's gender at 20 week and very often even at sixteen."
- Joseph Woo (in Obstetrics Ultrasound)

We are who we were born to be, whether male or female. In ancient China, males are precious. Son, is the one who inherit everything: surname, properties and so on. Daughter, is to get married to somebody and help the family to "breed". To assure a surname being carry on for another generation, some families would just keep trying until they got a boy.

When China introduced "one-child policy" in 1978 for population control, many "daughters" were killed, so that the family could have another chance to give birth to the one who could carry their surname to the next generation - this is what we called "sex-selective abortion" or "female infanticide".

In this modern era, we often heard some mothers claiming that daughters are better. But why? Daughters are more concerning, they listen, they cry with you, they care about you. Sometimes, the husband even shift in to stay with the mother-in-law, which is totally different from our tradition.

Ladies are suppose to be feminine, and men are suppose to be masculine. But, is it so?

Masculine - manliness. In all cultures, the basic characters of manliness includes physical prowess and courage. Physical prowess includes strength, fitness and lack of laziness. But, is it so?

A friend of mine always says, "Let the men carry the weights, and ladies carry the babies (being pregnant)."But, is it so?

In today's world, I see men fighting seats with ladies, and ladies carrying stuff for men. Can men change? Will there be more gentlemen?

But, I thank God for gentlemen. In my life, there are quite a number of them. They are really gentle. They respect you, help you and care about you. They will lend a hand when you need, they will give a space for you to sit. Bravo to you guys!

Almost a century ago, in 1918, 23rd February was marked as the Red Army Day; in year 1949, it's renamed as Soviet Army and Navy Day; in year 1991, it's called Defender of the Fatherland Day till current. The holiday celebrates people who are serving or were serving in the Russian Armed Force. Unofficially, this day is often referred as "Men's Day"

Happy Men's Day!!

Let guys be the guys and girls be the girls!!

~~Medical Student

When macrophages meet their enemies...

2011-02-21T16:04:00.010+03:00

Thinking that our class would be starting at 9.00am, I woke up early and left home before 8.00am. Only when I reached the hospital, I was told that our class would start at 10.00am and we were an hour and a half early.

So I decided to spend some time taking some photos.As usual, they like to post a lot. Look at Seth's face!! Hahhaha...

And Hilman always like to be cool.

Just realized that Bon looks like PCK... He got to wear yellow boots soon.

Immunology class was fun! The teacher was simply awesome. She can put emotions and expressions to the neutrophils, T cells, B cells and according to her, natural killer cells are the smartest cells of all. They are the silent killers!

After the class, I went to pick up some stuff from the supermarket and I bought this....

For what?? You will know later on......

When macrophages meet foreign proteins, macrophages swallow them, hold them in and show them to other cells; it's like when you catch a thief red-handed, you tie him up, before sending him to the police station, you show him to your neighbors.

~~Medical Student

At the end of the race...

2011-02-17T18:30:00.002+03:00

Since young, we heard a lot of the story of rabbit vs tortoise, where the tortoise, the slowest moving animal, won over the rabbit due to the tortoise's persistence. On the other hand, we see how the laziness and pride of the rabbit ruin himself. It is a very good story for kids and even adults.

After 5 years and 8 months in Russia, we, the graduating class 2011, are at the very last lap of the race, how will we run it?

I look back at the failures and successes I have been through in the past 5 years, I can only praise God for bringing me through. Indeed, it's not that tough to pass all the exams, going through from year to year, but it's tough when you have to do these millions km away from your family, it's tough to do these during -20C, it's tough to do these because you don't want to see a patient die in your hands because of your incompetent.

How many of us came here with passion and compassion for the sick and dying? And how many of us, now, passing day by day by just watching series, matches, movies or doing events?

I always ask myself, did I run my race well? How am I going to run it from this point?

We always heard negative news about new HOs in Malaysia, how badly they perform and how unenthusiastic they are. There are complains about the MOs treating HOs badly. Who's right? And who's at fault? But... Have you ever ask yourself, "Have I done my part well?", "Did I do it with excellency?"

Tortoise vs rabbit might just be another story for kids, but the moral values in it is essential.

How am I going to run the rest of the race? How am I going to end my medical student's life in Russia?... These are the questions we need to ask ourselves.

~ Medical Student

Pre- woman's day

2010-03-07T18:22:00.004+04:00

Yesterday, right before I went to bed, I could hear guitar playing and people echoing and singing next door.Those were not the songs that they sung usually, they were different. Those were the songs that they were preparing to sing in front of the girls, for Woman's Day.

Again this morning, I got up from bed hearing the songs sounding again next door, as if they didn't stop practicing throughout the night. Well, they were preparing their best to perform and to show their appreciations to the ladies.

8th of March is a big day for Russians. We have public holiday for this very day, a special day to show appreciations to the ladies.

Damba and Wei Soon, too, recorded a few songs for their beloved female classmates. They spent 2 hours just to make it nice, though the videos are still in separated pieces.

Woman's Day - A day to show your appreciation(s) to the lady (ladies) around you, telling her (them), that she (they) are pretty/very helpful/ just wonderful and so on.

Happy Woman's Day! To all beloved female friends and family members!

~~With Love~~

Team of Miracle: We Will Rock You

2010-03-06T00:34:00.002+04:00

Browsing through the internet, I found this movie and decided to watch it.

"Team of Miracle: We Will Rock You"

It's a true story about a bunch of homeless people leaving their past behind, standing up again to continue their lives. I was touched. I was touched by the social worker that had never given up on them, I was touched by how God worked in their lives.

Most of them have given up on themselves and did not want to change at the beginning, but they are all soccer team players at the end. No matter what we have been through, we have to remember that we still have a long way to go. Never give up!

Nice movie!

~~Touched......

Right Here!

