Locky's English Playground

Monday, 22 August 2011

Medical & TV: Scabies, Monsters Inside Me & solutions -- Part 1

My left forearm

After writing a few more entries on rashes I think the English Playground will become a medical journal, or a blog specialises in rashes (then am I a dermatologist?). Because first, I wrote Medical & Vocabulary : Heat Rash and Bug Bites in August 2010, that was the first time I had my first (Hives) rash, then I wrote Medical & Vocabulary: "Hives" & Allergy in May 2011, and now, the third entry!

This time round, I didn't get hives which is patchy, spreads quickly and rather itchy, I got a different rash, dotty but spreads much more slowly and much less itchy.

Closer

I wondered, am I really THAT weak? Or am I THAT immuno-compromised? Assuming that I am healthy, and it is nothing that comes from inside my body, then it must be environmental. This allergy could be due to toxins, but I'm betting my money on parasites. How do I know? Well, first, we have to know how I might have got the rash.

Remember that entry Living: Taoboa-ing? Well, after I got the bag, I used it on the same day, and the straps that dangled from both sides of the bag scratched against my forearms, and I noticed the itch already. I used my Dettol spray to spray my bag inside and outside, but I missed the straps, so it could have been some parasites such as the mites on those straps.

And even closer

Then I was on a ferry to Peng Chau, so I could have also picked up the mites from the ferry. And my aunt keeps a dog, and no matter how clean the doggy is, dog mites are possible.

But of course, can't confirm until I get a good comparison of my rashes with someone else who have got the mite bite rash as well, so I went online to Wikipedia and looked up on Scabies, guess what I found there? The photo below!!!

Scabies on the forearm
Image from Wikipedia

Well, the photo shows a much more serious version, but if you take the side, the redness, the tiny blister on each dot, I say it is very close. Plus, I am recently watching a TV program on Animals Planet called Monsters Inside Me which discusses cases of parasites inside the human body, and there was this case I saw:

Convinced yet? Well, need to test out my theories first. So, I put my rashes to the tests. I suggested 4 natural tests and 1 over-the-counter medication, if they don't work, I will then see a doctor and surrender myself to his antibiotics.

Image from yourdiscountchemist

1. Toothpaste (Oral B only, not sure about Colgate and others)
Contains Limonene from lemons which is deadly to some scabies mites [1], and Triclosan which is an antifungal and antibacterial agent.[2][3]

Image from 21food.com

2. Manuka Honey -- UMF 20+ Natural antiseptic property
UMF 20+ or above has anti-bacterial properties, might work on mites as well. [4]

Image from alibaba.com

3. Sulphur Soap
Elemental sulfur (chemical element symbol : S, atomic number 16) is one of the oldest fungicides and pesticides in the world. [5] A traditional Chinese wisdom, Japanese hot spring theory and the fact that it is related to the poisonous gas (Sulfur Dioxide SO₂) from the volcanoes, makes it one of the best possible candidates to kill the mites.

http://www.greencouncil.org/db_images/products/970.jpg

4. Biokill Mite Spray -- Natural ingredients (says on the bottle)
Human safe but dangerous to cats and fish, which I deduced that it might contain permethrin.

Image from pharmacyathand.co.uk

5. Permethrin

Permethrin is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic life in general and is also highly toxic to cats. In medicine, permethrin is a first-line treatment for scabies; a 5% (w/w) cream is marketed by Johnson & Johnson under the name Lyclear.[6]

Guess which one will work? Answers will be unveiled soon!

