Tuesday, 19 January 2010

TV Drama: House with Medical Terms

After I had finished watching the entire Blackadder series, I began searching for TV programs which were performed by the leading actors, one of which has become incredibly popular on the American TV, and that is no other than Hugh Laurie. I suppose those of you who have been keeping up with my blog postings, including the one about Hugh learning American accent, you have expected that I will soon write about his TV series.

House M.D., made its debute in November 2004 and the series is at its 6th season thus far, starring Hugh Laurie as Dr. Greogory House, M.D. who works in the fictional Princeton‑Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in New Jersey. In the first episode, he is already a highly reputable doctor who heads a team of diagnosticians, however, as oppose to the general reception received by great doctors, his misanthropy has put him on the list of "an ass" (as his colleagues put it in numerous episodes). Despite all these, his team of diagnosticians and his colleagues still hold very high respect for him, for his brilliance in thinking "out of the box" and thus arriving at the correct diagnosis.

His favourite line is "the patient is lying!"

To understand if the show is worth watching, we should look at the awards. Quoting from Wikipedia,

The show has been nominated for six Golden Globe Awards and received two. Hugh Laurie has been nominated four times for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama; he won in 2006 and again in 2007 In 2008 the series received its first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Drama. House was nominated for best dramatic series again the following year, but has yet to win in the category.

What I personally think about the show is really simple, "Once I start watching, I can't stop."

However, there are tonnes of medical terms and I am really really weak in these. So, I get a little help from the internet.

When I am enjoying the show on Tudou.com, I just listen to what they say and enjoy the show, when I finished watching a particular episode, I will go to the Politedissent.com's medical review and read up on the diagnosis made and learn a few names of the diseases. The website is cool because the writer, sounded like a doctor themselves, also mentioned the errors made in the series and how different they would have diagnosed the patient in the episodes. The writer also did a great job in putting up links to the explanation of the medical terms, which saves a lot of my time in looking for the meanings by myself. It is hard to find a blogger who writes with heart and I have found a comrade here.

All in all, House M.D. is a TV series which doesn't require any medical background to enjoy, the soap opera and the twists are enough to entertain most viewers, yet if you want to learn some medical terms, you too will find interests.

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Vocabulary:

fictional -- imaginary

diagnostician -- a medical doctor who makes diagnoses

reception -- the way in which people react to something or someone

misanthropy -- the act of not liking other people

diagnosis -- a judgment about what a particular illness or problem is, made after examining it

comrade -- (UK comrade-in-arms ) old-fashioned a friend, especially one who you have been involved in difficult or dangerous, usually military, activities with

soap opera -- a series of television or radio programmes about the lives and problems of a particular group of characters. The series continues over a long period and is broadcast (several times) every week.

twist -- [C] a change in the way in which something happens

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Resources:

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/12/tv-drama-black-adder-for-english-lovers.html

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/12/speaking-learning-accent.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_MD

http://www.politedissent.com/house_pd.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=28631&dict=CALD

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=65963&dict=CALD&topic=celebrations-parties-and-special-occasions

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=50930&dict=CALD

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=21450&dict=CALD&topic=symptoms-and-diagnosis-of-medical-problems

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=75348&dict=CALD&topic=programmes-and-other-broadcasts

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=85708&dict=CALD

Monday, 18 January 2010

Health and Fitness: Healthy Coffee??

Picture from:http://natashawilson.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/coffee.jpg

Since the last time I have written an entry on coffee type and an entry on tea, I have kept my interest in knowing more. Here's an article which I read last December, and now I think is a good time to share.

Quoting from USNews.com,

_________________________________________________________________

Coffee, Tea Might Stave Off Diabetes

Decaf may also offer some protection, study finds

Posted: December 14, 2009

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Here's good news for people who can't start their morning without a cup or two of java: Coffee and tea consumption may decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

That's the conclusion of an Australian study that also found the more coffee you drink, the lower your risk of diabetes. Every cup of coffee was associated with a 7 percent reduction in the risk of diabetes, the researchers said.

