Thursday 30 July 2009

在UK付出的代价

身体不适+受

难道真的如我母亲所说,就算我有多么向往UK的生活,这里或许真的不适合我。来了这么久,问题一连二,再连三的发生。打从我上飞机的那一天开始。不,应该所来之前的两周就开始了。如果有看到我之前的post, 大概你们都懂到底发生什么事情。(手敏感,呕吐,烧伤,Body rashes)。

皮肤变黑了

来之前,很多朋友都羡慕我来这里过后可以变白。当时我却说不可能。就算这里阳光没有像马来西亚的那么刺,但这里还是有“丰富”的阳光。加上在马来西亚,我基本上都很少出门,这里反而每天都需要往外跑。果然不出我所料,一个两个皮肤都被晒到有点黑,红了。我还好,本来就比较黑,所以分别不这么明显。

脸变糟糕了

还有人跟我说,我的皮肤应该会变好,豆豆应该随这里即比较干净,又比较干的天气逐渐消失。这个我倒赞同。我还真的期望它会变好。谁知,不但没有进步,反而恶化。气候/环境变化绝对是有可能导致这个问题。不然的话,为什么情况会比以前糟糕。这也有可能是因为我在这儿用的护肤产品不适合。早知就应该从马来西亚拿来。

痘痘的原因

痘痘大多是由两个原因引起的,一个是因为皮肤属于油性皮肤,皮脂腺过于发达,皮脂分泌过旺。如果毛孔被堵塞或者是因为其它原因导致排油不畅,那么皮脂腺继续分泌,皮脂就在毛孔中累积起来,突起、成为痘痘。

另一个原因是,体内激素分泌失衡,使皮肤长痘。这个原因在青春期的时候比较常见。激素分泌失衡也会间接造成皮脂分泌过于旺盛,从而进一步加剧痘痘的状况。

请问有看过多少ang mo lang有豆豆的呢?他们的皮肤干燥都来不及,哪里会有机会生豆豆。我找偏数间商店,95%的产品都是含有Moisturizing作用。对于我这种油性皮肤,又哪里适合呢?为了要找比较便宜的,就逼着买了。

痘痘的解决方法

所以,一定要小心选择适合自己的产品。患了痤疮(青春痘),应该常用温水、含硫香皂洗脸,每日洗数次,以减少皮肤的油腻。皮肤的油腻减少,灰尘等脏东西落在皮肤上被粘着的机会亦就减少,这就能效地防止皮脂腺口的堵塞和细菌的继发性感染。

另外不要用手挤压痤疮,不用油脂类化妆品,不随便外用油膏,不要用肤氢松、肤乐乳膏、恩肤霜等类固醇激素的外用药膏,否则会引起类固醇激互性痤疮,亦不要用溴、碘类药物,否则会引起疣状丘疹,起增殖性痤疮。

要少吃脂肪和糖类食品,少吃油炸食品及葱、蒜、辣椒等刺激性食物,多吃水果和蔬菜,防止便秘和消化不良,这些对减轻痤疮都有一定帮助。

Bruise

I remember that one of my housemates, shu mei told me that there are always bruises on her body, even without crashes. A week later, I heard another friend of mine is having the same problem. She mentioned that the bruises will appear especially during cold days. Since then, she became the weather forecast station among her friends. I told them my opinion that the blood circulation may be affected during cold day. No one was sure about that until today. I have just checked it out from internet. Seem like this opinion does make sense.

Wednesday 29 July 2009

护齿新态度


不说你不知,如果一天里少吃多餐,反而会对牙齿造成伤害。每一次我们吃喝的时候,牙菌膜会分解糖分而产生酸素,而酸素会侵害牙齿健康,令表面的矿物质流失。而牙齿长时间处于酸性的环境下,我们便很容易会蛀牙。而口水具有中和酸性的作用,能阻止牙齿的矿物质流失。可是整个运作过程需要一到两个小时。所以每一餐之间需要相隔至少两个小时。就连喝水也要喝清水。

Friday 24 July 2009

New age Music

24 July 2009
New Age music is music of various styles, which is intended to create inspiration, relaxation, and positive feelings, often used by listeners for yoga, massage, inspiration, relaxation, meditation,[1] and reading as a method of stress management[2] or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments often associated with environmentalism and New Age Spirituality.[1]
The harmonies in New Age music are generally modal, consonant, or include a drone bass. The melodies are often repetitive, to create a hypnotic feeling, and sometimes recordings of nature sounds are used as an introduction to a track or throughout the piece. Songs of up to 30 minutes duration are common.