Vocabulary:
dermatologist --(n)[C] a doctor who studies and treats skin diseases
immuno-compromised --(adj)  is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent.
scabies -- (n) known colloquially as the seven-year itch,^[2] is a contagious skin infection that occurs among humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching. The infection in animals (caused by different but related mite species) is called sarcoptic mange.
surrender --(vb) [I] to stop fighting and admit defeat
fungicide -- (n)  [C or U] a chemical substance used to kill fungus or prevent it from growing
pesticide -- (n) [C or U] a chemical substance used to kill harmful insects, small animals, wild plants and other unwanted organisms
unveil -- (vb) [T] If you unveil something new, you show it or make it known for the first time

Resources:

Dermatology @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatology

Immunodeficiency @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immuno-compromised

Living: Taoboa-ing @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/08/living-taobao-ing.html

Medical & Vocabulary: "Hives" & Allergy @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/05/medical-vocabulary-hives-allergy.html

Medical & Vocabulary : Heat Rash and Bug Bites @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/08/medical-vocabulary-heat-rash-and-bug.html

Scabies @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scabies

Monsters Inside Me: Scabies Mites and the Itch : Video : Animal Planet @ Discovery.com
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/monsters-inside-me-scabies-mites-and-the-itch.html

Monsters Inside Me @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6eki-926TA

[1] D-Limonene for Scabies @ Livestrong.com
http://www.livestrong.com/article/488428-d-limonene-for-scabies/

[2] Triclosan @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triclosan

[3]Miliaria  @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miliaria

[4] Health and Fitness: Manuka Honey (1st Suggested Cure for Mouth Ulcers) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/01/health-and-fitness-manuka-honey-1st.html

[5] Sulfur @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur

[6] Permethrin @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dermatologist?q=dermatologist+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immuno-compromised
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scabies
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/surrender_1?q=surrender+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/fungicide?q=fungicide
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pesticide?q=pesticide
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/unveil?q=unveiled+#unveil__3

Thursday, 18 August 2011

Song: No Surprises -- Radiohead & Why Try to Change Me Now -- Fiona Apple

Image from todayonline

I suppose it is a little bit too often with songs, but since I'm ongoing with my House rewatching marathon, the mood just keeps going and going, I just don't feel a better time to promote the songs that I like.
Another downtempo, sad atmosphere song which was played in the season 6 episode 1 of House M.D., when House was admitted to the psychiatric hospital to detox from his Vicodine addiction, overdose and hallucination, alone and sad. And here's the scene in House and the MTV, No Surprises by Radiohead.

This isn't a happy song at all, what do you think the meaning is? I have a theory, but I will leave it to you to think over.

Where's the learning? There aren't too many words for us to learn, but you can use this nice melody song for listening practice.

Lyrics:

A heart that's full up like a landfill
A job that slowly kills you
Bruises that won't heal
You look so tired, unhappy
Bring down the government
They don't, they don't speak for us
I'll take the quiet life
A handshake of carbon monoxide

No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises

Silent
Silent

This is my final fit, my final belly-ache with
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises, please

Such a pretty house, such a pretty garden
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises
No alarms and no surprises, please

Image from 991.com

If you don't like the first song, you can try the second one, played at the end of the show. The meaning runs deeper and appeals more to the ladies. See if it can touch your feelings. Fiona Apples Why Try To Change Me Now,

Lyrics:

I'm sentimental, so I walk in the rain
I've got some habits even I can't explain
Could start for the corner, turn up in Spain
But why try to change me now?

I sit and daydream, I've got daydreams galore
Cigarette ashes, there they go on the floor
I'll go away weekends, leave my keys in the door
But why try to change me now?

Why can't I be more conventional?
People talk, people stare, so I try
But that's not for me, 'cause I can't see
My kind of crazy world go passing me by

So, let people wonder, let 'em laugh, let 'em frown
You know I'll love you till the moon's upside down
Don't you remember I was always your clown?
Why try to change me now?

