Blog Action Day

These days when the world thrives on Facebook or how Britney is screwing herself up and how celebrities are either ending up in rehab or in jail, there's hardly much left to figure out what actually matters. Today 15th October 2007 is Blog Action Day. And the theme this year is the environment. Well at least it is an important day in the blogosphere.

As some of you might know, the Nobel Peace Prize went to Al Gore and a bunch of IPCC scientists. Wow, you know despite all the work done by Al Gore and Co, global warming probably only nudged us a little here in Malaysia. But then again, Global Warming is a global effort and not just ONE man going around announcing the very important message "It's now or never.....". Still, I think there should be someone out there championing this cause to save our very own planet.


Some very interesting things about Global warming:

1. If you have been suffering from more severe allergy than usual, it is most likely due to global warming, since higher carbon dioxide emissions and global rise in temperature is thought to prod plants to bloom earlier and produce more pollen.
2. When was the last time you thought nothing could grow in the Artic? According to our very adventurous scientists, they've discovered that there's a higher level of chlorophyll in modern soils. Since our tiny arctic plants tend to get trapped in Arctic ice. When they melt and the temperature's higher, things will surely start growing right?
3. So apparently even genetic alterations are possible. When the Earth gets warmer, naturally some plants bloom earlier and animals which are able to adapt to this change in blooming time thus, have a better chance of catching up on the earlier food supply.....Its all about Survival of the Fittest. Hmmmmm where did I hear this from again...
4. Even mountains "grow" thanks to global warming. Glaciers are really heavy stuff. And the fact that they are real heavy prevents some mountains from "growing". Thanks to global warming, glaciers melt, losing some weight and the mountains slowly rebound. But thank goodness we don't need to memorize the new height for Mount Everest in the near future cause even if they do rebound, they wouldn't rebound so significantly in our lifetime.
5. Ever heard of satellites traveling faster due to global warming. Yup that's true. More carbon dioxide in the air, means less dense atmosphere and this creates less drag. Still cant quite get it?? Grab a Physics book then.....
   

Ok enough of global warming. Not that I don't care but there are just too many sites talking about it.

Global Warming AOL
GlobalWarming
Global Warming Wiki


Some really interesting stuff to save our beloved planet:



Solar Backpack

These backpacks are equipped with solar cells and storage batteries. When exposed to sunlight, the cells charge the battery, which can then be used to keep your iPod, cell phone, PDA or digital camera running. A perfect choice for the environmentally friendly outdoor enthusiast.





Water Soluble Golf Balls

Ok this is real odd....
Give them environmentally friendly water soluble golf balls. Made from ground rawhide, the balls dissolve completely in water in about four days and leave behind no toxic residue.


Radio Flyer Earth Wagon

The Radio Flyer Earth Wagon is made from 100 percent recycled plastic. Featuring removable sides and durable construction, each classic wagon saves over 230 milk jugs from the landfill.



Some Ways You can Reduce Global Warming (quite obvious)

1. Change/Replace your most frequently used lights.
2. Heat and Cool smartly. In Malaysia, don't on your air-conds too long
3. Stop using your old, energy-inefficient appliances.
4. Reduce and recycle garbage
5. Don't drive so often. Car-pool or use public transport
   
6. Buy products which are energy-efficient
7. Buy cars that use more miles to gallon
8. Turn-OFF stuff that you don't use
9. Service your car more often and check your tyre pressure

Source: Top 12 Ways to Reduce Global Warming

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Thanks Guys!!!

I'm so old now..

*Sniff* *Sniff*

I can't believe how time flies..

I just want to thank everybody who've wished me "Happy Birthday" and for those who forgot or who didn't, its ok. I won't bear any grudge against you. (Very Grammy speech....Arrrggh!!)

So right after our BMedSc exams today, which was kind of bewildering for most of us. We head straight off to Ampang to have some great Korean Food. Thx HL, I know its your hood man... And getting a glimpse of the mini Korea town in Ampang does bring back memories when I was still in Korea a long time ago for a holiday. All the Hangul writing, Korean grocery store, Korean Restaurant and a weird bungalow call Korean Hairdressing???

Ok, not that I haven't been to this place before. But I can tell you for certain that a large population of the people living there are Koreans and so I finally got a glimpse of some Korean chicks after a darn long time, ok not really the recent one was during the AFC semifinals...