2010-03-04T22:59:00.005+04:00

Tomorrow will be the last day for Therapy cycle. I have been lazy throughout the cycle, I have been tired always. I have been hoping for better with the things I'm working on.

I don't like the teacher being unfair, I don't like him criticizing women all the time, I don't like the way he treated us, as ladies, being sarcastic. However, he taught us something we have never heard of, something we have always forgotten, something that we might not be paying attention at. Mix feeling......

Remembering pastor speaking about Elijah last Sunday, reminds me of God sending angel to Elijah when he was so wore-off, when he was distressed, when he couldn't move forward anymore. Reminds me of God being with me, reminds me of His care to us.

~~ Loving You!

ECG short notes

2010-02-25T22:23:00.007+04:00

After the morning conference, our group (gp. 51) were assigned to, who we think is, the head of the department.

He started to test us on ECG interpretation, which I have forgotten most the ways to interpret it. We all agreed that he looks down on women! We, as ladies, in the class were "classified" as... dumb?? (I don't know which term can suit better)

Some of the stuffs that he discussed with us were new to us, whereas some were just things that we couldn't remember!

1. Sinus rhythm - with consistent P-P interval / correct/incorrect form - with/without consistent R-R interval

2. Electrical axis - towards the direction of the lead (standard/augmented) with tallest QRS complex / away from the direction of the lead with the most negative / perpendicular with the direction of the lead with equiphasic QRS complex.

3. Differences between coronary-T and hypertrophic-T: coronary-T = "равнобедренный"+ >0,1 s + >0,5cm/mV

4. Extrasystole - right/left = controversial to the electrical axis, topic/formic (mono-/poly-), alorhytmia (bigemini, trigemini), group(2-3)/>3=tachycardia(inconsistent<30s;consisent>30s)

~~Medical Student~~

The question : WHY?

2009-12-03T00:58:00.003+04:00

Just got my internet connected back yesterday! It has been months ago since I updated my blog. I wonder if anyone is going to continue to read an outdated blog... ...

After returning to Moscow, continuing my student-life, I realized that I do not have much days left. I do not have much days left before my graduation, before ending my student-life and stepping into the world, starting to bear more responsibilities. (like, paying taxes?!?)

Isn't it too earlier to think about it now? I wonder... ...

How long more to go? I counted... ... less than 2 years... ... Have you realized you might have to get prepared for something ahead too?

What do you think the responsible you need to bear for being called "DR.?" - it's A LOT! Doing medicine isn't easy, moreover, life is not EXPENSIVE but priceless!

Reading through the diseases being taught earlier, realizing I don't remember most of them... ... Have I learned it well? NO!

All the symptoms make a disease, every symptom has a reason; What's your reason falling sick?

~~Random thoughts... ...

Hard feelings before departure.......

2009-08-29T07:21:00.007+05:00

It has been long ago since I logged in here to write. 2 months of holidays passed and it's time to get back into the books! I have not miss Malaysia that much before. I just don't feel like leaving the country, though it doesn't seems to be in a stable condition now, with everyday bad news highlighted.

When a person is getting older, he/she tends to be more attached to the family. Is it true? I recalled the day I was departing to Russia to do my pre-medical, I was full of hopes and excitement. I just wanted to fly across the oceans and contigents to survive with bread and cheeses. And now......

I miss my mom, though she is getting more and more naggy as time passed, my dad, getting warmer as he's getting older, and my stupid fat brother, that always steals my food from my plate. I miss both my grandparents, they had become much thinner than before. I miss my aunties and uncles and my newly born niece.

4 years ago, I would have said, separation is a part of life, as there's a chinese saying, "Every gathering will end with separation."; and now, I am unwilling to leave.

Well, the only dependant now is on God, and the prayer is, "God, make it possible for me to see everyone again 2 years later when I graduate." My grandparents might be very old, but I really want to see them again!

Missing you all......

CATS BBQ '09

2009-05-20T00:24:00.003+05:00

Where??!?? - Park Opposite our hostel
When??!?? - Last Saturday (16-05-09)
Weather??!?- Quite cold.. But CATS bbq gave us warmth!
Who??!?? - Friends!!

** Leatrice - I think you are really brave! If I'm the one who got it, I would reconsider whether I'm going to swallow all that... =P

** Good Job people! I love the BBQ, it was my first BBQ in my life!

~Student's Dinner Box~

Malaysian-Chinese

2009-05-19T23:12:00.012+05:00

Malaysia?!!? My country......

Honestly, I am proud of myself for being a Malaysian-Chinese.

Not because of the government, nor the beauty of the seasides, but because Malaysian-Chinese loves eating everything!!!! I mean EVERYTHING!

Healthy recipe
When you serve an African with Chinese food, such as Chinese herbal soup.

They might not like it at all.

There was once I invited my African friends home and served them with Chinese food, I was quite sad seeing them taking it quite forcefully... =(

However, there is an exception, who named Bankole, He loves eating Malaysian and Chinese food! (Bankole is one of my dearest brothers that helps me along my spiritual growth. We worked together around the clock, we went picnic together, we ate and had fun together! )

Sweet tooth...
What about something sweet?!? Will they like it?

I am not so sure, but there was once I cooked a desert, which most of us, Malaysian-Chinese, loved, was rejected by my Indian friends!

Curry is the best!

When we enjoyed eating curry (which I think most Malaysians do!) Chinese from china find it weird!

We love varieties!
Not only that, we simply love eating western food, such as Italian food and Spanish food; Asian food, such as Japanese sushi and Korean kimchi; Indian food and Parkistan food, those with all kinds of spices; and even african food! (I love eating maze dough - mangka; fermented ones, such as kenkey; and so on.)

I have had dinners with our friends from china; though we speak the same language, have the same mother tongue, but I think our own tongues (I mean taste buds :P) are so much different!