New Age music includes both electronic forms, frequently relying on sustained pads or long sequencer-based runs, and acoustic forms, featuring instruments such as flutes, piano, acoustic guitar and a wide variety of non-western acoustic instruments. In many cases, high-quality digitally sampled instruments are used instead of natural acoustic instruments. Vocal arrangements were initially rare in New Age music but as it has evolved vocals have become more common, especially vocals featuring Sanskrit, Tibetan- or Native American-influenced chants, or lyrics based on mythology such as Celtic legends or the realm of Faerie.

Some New Age music artists openly embrace New Age beliefs, while other artists and bands have specifically stated that they do not consider their own music to be New Age, even when their work has been labeled as such by record labels, music retailers, or radio broadcasters.

David Lanz

24 July 2009
刚刚让我发现这一位音乐家,名叫David Lanz. 听到他《Cristofori's Dream》, 让我迫不及待上网找这首歌谱。免费的就找不着,现在还在考虑要不要买这个歌谱。来自西北太平洋岸的西雅图市的钢琴家David Lanz(大卫.蓝兹)也具有原住民血统。早在十几岁的时候就在几个摇滚乐队里担任了演奏,之后在西雅图一家小型夜总会里,David Lanz钢琴独奏的风格开始显现。夜总会的要求是既演奏固定曲目,也演奏流行歌曲,David Lanz则在其中加入了自己的一些原创,由于顾客们的反应不错,不久,他就基本上只演奏自己的作品了。他早期的钢琴独奏专辑时至今日还是Narada品牌最畅销的作品。与吉他手Paul Speer的两度合作也进入了Billboard专辑排行榜。88年发表的《Cristofori's Dream》堪称是他最成功的作品,乃为纪念十七世纪末意大利的钢琴发明家Bartolomeo Cristofori所作,曾经登上告示牌New Age排行榜冠军宝座达廿七周,并在榜内停留近两年之久。我还喜欢他的Lovers Tarot,dream of a forgotten child 和Nocturne。太好听了!
David Lanz (born June 28, 1950 in Seattle, Washington) is a Grammy-nominated New Age pianist. He has released 13 albums, each having some chart success. His most famous album, Cristofori's Dream, topped the New Age charts in 1988, which was Number One on Billboard's first adult alternative/New Age chart for 27 weeks and eventually sold platinum. Natural States peaked at place 125 on the Billboard 200.Lanz's goal is to have his music create an atmosphere of enlightenment. In an interview with Barnes & Noble, Lanz stated that he wanted to create an atmosphere similar to that of Steven Halpern's music, but with a "more popular hook in it".Lanz has said himself, " is the most divinely inspired instrument on the planet. It presents a great attraction to our left-right brain relationship. My goal is to create entertainment that also provides enlightenment.". Among his works, I quite like Lovers Tarot, Nocturne and dream of a forgotten child. Fantasic!!!

Thursday 23 July 2009

While the trees sleep - David Nevue

This is another piece by David Nenue. What a great composition!

Winter Walk - David Nevue

This is a song from David Nevue, one of my favourite musician. Some of his pieces are full of soul and give some kind of special and mysterical feeling. I listened to this piece during the period when something unhappy happened in my life. This incident may not be a big deal for most people, but it did have a great impact on me. I listened to it using my mp3 while I was walking alone at the PV Condominium's garden at night. After that, I would just sit there, enjoy this song and think of some memory. Sometimes, I even cried.

Sunday 12 July 2009

Blackpool

11 July 2009

Blackpool is believed to get its name from a historic drainage channel that ran over a pear bog, discharging discoloured waterinto the Irish sea, which formed a black pool (On the other side of the sea, Dublin is derived from the Irish for 'Black pool'). Blackpool looks like a small and 70's town to me. The buses and houses are the strongest proof.

Pic: Horse ride

Pic: The pool/sea at low tide. The color of this picture has been edited

Pic: beach volley ball
Pic: Buses in town


We then proceeded to Blackpool Tower. Admission fees is 12 pounds for adult. It includes a few attractions such as tower aquarium, Mooky'c circus of dreams, tower heritage trail, tower ballroom, jurassic walk, 3D Cinema, and etc.