"There is good evidence that consumption of coffee, including decaffeinated coffee, and tea is independently associated with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes," said the study's lead author, Rachel Huxley, an associate professor and director of the renal and metabolic division at The George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Results of the study are published in the Dec. 14/28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Other studies have also noted health benefits from coffee. Last week, at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting, researchers reported that coffee consumption reduced the risk of dying from prostate cancer. According to other studies, coffee may help thwart liver disease, Alzheimer's, stroke and Parkinson's disease.

Experts initially thought caffeine was the source of any health advantages from coffee. However, research on decaffeinated coffee suggests that java minus the caffeine can still benefit your health.

In an attempt to better assess the relationship between coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea on diabetes risk, Huxley and her colleagues reviewed 18 previously completed studies that included 457,922 people. Six of those studies included information on decaffeinated coffee consumption, while seven included information on tea-drinking habits.

The researchers found that people who drink three to four cups of coffee daily had about a 25 percent reduction in their risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who drank no coffee or up to two cups a day. For every cup of coffee consumed each day, the risk of developing diabetes dropped by about 7 percent, the study found.

Results for decaffeinated coffee and tea were also positive. Those drinking three to four cups of decaffeinated coffee per day lowered their risk of diabetes by about one-third compared to those who had no coffee each day. Those drinking three to four cups of tea each day lowered their risk of diabetes by about one-fifth compared to those who didn't drink tea, according to the study.

The researchers weren't able to assess a per cup risk reduction for tea or decaffeinated coffee, as they did for regular coffee, because there wasn't enough data in the published studies to do so, Huxley said.

It was previously believed that caffeine provided most of coffee's beneficial effects, but now experts suspect that "other components of these beverages, such as magnesium, lignans and chlorogenic acids, may also have a role," Huxley said.

She said those components appear to have a beneficial effect on blood sugar regulation and insulin secretion, but that further research is necessary.

"This study adds to the body of evidence that our diet and lifestyle are important determinants of subsequent diabetes risk," said Huxley. "Although it is too early to advocate for increased consumption of tea and coffee as a way of preventing diabetes, if these findings are confirmed by clinical trials, then the identification of the protective components in these beverages would open up new therapeutic pathways for the primary prevention of type 2 diabetes."

Other experts agree more research is needed.

"Coffee or tea may have an effect on diabetes risk, but in order to prove it, you need prospective studies," said Dr. Joel Zonszein, a professor of medicine and director of the clinical diabetes center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

With regard to preventing diabetes, he said, "Coffee doesn't hurt, but you have to watch your diet and get enough physical activity."

More information

Learn more about eating right to help prevent diabetes and other illnesses from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

_________________________________________________________________

Vocabulary:

diabetes -- a disease in which the body cannot control the level of sugar in the blood

prostate cancer -- a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system.

thwart -- to stop something from happening or someone from doing something

Alzheimer's disease -- a disease that results in the gradual loss of memory, speech, movement, and the ability to think clearly, and that is common esp. among older people

stroke -- a sudden change in the blood supply to a part of the brain, which can cause a loss of the ability to move particular parts of the body

Parkinson's disease -- is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills, speech, and other functions

insulin -- a hormone in the body which controls the amount of sugar in the blood

secretion -- the process by which an animal or plant produces and releases a liquid, or the liquid produced

advocate -- to publicly support or suggest an idea, development or way of doing something

prospective study -- or a prospective cohort study is a cohort study that follows over time a group of similar individuals ("cohort") who differ with respect to certain factors under study, in order to determine how these factors affect rates of a certain outcome

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Opinions:

People have been saying that coffee consists of many cancer-causing (carcinogenic) substances and it stains your teeth from white to brown, then medical researches seem to be proving the other way round, people have also proven that drinking coffee with a straw can prevent getting your teeth stained. So is coffee a wolf in sheep's clothing? Or is it a sheep in wolf's clothing?

Let's keep up with the news by reading more newspaper when you go coffee drinking.

PS:

There are a lot of medical terms in this article, and so in the next entry, I will be offering something cool to help you with these terms.