Generally, most of them find Malay food and Indian food, too spicy to be consumed.

Moreover, you will find plenty of "Malay+Chinese" cuisine back in Malaysia, such as Nyonya kuih. (I wonder do they have POPIAH in other countries??!?)

I think there are much much more food we enjoy eating! That's what makes me proud being a Malaysian-Chinese! Mixture of culture brings much satisfaction to the stomach! =D

~Student's Dinner Box~

Happy Birthday!!

2009-05-15T19:48:00.009+05:00

Didn't think of anything to write for 2 days. Ya.. I wanted to post about his birthday celebration but I just don't know why I don't have much idea to write until now, 18:49, 15 May 2009 (Friday). (~Yesterday was Wei Soon's birthday~ I have been teased since the day before... Hahahaha..)

##01
Alright! There was a question - "What are you going to do for him?"

MCQ somemore.... Hahahaha (A. Cooking for him a nice dinner? B. Bringing him out for food? C. Buying him something?)

Well. I guess my answer was quite disappointing for some of my friends. (I felt it through their expressions) - I made him peanut butter and going to make Giant Dai Pao!

*** ***

##02
"I heard you made him a Dai Pao wo... Where is mine?" - I was teased again the day after. Well! What means by Dai Pao? Let's observed together......

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Wondering how big is it? It's as HUGE as a cake. (I think is somewhere around 28 inches) Unbelievable? Let me proof it true!

Well... Why is it seems like having green lining on top of it? Hehehehhe...... It supposed to be like --------->

Ooopppppsssss......FAILED...... =P

Honestly, I didn't buy him presents but I made him this ------->

Quite pathetic right? No nice dinner, no nice present... No expensive stuff......

Will he like them? Hahahhhahh =P

*P/S: Don't know why I used so much time to complete this post... Sigh...... Anyway... Hope that he had a happy birthday celebration =)

Recipe for making Paos??? Tell you when I successfully make a really good one *** =D
~Student's Dinner Box~

Nice Jokessss...

2009-05-13T00:37:00.005+05:00

1st scene:
"Hey! The bus is there, do you want to run after it?" Shu Shien asked.

(Introducing: Shu Shien is my groupmate and she is the fastest among all of us, she reachs class the first and reachs home the first too. Her personal displayed message on her MSN messanger used to be - every minutes count!)

"What's the bus NO.?" I asked. "Erm... No. 42."

"Will it head to our place?"...... She smiled (Both of us knew the answer was NO!)

"Will you probably leave your kids somewhere in future?" I asked and we laughed.

*** ***

2nd scene:
It started to rain heavily when we were on our way back traveling in the bus to the nearest metro... Both of us have no umbrella and we have predicted our "outcome"......

So, when the bus stopped at the bus stop, we were on our mark, get set...... GO!!!

Where is she??!?! She turned the other way and I wasn't sure where is she heading to......

"Hey! This way!" I turned and screamed. Luckily she heard me.... Wahahahhhaahha....

Every minutes count! =P (I guess the best present for her birthday must be something that can help her to speed up every steps she take =P wahahhahaha...)

*** ***

3rd scene:
It's very hard to explain this, and if you aren't staying in moscow, you might not understand it. The story went like this - after traveling via metro, we have to take another turn of bus before we got home. And she wanted to reload her phone credit with the machine near the bus stop.

I wasn't sure why, but she seems she was in a hurry and tucked the money into the machine before even entering her own phone No.

Another joke for the day. =D

**As a conclusion, this is not a blog written to laugh at her, but a blog written about one of my lovely group mate. I have told her I am going to post this for sure and she is going to clarify it through comments =) - Beng, your post, I have postponed due to our Big Sis - Shu Shien! =D You are so lucky!

our big sis is 2nd from the left =)

~Student's Dinner Box~

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T18:53:00.006+05:00

Who are they??!? They are my parents. =) Do they look alike? 90%I guess..... Beautiful couple in NEW YORK! Why? It's my brother graduation, so, they went on a trip to this developed city. They seldom travel overseas, except from honey moon and one more time to Hong Kong, this was the 3rd time they flew, they flew half around the globe to attend my brother's graduation. =)

Why am I putting up the photo? Erm... Would like to introduce here my mom, and wish all mothers - Happy Mother's Day!

I am excited, excited to go home, excited to see them in July. Honestly, I have never been excited going home as I have phobia taking plane. However, I really miss them, miss their nagging voice, miss their love. =)

Mothers...
I was brought up in this family. Easily? I guess so... You got to ask my mom. My parents always say my brother and I was very quiet when we were young until...... I was 9 years old I guess, we started to fight. Fight for places, fight for toys, fight for a lot more things and he is 3 years older than me. Bad right? =P

My mom is a housewife. Though she doesn't cook well, often make the food too salty, she does house work pretty good, especially ironing and folding the clothes. O ya, she wrapped my school books well too, my classmates often jealous of me. =)

What's her hobby? This is the simplest question if you ask any of our family members. It's watching TV shows. Not all, only Chinese speaking ones either Mandarin, or Cantonese, or Hokkien. Don't ever ask her out for any English movies, she never like them.

Got touched
I was touched when I saw the mothers in labor or preparing for labor suffered so much in pain during my obstetrics cycle. I wonder those out there who saw it would have felt the same? I remember my dad always said I was delivered a month earlier than I should have be. Well, it's a nice story though =)

Well... Don't be mistaken, I wasn't delivered in the supermarket.... I was just giving my mom and dad the signs =P ~Healthy baby yea! =) (o ya.. the kid in the supermarket was my brother...)

It was 21 years ago......

Do they look alike??!? -One family- =)

Where am I??!?? Studying in Russia.. Sigh....

~Happy Family~

~Student's Dinner Box~

Save the world......