OK Korean Food.....

Not this one Doink!!!!!
This is actually an aquarium by the side of our table

Hmmmm....yummmy

Yeah. We ordered so much. Nearly 4 rounds of the kimchi. It was good but somehow we weren't feeling satiated. So we head over to some grocery store and bought some Korean snacks to munch after dinner. Hehe :)

Ok I don't know what this call.I kind of doubt this is genuine Korean or Malaysianised. But it's still good!

BMedSc gang

Debbie and Hong Lim

Ok obvious enuf, HL and me

After dat, we went to watch Ratatouille. Seriously this show is a must watch animation of the year. Forget the graphics and animation. The storyline's quite easy to follow but interesting. Ok not going to spoil it for anyone. Very original and hillarious.

Hmmm, is this a good impersonation or wat??

Definitely an A from me. Hahaha, I guess animations are my kind of shows.

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Slow nesss.........Anxiety........ and Everything else....

I can't quite remember when I used to have so much time in my hands and got myself busy later. (Wat am I talking here???) Actually doing research is kind of like a whole new experience. When I started my research, I was like WOW!! I'm doing research and I'm going to get BmedSc. Ok NO BIG DEAL HERE!! But its great doing something different after flipping through thousands of lecture notes and pages of textbooks. (exaggerating)

And I was so convinced that I can finish my work on time, get blardy good results out of it and present my topics in seminar and conventions. This is my real dream. Somehow things changed halfway. First it was the Canticle Singers. Ok they didn't actually rob my weekdays away for research. They juz took 1 weekday and 1 weekend which I absolutely hate! I luv my weekends and if there was any better time to enjoy my weekends, it had better be now cos when next year comes, I would be busier than the most diligent bee of any bee hive. Comments and feedback from a senior don't actually paint a rosy picture.

8 weeks of a single rotation, and every day begins at about 8am till 5 pm. Everything is self-directed learning. As in literally self-directed. Back in those good ol' medical days when they say it was self-directed, Queensland seriously redefine it according to him and if you happen to take the kind of lepakking attitude like those dudes in Seremban where u can actually skip rounds in the morning, you'll be DEAD! Ok this din come out from my mouth but from this senior. Its challenging, tiring and he lost weight...3kgs Breaks in between is 1 week. Probably I'll get use to it.

Already digressing....

Back to the weekends. Seriously weekends have always been a time where I'll take some rest but that doesn't mean I absolutely not do anything. Going out with friends, lepakking was seriously gone for the past two months. Ok I guess in life sacrifices are meant to be made to achieve some good results. Singing with The Canticle Singers isn't a bad experience. It juz wasn't as enjoyable as in the previous group. LOL AJ, Aariye could be laughin at this. It did teach me quite a number of things on singing, technique, diction, pronunciation and connecting words all for the sake of singing in an ensemble which brings me to the point of singing.

Singing isn't as easy as I thought, Singing in a different environment does involve using different techiniques/methods to achieve a desired result. So if you were in an ensemble, its different in an a capella group except the solos of course. Style of singing differs for different genres. Ok this is quite obvious here!!

There's also something about breathing techniques, support, upper voice, mid voice and lower voice. Chest breathing and abdominal breathing are two separate entities. (U don't need to learn this in medical school. ) Abdominal breathing is used more frequently in singing. Chest Voice is more common among rockers. Chest voice ain't good for singing cos it thins the voice, strains your vocal cords and less power.

The one great guru, who has thought me quite a lot on singing techinques is Doreen Tang. Huh???? You might know who she is....

Doreen Tang was roped in for another one of my wrongly occupied schedule for the year, SPEX. But really now, I don't regret it. I can do a recording and I have a solo...WOOHOO!!! Its an abbreviation for Spiritual Exercise of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. SPEX again met to practice for another performance similar to the one they did last year. But this year, the committee decide they should make an album. Doreen Tang has performed for Broadway Parodieslah, M The Opera! and will perform in the upcoming, Tunku: The Musical. Having her in SPEX was really like a breath of fresh air for everyone. She told us everything about singing, voice colour, tone, projection, head voice, abdominal breathing, chest breathing, breathing exercises all through the 6 weeks with us. Probably the most unusual of all is the breathing exercises which is to basically open up your abdominal cavity to sing. She corrected all our breathing technique including mine which was WRONG. In fact everyone was wrong except for maybe Francesca Peters who's already a seasoned performer and singer

Now that this experience has kind of passed except for SPEX, I'm sick worried of my research.