Vocabulary:
psychiatric -- (adj) of or relating to the study of mental illness
overdose -- (n) [C] (informal OD) too much of a drug taken or given at one time, either intentionally or by accident
hallucination -- (n) [C or U] when you see, hear, feel or smell something which does not exist, usually because you are ill or have taken a drug
landfill -- (n) [C or U] getting rid of large amounts of rubbish by burying it, or a place where rubbish is buried
bruise -- (n) [C] an injury or mark where the skin has not been broken but is darker in colour, often as a result of being hit by something
sentimental -- (adj) describes someone who is strongly influenced by emotional feelings, especially about happy memories of past events or relationships with other people, rather than by careful thought and judgment based on facts
conventional -- (adj) traditional and ordinary

Resources:

Radiohead @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead

Broken Intro, House Season 6 @ Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/22219037

No Surprises -- Radiohead @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lnltl3YoqQ

No Surprises @ Song Meaning
http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/562/

Fiona Apple @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Apple

House M.D season 6 episode 11 ending scene soundtrack.@ Shooshoomoo.com
http://shooshoomoo.com/2010/01/house-m-d-season-6-episode-11-ending-scene-soundtrack/

Fiona Apple - Why Try To Change Me Now @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uf1n1wUfxE

Why Try To Change Me Now
http://www.spiritofsinatra.com/pages/Lyrics/w/Why_Try_to_Change_Me_Now.htm

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/psychiatric?q=psychiatric+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/overdose_1?q=overdose+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/hallucination?q=hallucination+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/landfill?q=landfill
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bruise_1?q=bruise
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sentimental?q=sentimental
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/conventional?q=conventional

Monday, 15 August 2011

Living : Taobao-ing

Internet shopping isn't safe? Well, of course it is not, the internet is never a safe place, but there are so many advantages doing internet shopping over your normal street shopping. First, you don't need to walk, second, you don't need to pay with real cash, which makes you think you are not actually paying, third, you don't need to carry your shopping home by yourself because your shopping will be delivered to your doorsteps.

Shopping arriving at my home

I've done shopping on Alibaba before, and it was good. On Taobao, it was my first time, but I enjoyed it a lot Not because I didn't have to do it by myself as my sister helped me do everything, but I enjoyed the choosing of my camera bag, the plan to find the cheapest way to get all the goods delivered, and the best of all, the waiting.

The waiting is actually the best part of the whole online shopping experience. It is like, when you go fishing, if you knew there are fish in that barrel, it is no fun! But if you have to wait and try, try and wait for the whole day, and in the end, you get a big fish you like, that experience is rewarding! Shopping online is the same feeling. You knew you have to spend time comparing the product, searching for the best price, finding the best supplier, getting it delivered to the right place, checking up on the delivery progress and waiting for the goods to arrive, but finally getting what you ordered is the ultimate satisfaction!

My camera bag and my camera strap and some free gifts

Is it worth it? I definitely think so It is fun to try? You bet!

What might be a bit troublesome, is you need to either have a bank account in China, or you will need to have a Circle K near by to buy Taodots and then upload that to your account. And the fact that you have to witness your HK$200 to turn into RMB$160 isn't too encouraging. But if you can get through that, you will enjoy the experience.

The camera case for my 1-year-old Olympus PEN EPL-1

Resources:

Taobao.com
http://www.taobao.com

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=9612891083

Friday, 12 August 2011

Song: She -- Elvis Costello

One of my favourite downtempo modern song with incredibly beautiful lyrics and Elvis Costello's very best magnetic vocal, She has got to be the best theme song ever among the classic movies.

Image from Wikipedia

What I really like about the lyrics is the use of fabulous contrastive adjectives and nouns (antonyms), hereby listed below,

pleasure or regret
my treasure or the the price I have to pay
the song that summer sings; the chill that autumn brings
the beauty or the beast
the famine or the feast
a heaven or a hell
so private or so proud
the love that cannot hope to last; shadows of the past
her laughter and her tears

And every single one of these distinctively described Julia Robert's character Anna Scott to the very detail, which is a famous and quality actress who acts day by day but her true self is not to be shown to anybody around her.

