Oh Happy Day......

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...

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

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?

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......

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......

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...

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