With barely 3 months to go, I have to complete everything before my presentation. I have no idea what happened to my dream. Seems like it all disappeared in another bad dream. I actually expected something groundbreaking, earth-shattering, thunder-clapping results from my research. But somehow, MCF7 cells are resistant to the anticancer actions of [6]-Gingerol and Zingerone. Right now, I think I should be playing Linkin Park's "What I've done".... Probably at the bridge where the song really climaxes.

Linkin Park's "What I've done"

....
..

"For what I’ve done
I start again
........"

...

Really hoping and praying for good results from my research. Hopefully changing cell lines will get me some positive results. Or else, my research would be another research article for the "Journal of Negative Findings." Negative Findings aren't accepted widely even amongst the scientific community. But really how will you get positive results if you don't know what gives you negative results????

Actually, I really need to pick up the pace. It seems now everything's so slowwwww.....K need to think of fast and quality results from now on.

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The Canticle SIngers presents

Another performance, this time at Petaling Jaya Gospel House. For ticket bookings, please send me a message or an email at grainej_x@hotmail.com. NO SPAMMERS PLEASE!!!!!

Tickets are at RM30 for adults
Tickets are at RM20 for students.

Some T&C:
Children below age 6 are not allowed into the show.

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******CONVOCATION******

The Selangor Ballroom

On a usual day like today, I would be soundly asleep at 6am. But today I had to drag my sorry ass out of the bed to go for convocation. Was feeling so darn lazy and tired after everything when I knew that I can't drag myself back to bed after convocation, OK sorry for the early whining.

Ahhh...Jamm to da Ballroom

Our convocation held at Sheraton Subang. IMU seems to have all its convocation ceremony in Sheraton Subang. It was quite an elaborate affair to acknowledge the achievements of all our students who would be future doctors, nurses etc..

Seriously there was a time when I didn't want to come for this because the road to become a doctor is only halfway, so when I heard convocation... I was like wat??? I only thought of it almost towards the very last moment. We ain't doctors yet, so why a convocation ceremony? But If I were to follow my good ol' reasoning i wouldn't have known the astounding number of people from our batch making it into the dean's list, the Gold medalist, meet back old pals, scrambled to take pics and of course take our Graduation Photo.

Everyone was dressed for the occasion. Somehow, even when this is not da real thing yet, the atmosphere had that certain kind of importance, like a step towards greater things.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Neil Armstrong

There really isn't a point to narrate the chronology of events in our convocation. The most jaded part of the entire illustrious affair was when the big shot who "was bestowed the power to start the ceremony" started giving his speech, which I feel sort of mar things a bit.

Now for pics, too many to load to slide. So juz put some here for viewing pleasure.

The BMedSc gang plus Diva

Diva n her guyfriends

Ok the gist of it, our batch M204, a legendary batch, as Jay had put it had the most number of students in the Dean's List.
It totally demolished all previous records of students who made it previously in other batches. We had an astounding 74 people in the Dean's List.
Khoo Hau Chun was the superstar for the day, our beloved Gold Medalist.

Khoo Hau Chun.... Notice the gold medal.soo small man

Indeed I believed our batch is one of the greatest batch around, gifted, talented, brilliant, active and different.

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From L: Wen Jing, Mei Fong, Me

I believe that many great things will come from the people who came from M204.
I sure hoped William and the peeps in da camera gang managed to upload tons and tons of pics for all to see.

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Boh Cameronian Awards

Though I must suppress my inner tendencies to brag, I can't help but announce that I have attended one of Malaysia's premier arts awards, the Boh Cameronian Awards for the first time!!! An award ceremony very similar to the Tony Awards held annually for distinguished achievement in US theatre. Over here in Malaysia, the awards are specially for achievements in music, theatre and dance. There are also special awards for Most Promising Artist award and the Boh Cameronian Lifetime achievement award, etc. This could very well be my last time also.