Lyrics:

She
May be the face I can't forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
She
May be the song that summer sings
May be the chill that autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day

She
May be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
The smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem
Inside her shell

She
Who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one's allowed to see them when they cry
She
May be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
That I'll remember till the day I die

She
May be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I'm alive
The one I'll care for through the rough in ready years
Me
I'll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I've got to be
The meaning of my life is

She
She, oh she

Vocabulary:

trace -- (n) [C or U] a sign that something has happened or existed
famine -- (n) [C or U] when there is not enough food for a great number of people, causing illness and death, or a particular period when this happens
feast -- (n) [C] a special meal with very good food or a large meal for many people

Resources:

Notthing Hill @ IMDb
www.imdb.com/title/tt0125439/

She -- Elvis Costello @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/O040xuq2FR0

She -- Elvis Costello @ STLyrics
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/nottinghill/she.htm

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/trace_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/famine?q=famine+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/feast_1?q=feast+

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Song: Passing Afternoon -- Iron & Wine

Image from media.tumblr.com

After re-re-re-watching House M.D. season 4 finale Wilson's Heart tonight, feeling rather sentimental.

The original story told Wilson's girlfriend Amber was involved in a bus crash together with House and had her kidneys damaged.And because she took an excessive amount of Amantadine for her flu right before the crash, the Amantadine was not filtered out by the kidneys and bound with the protein, dialysis could not clear the drug from her system, and so she could only wait for death to arrive.

Image from media.tumblr.com

And the following video is the last few moments of Amber: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go3xkWPKtC0

In this video, I hear a beautiful song that I want to study deeper, Passing Afternoon by Iron &amp; Wine.

The slow-tempo song is quite difficult to understand, even for me, and I guess you will have to find out what you want the meaning to be by yourself, everyone should have a different interpretation.

What I can predict from the use of words, "passing", "a yard to burn", "drift away", "fallen leaves", "pass all our bodies", "them them go", "she's lost her wedding ring", "my hands remember hers", "she's sit and think of me", "Her baby sleeps in all our bones, so scared to be alone", this is a song which matches the video, it is a song of parting or death. Another interpretation is that this is in fact a song of seasons, based on the use of seasons such as "Summer", "Autumn", "Springtime", 'Winter", "mother", "children" and "baby", with Summer being the mother of Autumn, Autumn being the mother of Winter, Winter being the mother of Spring, and Spring being the mother of Summer.

Lyrics:

There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon
Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon
And she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her
Wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms

There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days
Autumn blew the quilt right off the perfect bed she made
And she's chosen to believe in the hymns her mother sings
Sunday pulls its children from their piles of fallen leaves

There are sailing ships that pass all our bodies in the grass
Springtime calls her children 'till she let's them go at last
And she's chosen where to be, though she's lost her wedding ring
Somewhere near her misplaced jar of Bougainvillea seeds

There are things we can't recall, blind as night that finds us all
Winter tucks her children in, her fragile china dolls
But my hands remember hers, rolling 'round the shaded ferns
Naked arms, her secrets still like songs I'd never learned

There are names across the sea, only now I do believe
Sometimes, with the windows closed, she'll sit and think of me
But she'll mend his tattered clothes and they'll kiss as if they know
Her baby sleeps in all our bones, so scared to be alone

Vocabulary:
sentimental -- (adj) disapproving too strongly influenced by emotional feelings
dialysis -- (n) [U] specialized a process of separating substances from liquid by putting them through a thin piece of skin-like material, especially to make pure the blood of people whose kidneys are not working correctly
Bougainvillea -- (n) [C or U] a climbing plant, common in hot countries, that has red and purple flowers

Bougainvillea
Image from blogspot

bloom (vb) [I] When a flower blooms, it opens or is open, and when a plant or tree blooms it produces flowers
drift (away) -- (vb) [I usually + adverb or preposition]to move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction
quilt -- (n) [C] a decorative cover for a bed
hymn -- (n) [C] a song of praise that Christians sing to God
misplaced -- (adj) directed towards someone or something wrongly or in a way that does not show good judgment
tuck sb in -- phrasal verb [M] (UK also tuck sb up) to make someone comfortable in their bed, especially a child, by arranging the covers round them
fragile -- (adj) easily damaged, broken or harmed
shaded -- (adj) --from shade -- (vb) [T] to prevent direct light from shining on something
fern -- (n) [C] a green plant with long stems, leaves like feathers and no flowers

Ferns
Image from gregglover

Monday, 8 August 2011

Food and Restaurant: Mutekiya (無敵家)

Mutekiya -- House of Yakitori

"Yaki", a Japanese word meaning grilled or toasted, is a core speciality of the Japanese cuisine. Among different kinds of yakis, Yakitori is one of the most famous. Originally referred to only grilled fowl, or skewered chicken, is now accepted as all kinds of grilled food including meat and vegetables.