2009-05-09T14:00:00.007+05:00

What is the quantity consumed by a 7-year-old boy, weighted 20kg, would bring him to death?

What is the cause of his death if it's not overdosed medication?

Where are the documents about his admission to the hospital?

Why have the doctor that requested him to be admitted proclaimed that he was poisoned by overdosed paracetamol?

... ... ... ...

I was angry when I first read the news about his death. I was even angrier when I read the news about the denial of the cause of his death was due to overdosed medication. I wasn't there and I don't have the proof, I really hope the government and the authorities will really look into the case.
* Related news: 30_04_09 ; 08_05_09

Will I be the one?
As a medical student, I am worry that I might not have learned enough for my future profession. I am worry that I will disappoint the patients that have entrusted us for their lives. Will I be the one that repeat the mistake again? I pray that it will not ever happen! Let's get serious with our studies!

Life matters
Every patients that came to us, our responsibility is to make them better, let them be relieved from the torturing of their sickness. My dad used to say, "Nowadays, doctors are just like businessman, they mind money more than healing." I hope this is not the truth, and this will never be the truth! We were given lives, we have to appreciate lives, yours, mine, and theirs!

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...... "Be patient, don't be angry! It's alright, the case will be settled in a right way..." I tried to calm myself...

*** ***

Dinner time again???!!?!? (Sometimes I wonder, do I love cooking more? or being a doctor more? Hahahahhahaha... =P Let's see!

Thanks to "Perekrestok" (one of the nearest supermarket in our area) for giving great offer for salmon fillet sales! A good chance to eat SUSHI!!

Ingrediesnts for the rice:
Short rice
Sugar syrup
Vinegar

Everything measured up to your rice cooker and up to your own taste! =) Good luck!

~Student's Kitchen~

Tiring Day with nice successful dinner =) Cheers!

2009-05-07T19:45:00.006+05:00

It's a tiring day.... =(

We have just started our neuro cycle today. As it should have been, today supposedly started with 3 lectures, however the schedule is a bit different this time. So, that means ---> we have traveled to a wrong hospital. Quite disappointing... ...

In the morning
Alright! It's almost 10 am now, and we got to travel for another an hour to another hospital for class. *Sigh...*

We thought that we would be late. Moreover, we just have 4 people out of 10 altogether. So all of us were hoping for an answer "Go home now and come again tomorrow for class," from our teacher. Lazy right? Hahaha......

Surprisingly, we were so wrong. Our teacher was not in yet., Thus, another doctor lead us to a room to wait for her. Well, waiting again? We were quite used to it.

*** ***

An hour passed... I am getting more and more impatient. We were asked to read a topic, but the "traveling" and the "waiting" part really made me too tired to fix my eyes on the book. So??? ---> Go look for the teacher again!

Our teacher was not in yet! What a big joke I thought! Is she going to come anyway? *Sigh...* *Disappointing...* (The doctors there are so busy, they have long queue of patients since early in the morning and the queue has never been lesser than 10 people, so we didn't know which doctor we could attend to ask for our teacher. So??? As usual ---> WAIT!)

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After waiting for hours, we got her at last. She taught non-stop for an hour or two.

Honestly speaking, I was so frustrated waiting for our teacher without knowing when would she come. Though I thought I was wrong to have gone for the class at the beginning, I have no regret at the end. I admitted we wasted quite a lot of time there and we can work on the schedule better to make the learning more effective, but I have gained quite a lot today too. She is a good teacher indeed if she will be punctual. =D

*I guess my group mates are pointing at me and say I always praise all the teachers=P ~Perhaps I'm too too too optimistic??*

*** ***

Class ends... So what's for dinner than??

Homemade instant "Lavash" Pizza

Ingredients:
"Lavash" or Tortilla
Cheese, sliced and chopped
Sardine with tomato sauce
onions, chopped
Tomato sauce

Methods:
Cook the chopped onions with the sardine. Set aside

Put the sliced cheese on the lavash and fold it to 13x20cm (or any size suitable for your oven). Heat it to melt the cheese with a microwave, 2-3 mins (sprikle some water to prevent hardened if using oven toaster for this step)

Spread tomato sauce on the heated lavash and followed by the cooked sardine. Sprinkle chopped cheese on it and toast it with the oven till the cheese melted. Done! Ready to be served =)

Replace any ingredient with your own choice will do! =)

Happy dinning!

~Student's Kitchen~

Yummy

2009-05-04T18:28:00.005+05:00

Dried Shrimp Sambal (Chilli) Paste

Ingredients:
5 pieces of dried chilli
1 medium onion
2-3 cm of ginger
5 cloves of garlic
1 tbs of white vinegar
1 tbs of sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 - 1/2 cup of dried shrimp (soaked 30 mins)
1 tbs of tomato paste
2 tbs of chilli powder (to taste)

Method:
Mix all the ingredient above and blend them with 1 cup of water

Heat oil on pan and fry the well-blender paste till fragrance and half dried

Serve with rice, bread or crackers. May serve as appetizer.

Yummy!

Dinner Night...

2009-05-03T00:42:00.026+05:00

Yea... Today is MASSAD '09 (the reason I bought my shoes 2 days ago...) So... How do I start preparing? Erm.. I didn't plan to do anything, I got my shoes and dress, that's all. By the way, I was questioned a few times... "Who is going to help you with your make up?" Guess what's my answer??

"Erm... I'm not sure... Can I go without it?" - Yes, you are right, I'm a plain plain girl, who doesn't like to put make up at all, I have never tried it myself, even with help, I guess I have put not more than 10 times (it includes the make up I put for all the performances I participate since kindergarden)

So how now?? Sigh...

I have nothing, no skills, no idea, and most important I have no tools also. What a joke?!?? Haha... Eventually I am so blessed to at least get a person to help me with it. Hahaha.. Thanks Nitia. =) I hope it suits me?!?!!