Pic: Blackpool tower

Pic: Circus in Blackpool Tower



Pic: Blackpool Tower Ballroom. We can see aunties and uncles dancing lovely and romantically. Surprisingly, their steps were the same.
Pic: 3D CinemaPic: View from top of the tower


Pic: A transparent glass on the floor which allows us to see the ground. Do you dare to step over it? It is 380 ft from the ground

Pic: A row of hotels

Pic: Fun fair at the beach

Pic: The highest roller coaster i have ever seen so far

I bought a magnetic bracelet for my mum. It is believed to change a person's health for the better by using magnetic theraphy which is based on the biological effect of magnetic fields on the living organism.

Many illness and ailments are caused by electrical imbalance within the body. When magnets are worn close to the pulse they react to the 4% iron content within the blood, triggering tiny electrical impulses similar to the body's own natural repair signals. This magnetism also attracts blood directly to painful areas within the body, thus carrying away damaged and toxic materials which cause pain. The electrical impulse will also autonomously stimulate the production of the body's natural painkiller, endorphine, which not only relieves pain but relaxes the body's stimuli, thus neating the effects of stress, migraine, and other pressure induced ailments.

Pic: Bracelet

To see more picture:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=90227&id=719609632&ref=nf

Chester

10 July 2009

Today is friday and there is no school lessons. We decided to go to cheshire oaks again to grab clothes and shoes before the summer sales ends in the coming two weeks. We all did buy a lot, especially from Fred Perry because we cant find this brand in Malaysia. After that, we went to Chester, which is located at the next two station after cheshire oaks so we can use the same daily bus ticket.


Pic: This is not todays ticket but they are in same price and go to same place. The ticket fare is 4.20 pounds. I think it is quite expensive as the living cost here is low.


Chester is one of Britain's great heritage cities, just waiting to be discovered on foot, by open-top bus, river boar or canal cruiser.


Pic: Building in Chester


Pic: Chester Cathedral - the 1000 years old cathedral with the finest medieval carvings in Europe


Pic: Shoplots, mostly in black and white

Pic: The Eastgate clock. It was built since 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee
Pic: View from Eastgate Clock
Pic: Lakeside


Pic: Castle


Pic: Lake

Pic: Garden by the lakeside

Pic: Suspension bridge

To view more picture:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=90221&id=719609632&ref=nf

Thursday 9 July 2009

Still bad luck

10 July

I have not been going out for a couple of days. I decided to go to school today to catch up with the lessons. After class, we went home for lunch. There was a minor accident again when i reached the main gate of the hostel. My friend activated the gate for me using his access card. There were some technical problems and the gate stopped turning. I did not expect it to stop. I just kept moving and consequently I hit the gate. A 'bang' sound arose. Worse, I was stuck in between the gates. The weather was so cold and i will be frozen if i would have to stay there until the gate was corrected. Thank God, the gate "resumed" after we tried to activate the gate for another few more times. Seem like my bad luck is still following me. Isnt it better to just stay at home and dont do anything?

Wednesday 8 July 2009

Still resting at home

06 July 2009

Nobody was willing to get up early in the morning at 7am and acc me for my subsequent medical visit. I went there alone as morning walk. Luckily enough there were only 2 patients including me. I only waited for 15 min.

It was another person who diagnosed me this time. I complaint that the previous cream prescribed was not effective and the rashes was spreading out towards my hands now. The nurse then asked me to try another method, where i would have to spray(contains permethrin) in my rooms to kill flea beetles and anything else that might cause the rashes. I then have to put some cream which also contain permethrin on my skin for 8 hours.

I requested from the hostel reception for new matress, duvet and pillow. Their service is really fast enough. A staff was sent to my room and exchanged all the things requested in the same evening.

Finally, i washed all of my clothes in laundry. It Really cost me quite a lot. Last but not least, I shower with extreme hot water. It serves as a good anesthesia drug to 'burn' my rashes. It can stop my itch for at least few hours. I feel very geli for my skin condition. I have no mood to go to school but just rest at home. No school, cooking and dish wash for a couple of days, until my injured hand and rashes get better.

Whitby

05 July 2009

We had a trip to Whitby, a fishing village which sells the best fish and chips and uk. Again, it took us 4 - 5 hours, which supposed to be 3 hours. There were traffic jams along the journey like yesterday. We are fear for sitting in bus now.

Whitby's skyline is dominated by the ruins of St Hilda's Abbey, high on Whitby's East Cliff. Spreading below Whitby, a maze of alleyways and narrow streests run down to the bust quayside. From the old town of Whitby, 199 steps lead up to the parish church of st.Mary, whose churchyard on Whitby's East Cliff gave Bram Stoker the inspiration to write his world famous book, Dracula. Having a unique old world charm, for centuries Whitby has provided a safe haven for shipping and fishing fleets. It was once the main whaling port for the North of England.

pic: Seaview of whitby
This village is full of people, seagulls and dogs. I wonder why there are so many dogs. Dogs turn out to be better companions than children.