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Resources:

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/09/health-and-fitness-coffee.html

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/03/health-and-fitness-english-tea.html

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/12/14/coffee-tea-might-stave-off--diabetes.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=21422&dict=CALD&topic=disorders-and-diseases-of-the-heart-and-blood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate_cancer

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=82915&dict=CALD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer's_disease

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=78999&dict=CALD&topic=disorders-and-diseases-of-the-heart-and-blood

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=71067&dict=CALD&topic=physical-and-chemical-processes

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=1252&dict=CALD&topic=backing-supporting-and-defending

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=41230&dict=CALD&topic=specific-medicines-and-drugs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospective_studies

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=11400&dict=CALD&topic=cancer

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=91074&dict=CALD&topic=faking-and-pretending

Friday, 15 January 2010

Beauty: More on Perfumes (Calvin Klein One Summer)

I'm not a big fan of perfume, but when you need it, you need it. I would rather smell like a fruit cake than a smelling foot. You know it can happen in summer time.

I never buy my own perfume though, I get them as gifts, and I like them! So far, I have got two, and both of them belong to the Calvin Klein One series. CK One is designed to suit both men and women, in another word, unisex. And this makes it even better because if I cannot finish using them, I always have ladies who can help me out.

Perfume has another word equivalent, and that word is fragrance. Since the last time we have learnt the terms Top note, Middle /Heart note and Base note, let's look at another way to describe perfumes:

Let's look at an example from CK One Summer:

Details from BeautyEncounter.com,

3.4 oz Eau de Toilette Spray 2009 Limited Edition

Fragrance Notes: Mint, Cucumber, Lemon, Bergamot, Green Apple, Lotus, Rosemary, Rum, Woods, Sea Moss, Sandalwood

Fragrance Family: Aquatic

Fragrance Style: Laid Back

Recommended Use Summer

Launch Date: 2009

Our focus here is the Fragrance Family.

From Wikipedia, modern fragrance family can be categorized into the following: (descriptions rephrased by me after my understanding)

Bright Floral: flowery smells,

Green: grassy, planty smells, fresh and natural

Aquatic, Oceanic or Ozonic: clean, water-like smells, liquidy

Citrus: Acidic fruity smells, with Vitamin C

Fruity: Non-acidic fruity smells

Gourmand: Scents with edible or dessert-like qualities.

Then there is the Fragrance Wheel which is an even newer classification method with 5 standard families which consist of Floral, Oriental, Woody, Fougère and Fresh, with each of them having further subgroups which might be a little too detail to go on.

Can you find the fragrance family for your favourite perfume(s)?

Then it is the Fragrance Style, which is the general feeling that the fragrance offers you, for CK One Summer, it is laid-back, meaning relaxed and not worried.

Picture Resources:

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7543190/c/1.html

http://www.elblogalternativo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/we-are-one1.jpg

Resources:

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/01/beauty-lockys-guide-to-choosing-your.html

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/01/beauty-parfam-or-toilette.html

http://www.beautyencounter.com/0031655727202.html

http://www.perfume.com/calvin-klein/ck-one/unisex-fragrance

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=44418&dict=CALD

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Travelling and Living: Onsen (Jōzankei, Hokkaido)

Jozankei Onsen. Photo from http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/koyo09/091014.html

The weather in Hong Kong is rather cold these days, and that reminds me of the great time I had in Hokkaido a couple of years back. Oh! The warm hot spring water, lovely night scenery of the mountain ranges, trees and night birds, flowing streams down below the cliffs of which the hotel was built on, the incredible blend of the modern and natural world at the Jōzankei Onsen (ja:定山渓温泉).

Along a walking trail in Jozankei Onsen. Photo from http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/koyo09/091014.html

"Onsen" is a Japanese term, meaning "hot springs". They can be outdoor (露天風呂 or 野天風呂 rotenburo or notenburo) or indoor baths. Traditionally, onsen were located outdoors, although a large number of inns have now built indoor bathing facilities as well. Onsen by definition use naturally hot water from geothermally heated springs. Onsen should be differentiated from sentō, indoor public bath houses where the baths are filled with heated tap water.[1]

One of the etiquettes that is applicable at the onsen in Japan is that all guests are expected to wash their bodies and rinse themselves thoroughly before entering the hot water[1].