This year's Boh Cameronian Awards is held in Mandarin Oriental and the theme is "Carnival". Everyone should dress for the occasion but it's not mandatory, after all it is just a ceremony to commemorate the finest achievements in the arts. Some came dressed really for a carnival. But I think if there was an award that says "Best Dress Group for the Night", it would be The Wicked Pitches.

Since this is my first time, it was kind of weird because there were so many people and so many famous people around but I know just a handful out of all of them. Even from those that I know, there are only familiar faces like those from "Broken Bridges" and "Puteri Gunung Ledang".

The red carpet event was suppose to begin at 8.00pm, but then again being Malaysians, tardiness is a major problem. And again, walking on the red carpet is another first with all the cameras staring at us, with their background illuminating lights. Oh it doesn't have the excessive glamour like in Hollywood, where stars stop to pose one at a time for all the paparazzis and cameraman to feast upon. Here it was more like cramped up, bumper to bumper kind of movement with all the major TV networks surrounding us. Astro, and all the local TV channels were there. But then again, it feels nice to be given the "red carpet treatment", even just for a day..

The major winners for the night were Puteri Gunung Ledang, Broken Bridges, Dream n Butterfly and Drum Slices. Puteri Gunung Ledang came up tops among all of them. I think they won 8 awards.

It's sad that our group, "The Wicked Pitches" didn't bag any award for the night. I was so optimistic for the Best Solo Performance Award. But we didn't win anyway. We lost the award to Broken Bridges. I think it's because of bad video and audio quality. If it wasn't for that, I'm sure we could have won at least 1 award!!!

But to sum it all up, it was a great experience walking among the top and talented people in the arts. Oh yaa Tiara Jacquelina and Joanne Bessey was there too..

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Close Encounter of the Lucky Kind

If there is any chance of meeting one of the greatest sportsman in our country, it is not impossible but very difficult. And here it was, our first encounter with the brilliant and amazing Tan Boon Hiong(in the centre) at Allison, a restaurant somewhere in Seri Petaling. Actually, their training centre is just around the corner at the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex.

If it wasn't for Hong Lim, we wouldn't have spotted him at all who is just sitting a few tables away from us.

Sheesshhh... How blind can we be....

Of course getting an autograph would be a bonus, but he appeared quite embarrassed when I approach him, so nvm a picture together would be good enough. And there you go a picture of Me, Hong Lim, Tan Boon Hiong, Ignatius, Debbie, and Siow Wei(from left)

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Tis, The Season is near...

AHhhh...Christmas time is near. Here we go again buying gifts, celebrating Christmas with friends window shopping, Makan Makan !! and of course sing Christmas carols. This is the time where I simply love to see all the decorations where the shopping malls put on display and they just seem to get better and better every year. Even now, the government is sort of more "open" to put decorations and they are some streets in KL which are ornately decorated to set the mood for Christmas and it sort of transforms the street into Christmas Street. Christmas is also a time where everyone goes into a frantic search for gifts. Some may dread it especially my parents because they just don't know if the gifts are right. Truly, gift searching is not easy and sometimes it can become a routine where you just want to finish shopping and move on with a host of other things to do. And that's when you will find that the gift quality bar suddenly drops from 10/10 to 2/10.

For many years, Christmas is a fun time for me where I'll go hang out, have fun with friends until I entered IMU. It has pretty much been screwed by the fact that December is the month preceding my finals for three years in a row!!! Sadly enough, IMU seems to be rather ignorant by the fact that December should be a month where everything should slow down and people should start relaxing and reflect on how the year has gone by. They juz carried on putting exams on the first or second week of January which happens to spoil Christmas Day and New Year's Day.... for me. SIGh Anyway, I don't quite regret it. I take it as some form of discipline.

But anyway, this year I'm not complaining. WHY?? Because I'm singing Christmas Carols.. Duh...Isn't that what you always do?? Yaa But this time I'm gonna get paid for singing. OOh...!! That's juz great ya know. OK Discretion is of utmost importance here and those who read should know what I mean.

So here we go.......

Fum Fum Fum

On December five and twenty,
Fum, Fum, Fum!
On December five and twenty,
Fum, Fum, Fum!

Oh, a child was born this night,
So rosy white,
so rosy white.
Fum, Fum!
In a stable mean and lowly,
Fum, Fum, Fum!

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