Pic: Seagull 'posting' elegantly on the hence

Once we reached, we rushed to the most well known shop, MagPie Cafe, to get our lunch, which was fish and chips.

pic: Long queue to buy fish and chips

It costs 5.50 pounds and is enough for two servings. Personally, I do not think it is that nice. I put high expectation since it is said to be the best in uk. The fish can be customized by ourselves with vinegar, salt and lemon.


If you go to Whitby, I advice you to go for the 199 steps. You can see a lot of incredibly nice views there. We went to ruined Benedictict abbey sited on the East Cliff, 199 steps above whitby harbour.

Pic: 199 Steps
Pic: Light house
Pic: Whitby Abbey

Stonehenge

04 july 2009

We went to stonehenge and salisbury. Stonehenge is one of the 7 wonders of britain. The purpose and the method of building this stonehenge is still a myst. There are some people saying that it was for calendar purpose, as a way of remember they ancestors and decades, carrying out ritual ceremonies and also was a burial ground. We took about 6 hours to reach there. What a tiring journey.

Pic: Audio Device
We were given an audio device, which explained about stonehenge. There is only one language available for each device. But we can choose to get a device in our preferrable language. Today was a sunny day. Our skin get burnt a lot and turned red. Later on, we went to salisbury, a city near by stonehenge.

Pic: The main river of Salisbury. Can you see the swans?

Pic: Nice plants
For more information about stonehenge:

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Medical visit

03 july 2009

It was raining since morning. At around 9.30, i went out with cousin to go to the NHS (medical center) in Chinatown to register a GP. We were in a bit rush as he had to get to work in 11.30. I could not make an immediate appointment with my GP. The earliest was 6.05 pm. It was very inconvenient to go there again as it was quite far.

On the way back, we realized that there is also one NHS near my hostel. My cousin asked me to try register one gp here as it is nearest. I heard from my senior that GP is like a 'family doctor'. each person can only have one GP. we can only change our gp when we moved to another location.

I had a struggling mind in the afternoon whether or not to try my luck to go to that nearest NHS in rain and alone. It is really inconvenient without a car. Finally, i went there together with one of my housemate and her sister before they went to shopping in city center.

It was a bad news that students staying for less than 6 months are not allowed to register a GP. If we are to see doctor, we will be charged 33 pounds for consultation. This branch of NHS is so strict and consequently i was not able to register any GP. Chinatown one is more lenient. my friend's sister then recommended me to go to a walk-in NHS in city center. She adviced me that the reception there will surely ask me to register for a GP. If they ask, i will just have to say 'I will do it later'.

From her, i knew that all medical centers in UK are governed by government. She was true that all patients will have to wait no matter how wealthy you are. Patients are prioritized based on urgency. Now i understand that why the people here rarely turn to doctor but pharmacist unless necessary.

I waited for more than two hours there. There is no doctor in this walk in NHS, but only experienced and practised nurses. My blister was broken by the nurse and then bandaged. I was diagnosed to have dry skin decease called eczema, which caused my rashes. I was recommended to buy a special cream to apply on my body. The medical centers in UK do not provide medicine. They only prescribe. We ourself have to go for pharmarcist to get the medicine.

Rashes and Burn

02 July 2009

The rashes is getting worse. It is spreading towards thight. The rashes is getting more and packed. I am feeling damn itchy.

What a bad day. I burnt my hand too, by steam from boiled water again, at the same place, for the same reason, by the same pot and same injury position. This was my second time of the week. I have just told my friends happily that my wound is recovering in the morning but i get burnt again in the afternoon. I was helping my friend to keep an eye on the soup and turn off the stove when the soup is fully boiled.

We never expect the wound could become so bad that a big blister poped up. May be it was because 'wound plus wound'. I showed the injured hand to
my friend. She was so shocked to see that and felt a bit sorry for it. There was a joke that she would have to marry me. In late evening, i called my cousin for help to register a GP (General Practioner), who is actually a doctor. Since he was working, he promised to take me to the medical center on the next day. At night, i begged my housemates to make a video clip of my wedding ceromony with the friend who caused my injury. It was a fun.
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York - The oldest city of UK

27th June


The pictures show York Minster, one of the 7 wonders of Britain. We heard that york is not an attraction before going there. But since we have paid, we went there to have a look. York is the oldest city in UK. It is well known for ghost, probably because it is the oldest city. We first saw York Minster, which is europe's largest gothic cathedral. I am confused now about the difference between anglican and gothic church now. We were only able to take its picture from outside as we did not wish to pay to enter into the church.