13:25, it's time for me to put on my dress! (The bus will be downstairs by 14:00) How will I look in my dress + the make up??

Like her? Look Good??

- or -

Like this? Erm..... (What I think? Don't ever trust me, I couldn't define myself =P)

Here comes the shoes...I wonder how long could I stand wearing the shoes =(

ARE YOU READY?

~Think so~

Look closely, this doesn't mean that the door was opening... it's the moment it got stuck and we were trapped in the lift......(It's actually a common incident for our hostel, cause the lift is more than 30 years old, and it's time for it to break down...) Well, it took around 5-8 mins for the technician to "rescue" us. ~Sad case~

*** ***

Where is the event?

Yea... It's Radisson Hotel. Hotel Radisson SAS Slavic is a 4 stars hotel n which foreign tourists and businessmen, and also the representatives of political elite stay - even our former Prime Minister (Dato' Abdullah Badawi) has been there before. ~Grand ya =)~

We were waiting outside the hall... Everyone is taking photos with our fellow uni mates. Though MASSAD actually stands for Malaysian Student's Annual DINNER, our MASSAD '09 kick start with some VIP's speeches, as usual, followed by a list of stage performances - dance, band, magic show and so on.

The coolest of all was the magic show, though we didn't have David Copperfield with us in Moscow, the magician invited was brilliant too. Good job organisers!

Didn't manage to take good photos from my seats, so... I just sit and relax with the performances.

As the clock ticked by, the performances were soon ended and we got into the best moment ~ the dinner. =)

Dinner time!

Wow... Malaysian Style^^ Yummy...
Though the food seems not enough, as usual, but we got many extra portions of Briyani rice. (Moscow is still an expensive city, so, paying 350 rubles for the event + dinner is considered cheap, Amazing one! so... no complain =D ) Thumbs up guys!

After filling our stomach full, we could see people started walking around taking pictures. I guess, that's the main purpose we were there - dress and admire, then keep for memory... =)

My groupmates (grp 41- only half of the group...) Guys, you looked awesome!

"Big fishes" swimming around...

I like his pants with the strings... Wahahahahaha... Handsome bro!

Roomies... (408 B) =) Proudly introduce to you, my roomates - Xiang Jie (in red) and alice (in black)..... and I'm in red+black?? @.@ more to dark pink+black =D

O ya.. We are sitting at table no. 24 - Cantonese: Yee shap sei ~ yee sei yee sei ~ easily died... Wahahahaha.. well it's just a joke! =D

Ika (our singer in one of the band) sang this song, she has a beautiful voice too... I love your voice, Ika! =)

Thanks, 2nd years students for bringing us this wonderful programme =D Great Job!

Hello SOYA......

2009-05-02T10:48:00.014+05:00

1st May, It's labor day! Well... It's the same in Russia, we have holiday! Hurray!!!

What to do then? Books again?? No way, I will start reading again on Sunday ok?

Hehe.. I have plan earlier... It's soy beans! I have soaked it since 3pm the days before... it's almost 18 hours already... soft enough for ~ soy milk

Ingredients:
Soy Beans
Water

Fill half of the blender with so beans and another half with water. Let's blend (3-4 mins) until it's smooth.

Filter it with a muslin's cloth. Repeat the first 2 steps with the rest of the beans. Then, repeat the first 2 steps again with the filtered beans.

Heat the filtered soy milk with microwave till near boiling point. (To prevent it from burning by boiling straight with the stove)

Then, pour everything into a big pot and boil it with low fire. Stir it from time to time to prevent it from burning. Scoop away the froth and let it boil. Soy Milk is ready.. Yummy!

It sounds easy right? The toughest part is to squeeze the milk through the filter. Energy needed! =D

*** ***

What's for dinner then?

Homemade tofu with micro treasure =) HEhe.. Actually I learn this from one of my favorite sites
- Hochiak! - Homemade tofu with mini treasure

Homemade tofu? Yes!
Tofu's Ingredients:
400ml soy milk (unsweetened)
7 eggs white
150 plain milk
1 tsp salt

The Treasure's ingredients:
Crab meat
Black mushrooms
Black fungus
Dried shrimps
Garlic
Bean sprout

Mix well the ingredient together and steam for 15 mins. (I was taught from the site to make it using evaporated milk, however I didn't have it. So I add another egg white to make it thicker.)

Spread the chopped crab meat on top (the top has started to harden by now) Then, Steam for another 15 mins.

Meanwhile, fry other ingredients together for the topping. Add in suitable seasonings to taste.

What a nice and simple dish! (You can buy unsweetened soy milk to make everything easier=D)

Yummy! =) Happy dinning...

~Student's Kitchen~

Oh Happy Day......

2009-05-01T08:57:00.027+05:00

It all begins with......
Does it look like it's situated somewhere outskirt? It's the bus stop I have waited for 20 mins of bus, knowing that it might not be coming for the next 20 mins as the schedule stated so. Shivering in the cold, at the temperature of 9'C, I regretted that I have not put on more layers or at least a proper jacket. Sigh......

I'm on the way to a hospital, as my friend was admitted there for a week. Since I'm free today, I gonna pass him the books that should have been passed last Sunday. (We were blocked by the guard that day as we slightly over the visiting hours, anyway, it's an infectious hospital, so it's strictly restricted)

2 Mastruts (mini bus) went by, I didn't board because my purse said so...

"NO! Suet Yin, you don't have enough money!"

This is a very pathetic scene of a student at the end of the month. I prayed, I prayed at least the bus will come (As a student, we have monthly bus pass which can be used without limits).