Bathing stations (may come in the form of cubicles or open style) are equipped with stools, faucets, wooden buckets, and toiletries such as soap and shampoo; nearly all onsen also provide removable shower heads for bathing convenience. Entering the onsen while still dirty or with traces of soap on the body is socially unacceptable[1].

At the Jōzankei Onsen, Horse Oil toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner and bathing lotion are provided. Heard that they are Hong Kong tourists favourite items and are their must-buy list when they visit Hokkaido.

Swimsuits are generally not accepted and towels are often not allowed in the water as it is considered as unclean. I was only allowed to put a small, moist, folded towel on the top of my head while I was in the water. Among the onsen I visited, Jōzankei Onsen did not allow guests with large obvious tattoos, but I saw many tattoo-ed ones when I stayed at one of the Lake Toya hotels. Scary? I guess that only happens at the men's side. (As far as I know, I did not see any mixed-sex onsen.)

Lake Toya. Photo from http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/koyo09/091014.html

Onsen water is believed to have healing powers derived from its mineral content[1] and the treatment of illness through bathing in onsen is called Balneotherapy / Onsen Therapy.

Due to the different chemical and mineral concentrations in different onsen, different onsen are said to treat different illnesses, the effectiveness of the treatment thus differs[1,2] (and the colour of the onsen water also variers: red, milky, green, blue, etc.)

When you visit different onsen in Japan, you can also find packets of Onsen bath salts available in stores. They make elegant souvenirs as well as a gift for yourself. If you have a bath tub at home, this is a great gift of memory. Onsen bath salts imported from Japan are also available in Hong Kong's department stores. You may also want to visit Onsenkagaku.com for related information.

You can find a list of famous Onsen in Japan here from Wikipedia as well as their photos here. Let me know if you have visited any of them and how do you feel about them by posting your comments!

Picture resources:

http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/koyo09/091014.html

Resources:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balneotherapy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikotsu-Toya_National_Park

http://www.onsenkagaku.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen#Selected_onsen

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/日本の温泉画像一覧

Monday, 11 January 2010

Fruit: Thai Mango -- "Ma Muang"

Nam Dok Mai
Image from tropenkost-shop

Fruit: Thai Mango -- "Ma Muang"

This time round I went to Thailand, I couldn't really find unopened durians and the packed ones were very limited, but I was lucky enough to have tried some really really sweet, juicy and small seeded mangoes!

I am a mango lover, and so far the most delicious mangoes I have tried are the ones from Thailand, and the best mangoes in Thailand, in my opinions, have to be the most common Nam Dok Mai and the seasonal Ok Rong.

Image from tropicalfruitnursery

Nam Dok Mai is actually a name of an orchardist in Thailand in the province of Chachoengsao, thus the mango name Nam Dok Mai. These mangoes are available all year around (beginning in March, peaking from April to June, I can still find them in December) and they are bright golden colour when riped with deep yellow flesh. They are oval in shape and have a sharp-pointed tip.[1] They are very very sweet yet they are not acidic, thus you can enjoy as many as you want in one go! They possess a slight apple scent which makes it even more charming than mangoes from Taiwan and Indonesia. Their seed is thin and so 95% of the Nam Dok Mai is flesh, succulent meat!!!

(I'm mouth-watering already! Give me a second to get a tissue.)

From Wikipedia: The "hedgehog" style is a common way of eating mangoes (left). A cross section of a mango can be seen on the right

Ok Rhong
Image from Google

Ok Rong is also oval in shape, but has a round tip. The flesh of a ripe fruit is yellowish orange in colour[1]. They are actually even sweeter than Nam Dok Mai, but their look is not so convincing. They are also not as easily found in Bangkok as Nam Dok Mai because they mature in from March to June[2].