Pic: York Dungeon

There was nothing much to do. I suggested to go into York Dungeon. To my disappointment, none of my friends except one wanted to get in. 6.50 pounds is too expensive for them. In the end, only a friend of mine, Pooi Lai and I took the challenge. We queued up for 30 minutes. The cashier counter is not at the entrance.

Before paying for the dungeon trip, there was a photograph session. We then proceeded to the cashier. Oh my God, we were charged 13 pounds each. We further clarified the payment with the cashier and we were told that we had to book in advance from internet to get 6.50 offer. We might give up and get out from there if we were still at the entrance. Unfortunately, we had already been inside of the dungeon. I believed there is an exit at somewhere. Somehow, we both paid and continued the journey, hoping this famous dungeon wont let us down. To be honest, it was not scary, fun and interesting AT ALL. We just heard story in different rooms for an hour. They might scare you all of a sudden sometimes. But you might not get frightened as there were about 20 persons per trip.

Walk About, Wan tan Mee and Roasted Chicken

22nd June

We took our challenge to make wan tan mee today. I was in charge of seasoning the noodles. I just washed my hair on that day morning. In order to keep my hair clean, I must think of a way to protect it. I thought of a way of covering my hair. It was shower cap on my mind initially. But since no one here owns a shower cap, i thought of the alternative, which was plastic bag. Was'nt that an innovative and creative idea??? Since then, i had been teased and addressed as power ranger by friends.

At night, we made another new dish, which was roasted chicken, to be served with tortilla. Lei kett took the initiative to make it. It was her first time as well. She was nervous and she kept doing research from internet and seeking assistance from his dad. The outcome was bit unexpected. It looked colorful, nice and tempting. It tasted not bad. Just a little bitter, probably due to the lemon's skin.

Later on at around 11 o clock, we guys went to walk about, a place where we could see naked performance. Of course, not 100% naked. they still have innerwear. The good thing of the pubs here is that they are not full of cigarrate smoke. UK prohibits any smoker to smoke indoor. The environment inside of Walk About was not really happening on that night. And the lighting was not dark enough.

Zhi Wei turned out to be bit more crazy than usual after she drank one glass of gin lemon and one glass of beer. She kept taking pictures on that night and laughing non stop. She was not drunk, but just bit more relaxed and free than usual. On the way back, she even slept on a roundabout and asked us to take her picture. It was a fun to see her bahaving like this.




Liverpool Anglican Church

21st June

We went to Anglican Cathedral today. It is nearby China town and very far from the hostel. It took us a 45-minutes walk. Fortunately, it is worth. It is the largest cathedral in Britain and the largest Anglicant cathedral in the UK and Europe. It does not stand out from its outer appearace. But you will be amazed by its interior design.



Pic: I felt you and i know you loved me

Pic: It has the world's highest and heaviest peal of bells, highest and widest Gothic arches and the largest organ in Britain with 12, 386 pipes.

The choir was practising when we entered into the church. Visitor are not allowed to take any picture of any corner while they are practising. No idea why. The choir is made up of boys and mens. Some of the boys are very very young. They look 4 or 5 years old. The choir wear a gown, which looks like the gown that we usually wear for convocation.

We then attended the holy communion for an hour. It was a real life experience of listening to the choral evensong with the fantastic but noisy organ. Their ceremony is very traditional. It reminded me of Harry Potter. Frankly speaking, I felt touched when i listened to some of their songs.

We were not able to get up to the tower to see the scenary of the liverpool as it was closed on sunday as the church needs to ring the bell there. But i did get the pictures from my friend who has already gone up to the tower previously.

Pic: Top of the tower
Pic: Liverpool view from top of the tower

We also bought a few postcards there which only cost 35 pence each. On the way back, we went to china town to buy some food again. This time, we bought wan tan noodles. We knew that it was the dish Zhi Wei missed the most in UK.

I then realized that my degree convocation is going to be carried out at this church. What a waste!!!!It is my dream convocation's venue. Wearing the gown and stepping into the church just like Harry Potter. We guys will not choose to attend the convocation here however, since we would not be able to afford for the longer stay here. We can only go for the alternative, which is in KLCC for malaysian summer program students. I feel so sad.

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