Another 10 mins passed, it's 1615 and I need to be hurry, someone is waiting for me at another end of Moscow, and I have promised to be there by 1700. (I have a date today... but my phone left 0.12 rub, I couldn't contact him to let him know that I'm stucked)

How dare I!
I have no choice, I got to go, I got to board a bus or a minibus perhaps. That's the amount of money I have - 16 rubles + 1 USD. "God, what should I do?"

Here comes the 3rd mini bus. Without hesitating, I actually got on board. Now, I am going to tell the driver I have not enough rubles, will USD be accepted? (1 USD = 33 rubles) "God bless me," I prayed.

"Erm... Sorry, I don't have enough rubles, can I pay you 1 USD?"

Guess what's the answer???

*He flung his hand* (meaning... it's ok?)

"Erm... do - you - ...." Before I finished, he flung his hand again. Soon, he pointed to the building in front, telling me that it's the hospital I wanted to go.

"Thanks..." I left.

How do you describe the feeling of receiving the greatest help when you are urgently in need? ~Thank God!~

*** ***

Where am I go after passing the stuff to my friend (Peter) in the hospital? Shopping?? (Erm.. I don't really enjoy it, but it's all because of MASSAD'09, I need shoes for it...)

"Ж" - here I come!! The shoes selling there range from 399 rub to 5000 rub. Of course I can only afford the cheaper ones. Besides from buying for the dinner night, I guess I got to buy a pair of sport shoes for my daily use cause the one I am having now is in very bad condition.

What a good harvest! I love both of them =D

How much are they? Hehe... I like to buy things that are nice, cheap and worth buying!

*** ***

After that... Dinner time!

This is the second time I am here in this cafe. Why I choose there for dinner? It means the beginning of my relationship with the guy called - Wei Soon.

It's him! =D We were waiting for the food to come. Honestly, we are deadly hungry. We are always busy with our school work, as he is in his 3rd year now (which is the busiest year of study) and he is studying in Russian Medium (they have more work than us that are in English Medium). Since Moscow is a very expensive city, we seldom eat out except sometimes we will bang into Mc Donald after church, may be once or twice in a month.

Here comes the food... Yummy! Let's begin!

19:40 - Empty table.
19:45 - I saw the waitress holding the tray of food which belongs to us, but a second later, she turned to the opposite side. Oh NO! Not there, here please...... ~our hearts spoke. She brought our food and make a nice round the whole cafe, then, reach our table. Yummy!
19:48 - let's begin with.... salad - chicken+mushrooms+cheese+egg+mayo... one of the salad I like most =D
19:50 - DONE! Then, Lamb soup...
19:55 - DONE! Our main course - tobacco chicken?? Not so sure what is the name, but it seems to me it's half of a nicely marinated grilled chicken with fries and cabbage... (Oh, maybe the waitress purposely went one round so the tobacco smoke can seep into the chicken) =P

This time, we took a longer time to finish it, it's a huge plate=)

Burrrggggpppp.......

Bye Mirazh... See you next semester perhaps? =)

Time to go home...... =D ~Cold~

~Student's Dinner Box~

Death...

2009-04-30T13:57:00.005+05:00

A life LOST!

Paracetamol kills
After reading the news about a 7-year-old boy died of an overdosed of paracetamol, I was lost of words. A boy with fever being prescribed with 2 tablets of 500mg paracetamol, 4 times a day. I am sure if we buy Panadol from a pharmacy, the proper dosage for a child will be stated clearly on the box. A 7-year-old boy shouldn't be taking 1600mg per day or 320mg every 4 hours. Imagine how bad it actually affected the boy's liver just the first time he took the medicine according to the prescription. And he actually took 3 dosages. (For more information about it dosages click here.)

Who should be responsible?
The purpose of his grandfather bringing him to the doctor was to help him get rid of his sickness, but who can accept the fact that it has led him to death instead? It's indeed the worst thing ever happened in his family i think.

Having the title of DR., eventually killing a kid with paracetamol, will be forever an unforgettable incident for his life. Being a medical student, I, too, worry if I haven't study good enough, I might easily kill a patient with my own hands. What is the purpose then, studying a medical degree? If you are a soon-to-be doctor, please start at the very beginning by understanding everything thoroughly, well enough to be a proper doctor in future.

No take 2
A death person cannot get alive again, life has no take two. You can be dead and alive again in a(n) play/acting but not real life. Everyone that come to us in future entrusted us for their lives just like the young boy's parents. Who can ever imagine the real cause of death for the kid is not the fever he had earlier or the pain he was undergoing, but the medicine that he has taken? If there are more of these cases, who can ever trust a doctor anymore.

Studying medicine is not a joke at all. If you just want to pass all subjects by playing tricks in exams, you will probably end up putting someone to death in future. I pray that we will not be the murderer, but an aid, a helper.

*** ***

Time to get ready, time to go out!
It's a day to have some fun, a day to hang out!
The place I am going, not a new place at all,
But the purpose of going, let me enjoy more! =D

~Student's Dinner Box~

Student's recipe - Dried Red Dates

2009-04-29T16:01:00.001+05:00

Red Dates Apple Soup
As I have wanted to have low-fat meals, this is one of the dishes came into my mind.

4 months back, a friend of mine had tried the sweet soup version. It's a simple, refreshing and tasty soup. Today, I am trying to make one boiling with chicken.

Jujube
According to Chinese tradition, dried red dates (also called Jujube) are one of the main ingredient for soup. I am not so sure what is the purpose for having them in the soup, but they do provide sweetness that cooperates very well with other ingredients.

Once, I was told that they improve our respiratory system and also increase blood circulation. After browsing through some sites, there are some statements proofing the functions told.

Good for heart, lung, stomach and nerves
Jujube is rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, carotene, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin P, as well as phosphorus, calcium, iron. Besides, they are also rich in adenosine monophosphate, which enhance muscle strength and also increase myocardial contractile force. Thus, they're known to be good for our hearts.

