A Very Happy Birthday!!!

You brought sunshine,

When there was only rain;

You brought sweetness,

When all I tasted was pain;

You brought laughter,

In the midst of sadness;

You brought hope, 

When there was nothing but darkness.

Happy birthday!

I bid to you,

A wonderful person,

Of that I've known.

Happy birthday!

I bid to you,

We've just met,

Time it seemed so long.

Happy birthday!

I bid to you,

A special day indeed,

For a very special person.

Happy birthday!

You're 20 now,

Looking forward in time,

To see what's bound....

Happy birthday little Grapefruit! 

All the best! Enjoy your day.... :)

Signing off:

Nickel Low CJ 

Some Random Thoughts #5 (Grapefruit a Grape Fruit?)

  The Grapefruit ~~ Is it from the grape family, and does it look anything like grapes? Good question. Well, one of my friends she popped out of nowhere claiming that she had mistaken the Grapefruit for grapes, while to her amazement on discovery that it's actually shaped like an orange!

  I've called her 'Grapefruit' since then to her bewilderment (she threatened that I'll suffer the consequences though), but really if one has not laid eyes on one, you would've thought the same now wouldn't you?! Seeing is believing they say. Alright, so the Grapefruit grows on an evergreen tree, in which the plant is a subtropical citrus tree and botanically belongs to the large Rutaceaefamily of citrus fruits of the genus Citrus; Scientific name: Citrus paradisi. 

  The Grapefruit however, got it's name because it grows in clusters like grapes, and in fact, is a natural hybridization of a pomelo and an orange! Believed to have evolved and originated from Indonesia and Malaysia, fresh Grapefruit from California and Arizona are available all year and come in several colors including pink, red, white and golden! Who knew Grapefruits were this fascinating...

  However it is, some people called it 'The fruit of paradise', in which claimed to be one of the healthiest fruits in the world. Tart and tangy with an underlying sweetness, grapefruit has a juiciness that rivals that of the ever popular orange and sparkles with many of the same health promoting benefits. Here are some benefits of a Grapefruit I got from an interesting website:

Health benefits of Grapefruit


1. Delicious, grapefruit is very low in calories, consists of just 42 calories per 100 g. Nonetheless; it is rich in dietary insoluble fiber pectin, which by acting as a bulk laxative helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time to toxic substances in the colon as well as binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon.


2. Pectin has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing re-absorption of cholesterol binding bile acids in the colon.


3. The fruit contains very good levels of vitamin-A (provides about 1150 IU per 100g), and flavonoid antioxidants such as naringenin, and naringin. Besides, it is a moderate source of lycopene, beta-carotene, xanthin and lutein. Studies suggest that these compounds have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. The total antioxidant strength measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of grapefruit is 1548 µmol TE/100 g.


4. Further, vitamin A is also required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in vitamin-A, and flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.


5. It is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin-C; providing about 52% of DRI. Vitamin-C is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals. It, furthermore, is required for the maintenance of healthy connective tissue and aids in early wound healing. It also facilitates dietary iron absorption from the intestine.


6. 100 g of fresh fruit contains about 135 mg of potassium electrolyte. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids, helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure through countering sodium effects.


7. Red varieties of grapefruits are especially rich in the most powerful flavonoid antioxidant, lycopene. Studies have shown that lycopene protects skin damage from UV rays, and offers protection against prostate cancer.


8. Additionally, it contains moderate levels of B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and thiamin in addition to some resourceful minerals such as iron, calcium, copper, and phosphorus.

  You can eat Grapefruit just like an orange by peeling it and dividing it into segments. Each medium Grapefruit has 10 to 12 sections. A Grapefruit is 75% juice. One medium Grapefruit will give you 2/3 of a cup of fresh-squeezed juice. Grapefruit juice freshly squeezed and stored covered in the refrigerator will retain 98% of its vitamin C for up to a week! 

Here's some cool websites on Grapefruits:

http://www.sunkist.com/kids/experiments/

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/grapefruit.html

Signing off:

Nickel Low CJ

Special thx to 'Grapefruit Rin' for the article idea~~ :)

The Doctor's Chair

  Finally, I've got some time-off just for myself. With a cup of warm coffee and a peaceful atmosphere to add, I'm busy hammering away at my keyboard once again. Well, just so you all know my dear readers, at this point of time, I am in a General Practitioner Posting, and hence I chose my hometown as my elective venue. (To mii, it's a holiday though, shhhhhh~~~)

  Anyway, to the point now, I was attached to this clinic, one that is well-known throughout Alor Star for the past, like 30+ years or so? With no names mentioned, I then started my attachment in aim to bolster my knowledge, well, a least that's what I hoped for.

 The doctor, (now that he's my GP teacher) was a great one. He teaches with so much care and dedication, not to forget the injection of a few medical jokes during normal conversations. His skills were incomparable to any doctor I've met so far, and his experience in the medical world was invaluable. Imagine almost 50 years in medical practice, 50 years! He was fluent in English as well, hence language wasn't a barrier to mii, communication was easy, except a blip or two when he started to converse in mandarin ('My mandarin is terrible' he would tell mii. Shouldn't I be saying the same as well?). So, there we were attending patients to their needs, with myself mostly the observer by his side. And like any other normal businesses, the clinic was quite at times. And these were the times, where the doctor's chair made mii indulge into a sea of thoughts, a world of my own...

  Here's why~~ At the clinic, I was usually standing. From morning to noon; from evening to night, I stood rooted, listening to every patient's complaint, the doctor's guidance and advice as well. And when it comes the time where everything seems to have quieten down, the doctor would raise from his chair to take a walk around the lovely garden just outside his clinic. Right before that, he would turn to mii and say, 'The clinic's quiet  now, you should take a rest. Here's my chair, sit and take a rest'. And he said the same exact words everyday at that same exact time when patients find the clinic a bore.

  I stared at the chair. The same chair that doctor used to sit in 30 years ago up till now in this very clinic; the same chair I used to see it as a child whenever I visited his clinic for a certain sickness; the same chair that stood as time passed by, it's frames the proud conquerer of the unforgiving time. I rejected, politely. I would rather stand on, or have a sit on the patient's chair than to meddle with the history of that chair.

 To mii, this doctor was one of the most respectable ones I'll put my hat down and crawl on my knees for. His reputation remains a legacy, one that could give an injection in a just a few seconds without the patient feeling any pain whatsoever. His skill-work is admirable and he is so down to earth. He doesn't even charge consultation fees, and he goes easy on medication prices for his patients. His care and love for his patients is more any one could ever ask for, none of that you could find in the attitude of young doctors nowadays.

  Hence, for mii to sit in THAT chair, would require mii to at least work harder to earn my stripes, to deem myself useful to the medical world. I would have felt guilty if I were to sit on it, and with my current level, I am no where near him. Still, that chair has given mii inspiration, given mii hope that some day, I may return to him, and accept his offer of that chair. For now, that doctor's chair, in which I shall refer to, shall be a test of my competency, a test of my mentality to keep up on this route. For shall I be one day just like him, remains a grasp of faith in my very hands of today. Till then, the doctor's chair, a legacy to be continued....

Signing off:

Nickel Low CJ