Let's first learn some Japanese words from Wikipedia, and then look at the photos I took at a visit to Mutekiya 無敵家 (DO NOT mix with the 麺創房無敵家 @ Ikebukuro 池袋).

hatsu (ハツ) or kokoro (こころ), chicken heart
rebā (レバー), liver
sunagimo (砂肝), or zuri (ずり) chicken gizzard
tsukune (つくね), chicken meatballs
(tori)kawa ((とり)かわ) chicken skin, grilled until crispy
tebasaki (手羽先), chicken wing
bonjiri (ぼんじり), chicken tail
shiro (シロ),　chicken small intestines
nankotsu (なんこつ), chicken cartilage
toriniku, all white meat on skewer
ikada (筏) (lit. raft), Japanese scallion, with two skewers to prevent rotation
gyūtan (牛タン), beef tongue, sliced thinly
atsuage tōfu (厚揚げとうふ), deep-fried tofu
enoki maki (エノキ巻き), enoki mushrooms wrapped in slices of pork
pīman (ピーマン), green pepper
asuparabēkon (アスパラベーコン), asparagus wrapped in bacon
butabara (豚ばら), pork belly
ninniku (にんにく）garlic

Now, see if you can match some of the food in the list with the photos below.

*********************************************************

It was 16th July, 2011. Pre-opening dinner with a group of 10 people. Had so much great food and fun! Totally remarkable experience!

Frankly speaking, I wasn't expecting the food to be really special, because it's just "Yaki", every restaurant can serve "Yaki", so far all the others have been disappointing, how good can this restaurant be?

Then of course, I was proven wrong. The food was simply gorgeous!

The Yakis, were brilliantly prepared! Spare no effort!!! Photos speak louder than words.

Clockwise from Top left : Ginkgo yaki, Chicken-skin Prawns, Chicken kidneys, Ox tongues, Chicken Liver

Clockwise from Top left : Japanese rice cake, Japanese rice pudding, Summer Squash with cheese, Japanese dumplings (imported)

Clockwise from Top left : Chicken Wings split, Japanese sweet potatoes, tomato-avocado salad with unique dressing, bacon with tomatoes

Clockwise from Top left : Minced chicken tendon & pork yaki with raw eggs and shoyu, clear soup tomato ramen with char siu onsen egg, baby whitebait yaki, unique wheat ramen with char siu served separately with rich soup base.

正

Four seasons Sake with lovely bottles

Sake chiller

Lantern-style lamp

Cute bottles which contains something

I must say, this is the best Yaki restaurant I have ever visited, remind me of Tokyo!!! Although the Mutekiya in Ikebukuro is actually a tremendously good ramen shop, the same name in Hong Kong has definitely taken up a special place in my mind!

Once again, proves that when you go to any restaurant, you have got to try what they are best at! For this case, if you come to this restaurant without trying their Yaki, you are SO SO WRONG!!!!!

(Drank quite a bit of sake, so drunk, so much fun!)

Vocabulary:
yaki - (n)[C]
yakitori -- (n) [U] see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakitori
fowl -- (n) [C] a bird of a type that is used to produce meat or eggs

•

old use any bird

skewered -- (vb)[T] to put pieces of food, especially meat, on a skewer

Resources:
Yaki @ Wikipedia
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D

Yakitori @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakitori

Mutekiya 無敵家 @ Openrice
http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=54236

麺創房無敵家
http://www.mutekiya.com/

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/fowl?q=fowl
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/skewer_2?q=skewered+#skewer_2__3