But not easy doesn't mean you can't, just visit the famous Mae Waree at Soi Thonglor (Mae Waree Fruits & Mango, Thonglo, Sukhumvit Soi 55, Bangkok[3]) and you will find the best. On the other hand, if you don't want to go so far, then just get the Nam Dok Mai in the Gourmet Market in Siam Paragon, second best place for mangoes!

Khao Nieow Ma-Muang
Image from realthairecipes

Glutinous Rice with Mango topped with coconut milk is called "Khao Nieow Ma-Muang" in Thai and it is served best with these two mangoes.[1]

I'm sorry guys, I must stop writing, my saliva is all over my keyboard now!

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Vocabulary:

orchardist -- a person who tends or cultivates an area of land where fruit trees (but not orange trees or other citrus trees) are grown

succulent -- pleasantly juicy

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Picture resources:

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pfnvByoApteeh4yLCzy2QgmfePEjPt1DuC97S0t6QZOuEcpNac8F6x1GnkVPkkMX3T8HenEeTWVs

http://tropenkost-shop.de/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/m/a/mango_nam-dok-mai.jpg

Resources:

[1] http://www.simply-thai.com/Thai-Market_Fruit_Mango.htm

[2] http://thailand.prd.go.th/ebook/kitchen/content/ch1.html

[3] http://thaisclub.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chachoengsao_Province

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mango_cultivars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango

http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/mango-with-sticky-rice/

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/orchardist

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=79570&dict=CALD&topic=pleasant-to-eat-or-drink

Friday, 8 January 2010

Beauty: Locky's Guide to Choosing Your Perfect Perfume (DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom)

Locky's Guide to Choosing Your Perfect Perfume

-- "sounding-like-an-expert" version

After learning about the classification of perfumes, it is about time for me to do some recommendation.

Choosing perfume is like choosing red wine, only you will know which kind of tastes you like. As long as you like it, it is a good perfume!

In my super self-centred opinions, it doesn't matter what your boyfriend or husband like or think, it is what you want that matters most. You can get opinions from them, but never put them above your own.

Not so long ago, I was looking for Eau de Parfum for my girlfriend and so I took her to the department store to try out the fragrance. Since all perfumes have 3 notes, you can only be completely sure if you like the perfume if you have experienced all 3 of them.

My suggestion is:

go to the store in the morning, spray a few on separate test papers,
select ONLY the ones with the best top notes and chuck the rest,
then go window-shopping,
smell the test papers again for the middle notes every hour after that and keep repeating 2 ( and 3 maybe, I can hear the girls cheering already),
after 5 to 6 hours, check to see if you like the base notes,
allow yourself at least 24 hours to ponder things over,
if you have already narrowed it down to one or two choices, then go to the store again. This time, apply the perfume on your body* as you should see if your body scent (or body odour) matches with the perfume.
if you have singled out one, you shouldn't wait any more!

* Lower arm is preferred because you might be tempted to check the smell often; applying it on the hand and you will wash it away easily; applying it on the neck and the sales lady will give you a bad look.

If everything goes well, you should be able to find your perfect perfume. Nonetheless, even if you do often apply the perfume, I suggest that you still go for 50 ml. No matter how tempting it is for the more economical 100 ml or 150 ml, it is likely that a new version will come out in less than 3 months, which you might find it even better, so keep your options open.

One of the perfumes I eventually bought is the DKNY Be Delicious series, Fresh Blossom. From the official website, the descriptions are as follows:

Inspired by the beauty of the Apple Blossom, this new fragrance is lighthearted, intensely feminine, and radiant. A blend of sparkling grapefruit, cassis and sun-kissed apricot, blended with sheer muguet, petally rose and jasmine.

List of notes from StrawberryNET:

Top notes:

grapefruit, cassis (French) /kasi/= blackcurrant , apricot

Middle notes/heart notes:

muguet (French) /mygɛ/= lily-of-the-valley , rose, jasmine

Base notes:

apple blossom, blonde wood = wood of golden colour, smooth skin accord

Valentine's Day is next month guys!!!! You know what to look for!

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Vocabulary

chuck -- [T often + adverb or preposition] informal to throw something carelessly

ponder -- to think carefully about something, especially for a noticeable length of time