Moreover, they are also known to be nerve-soothening, having a cup of red dates tea might give you a good night sleep as well as releasing tension.

It sounds good! =)

I wonder boiling it with red apple will make the soup healthier? ~~I'm looking forward to ask a Chinese herbal specialist about its function when I am back in Ipoh.~~

Ingredients:
3 medium red apples
10-12 medium jujube (dried red dates)
1 medium carrot
400g chicken (or chicken bones)
salt

Wash all the ingredients above and boil them together for 1.5 - 2 hours. Add salt to taste.

Should I take it with rice or noodles??

~Student's kitchen~

Wondering? Wonderful?

2009-04-29T00:55:00.000+05:00

Sigh......

Scientific-less theory #2 - Lost of temper

It simply means - angry. How would you write an article, titled Lost of temper? I got upset because it wasn't the response I have expected. I got upset because the attention is not there. I got upset because I am mistranslated. And by adding all this together, my temper just blew off and killed the people around.

I knew it!
I am at lost, I know. I am not perfect, I know. I am trying and I am sure I will successfully overcome this weakness one day. *Aza Aza Fighting*

Remember? Giving triads...
"Slow to speak, quick to listen, slow to anger"

*** ***

Baked Sambal Chicken
Trying something new? Oil-free? I wanted to make a dish without adding any additional oil on the chicken to lower the calories by taking it.

Steam chicken? Too boring. Grill chicken? Just bought one yesterday and I don't have any additional seasonings or ingredients to add on it. So I decided to make a simple dish - Baked Sambal Chicken

Ingredients:
Paste:
5-6 Chillies (up to personal taste)
6 cloves of garlics
1 medium onion
salt
sugar
water

1. Put the ingredients above into a blender and blend it till fine.
2. Boil the paste. Chilled till room temperature.

Dish:
1 Chicken tigh
1 potato

1. Cut the potato and put them into a bowl with the chicken. Add on the paste
2. Put in microwave and cook it for 12 mins.
3. Then, cover it with aluminum foil and grill it for another 10 mins. (or Bake straight for 35 mins,covering with aluminum foil )

It's just a simple dish to have with rice. It's pretty easy for me. Hope it will be for you too. =D

*** ***

A Friend of mine
Browsing through the web, reading blogs. I guess, I have found my long-lost friend. I really hope we were like how we used to be. Without all the problems that came across earlier, I guess she will be better. I can't use butterfly effect to change the past and I really hope the current and the future are still good for her.

A second chance
Not only second chance you will get, even third or fifth. I know you can live a better life, a relaxing one! Not by man we are judged... So forget about entertaining people...

Will I get into your path again?

~Love you~

Be careful......

2009-04-27T17:49:00.000+05:00

Swine Flu Outbreak...

Orthomyxoviridae
Swine influenza virus (SIV) - virus in the family of Orthomyxoviridae, causing acute respiratory diseases, endemic to pigs populations and also spreading from person to person. 3 main subtypes of Influenzavirus A are H1N1, H3N2 and H1N2.

Reading the highlighted news from Medscape and Yahoo! News, I just got to know that Swine Flu has been conquering the world starting from Mexico with current suspected of 1614 cases since April 13, 2009. Out of 1614 cases, 81 deaths are confirmed related to the flu. Moreover, there are 20 cases confirmed in U.S and another 8 cases in Canada. (Up-to-date statistic - please click here)

To prevent it from spreading into Russia, Russian Chief Veterinarian Inspector Nikolay Vlasov reviewed that the country has limited imports of pork from high-risk areas. Moreover, the country also considered quarantine travelers arriving from those places.

Clinical Signs

Fever
Cough
Sore throat
Running nose
Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting
Lethargy
Lack of appetites

Complications - pneumonia, respiratory failure, fatal outcome.

Eating pork will cause swine flu?
The answer is NO. Swine flu spreads through close contact (less than 6 feet) with infected person or pig.

Pork chop still? ~YES!!

*** ***

Today, we started our new boring cycle - Social Medicine.

Imagine spending 4 hours in the class working on statistics, without understanding it... ~sick~

Sigh......

*** ***

Exams finishing on 17 June. Hurray!!

Time to rest, time to go home, time to eat!! =)

Chaosticity......

2009-04-26T17:39:00.000+05:00

Butterfly Effect...

The flapping of a single butterfly's wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month's time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn't happen. Or maybe one that wasn't going to happen, does. (Ian Stewart, Does God Play Dice? The Mathematics of Chaos, pg. 141)

Edward Lorenze
Butterfly effect - sensitive dependence on initial conditions. This phenomenon describes that a small change in the initial condition will drastically change the long-term behavior of a system. In 1961, Edward Lorenze (meteorologist) discovered this phenomenon when he was working on a weather prediction. As a shortcut on a number in a sequence, Lorenze entered a decimal .506 instead of .506127 when rerunning the weather prediction, he found a completely different result. Therefore, he believed a small change at the initial condition (butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil) will drastically change the result of the system (a tornado set off in Texas).

The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. It is based in Chaos Theory.

Butterfly Effect in popular culture
The phrase is frequently used in the popular media dealing with the idea of time travel. It describes a small change in the "past" (history) will bring a completely different "present". No one who travels into the past could ever return to the same version of reality. This phenomenon is clearly display in some of the movies, such as The Butterfly Effect which I watched yesterday. It's a pretty good movie indeed!

We might not realise, every step we take today, will bring a different future for our lives. Many times, we will look back and ask "what if...".

What if I have chosen to study business instead of medicine? What if I have spent more time with my parents? What if I have not speed?......

Russian Culture...

2009-04-24T16:18:00.000+05:00

Yummy....

Borscht (Борщ)
Borscht is a beetroot-based soup. It is a red-colored vegetable soup traditional to Eastern Europe. However, now, it has made its way even to North America.

Czech: boršč, Estonian: boršš, Lithuanian: barščiai, Polish: barszcz, Romanian: borș, Russian and Ukrainian: борщ, borshch, Yiddish: בארשט, borscht.

Hot or Cold?
There are Hot as well as Cold borscht. And throughout these years, borscht has been made with different kind of combination. The few main ingredient includes: Beetroot, Onion, Potatoes, Carrots, Cabbage and so on. Some of the recipes even includes white wine or vinegar.

After serving the net for the recipe, i find the following is the simplest: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1618,158166-253202,00.html

Due to lack of certain ingredients, I have made out my own combination with I feel nice too.

Hot Borscht:
2 grated beets
1 grated carrot
4 pieces of grated cabbage
1 potato (cut into cubes)
1 can of sweet corns
1 chicken cube
3 tablespoon tomato paste
salt to taste

1. Put the ingredients above to boil for an hour (or till the potatoes are soft).
2. Add in pork pieces (or beef) and boil for another 15 minutes.
3. Serve with soup cream and pieces of bread (I personally prefer having it with Russian Black Bread)

I am going to make Cold Borscht by refrigerating the left over.Then, I will mix it with kefir and sour cream and also add in choped cucumbers.

In Russia, I have not seen cold borscht before. Perhaps, I seldom eat out or it is only sold in some other region other than Moscow. I have learned from wikipedia that it is called Холодник "kholodnik" - simply means little cold one. I wonder will I get one in any restaurant by telling them "один холодник пожалуйста" (One Kholodnik, please)

Next up, I might try baking Sachertorte perhaps? Let's see how hard-working will I be for it.. hehe =D

Easter Joy...

2009-04-22T01:21:00.000+05:00

Happy Easter!!

Since I reached Moscow (Russia), I have known that Easter Sunday always comes with Easter Bread and Easter eggs.

Kulich (кулич) - Easter Bread
Honestly speaking, kulich is just simply a plain hard (depends where you buy it) raisin bread with sweet toppings.

However, whenever the season of Easter celebration is around, you will see it everywhere, and you will like to stop by the roadside to pick a few and have them home. Sometimes, the bread itself don't even look nice, but the packaging might be a bit prettier for those that you have paid more.

For me, personally, I love having it, simply because the joy of celebrating Easter Day. I love having easter bread and painting easter eggs during that particular weekend.

Христос Воскрес! (Christ has arisen!) - That's what "XB" stands for.
Usually people will come to you and say "Kristos Voskres (Christ has arisen!)" and usually you will answer "Vo istina Voskres (Indeed He is risen)" if you believe.

We are having our facultative surgery class in a missionary hospital (as I feel it is). It looks more like a half temple hospital. On Monday, the pastors and sisters from the temple were walking around singing praises to the patients and giving out easter breads and eggs. Having one, to me, is like simbol of receiving the blessings of easter celebration.

Baking it!
I have wanted to make one by myself, but I couldn't make it last week. Some days later may be? Here is one of the websites I found - http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/Russian-Easter-bread-recipe.html

Tsoureki Paschalino (Greek Easter Bread)

I have never tried this before, however, I guess it tastes much better than the one we having in Russia. According to the articles I read, Easter bread usually is made using 3 dough braiding together representing the trinity God - God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And the sweetness of the bread representing God grace.

Italian Easter Bread

Italian Easter Bread is even different by surrounding an egg using the braided dough. And the alphabets "BP" - Buona Pasqua (Good Passover/ Happy Easter) is usually written on it. For Italians, bread itself is a symbolic of life.

A peasant proverb mentions, "Chie hat pane mai non morit - one who has bread never dies"

Without bread, without life. These are all the symbols being told through the generations and what does the bread actually represents?

During the Lord's supper (the night he was betrayed), Jesus broke the bread and gave them to his disciples and claimed that it represents His body and telling them to take it as a remembrance of Him. I am not sure how much it actually relates, but taking the Easter Bread do reminds me that Christ has arisen! (1 Corinthians 11)

Where was I? am I? will I be?

2009-04-21T00:48:00.000+05:00

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

The lyrics flew through my mind again and again...

"I lost my soul..."

This is what I felt for past 2 days. I am at lost, I couldn't get myself focus on what I suppose to do! (Which means study!)

-- Scientific-less theory #01 - Lost of soul!

Is this a kind of emotional sickness? Or am I a hyperactive kid?

Human is formed in 3 layers: (outer) Body, (middle) Soul and (inner) Spirit.
When my body seems alright, you wouldn't know where is my soul and you wouldn't know what's his health condition, may be he is having high fever? or may be he has caught a cold? When my body looks so fine, it is even more difficult to define the condition of my spirit. How's my spirit's diet? Is he obese or malnutrition? You will never know and you can never judge.

Self-pitied
I was quite lost and helpless, wanted to share my feelings with one of my friends, but it seems to me that he was more troubled than I was. At first, I got into my emotional waves, almost dropping into the trap of thinking why was I being neglected? However, I successfully overcame it. I got through the trial this time, by the rule of no self-pitied. You are not the sun, so don't expect there are planets to rotate around you!

A smile heals
I was upset, but if I carry my upset-ness around, I might and might not get a question, "are you alright?" But if I carry a smile around, I might or might not shoot a person with a healing jab! Better than any other Amoxiclav.

If you are in debt, you will never be able to lend
If you are emotionally sick, you will never be able to help those emotionally in need. If you get angry easily, you can't advice people to be more gentle. If you always be troubled, you will fail to be the listener. "Slow to anger, slow to speak, but quick to listen....."- Giver's Triad.

"In You, I put my hope.
In You, I get my love.
In You, I give my world unto..."

~ Lost Soul ~