Grand Rounds

My reads of 2014 have mostly been fiction.To add more non-fiction reads to my bookshelf, I have taken to following friends and people I think have similar tastes to mine on Goodreads. It has turned up fiction gems like "The Martian" which I enjoyed (The protag's conversations with NASA are always fun to read) and then there's Grand Rounds.

Grand Rounds at it's core, is a series of 24 medical case studies which take you through how doctors diagnose and treat medical patients. Much like "House", each case study has a patient and you'll play detective as Dr. Benaroch doles out the clues. He will explain what normally is involved in the review -History of Present Illness (HPI), the basic physical checks - Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat (HEENT) and other very interesting nuggets of information like how a doctor progresses from student to M.D.

In a  first, I bought this as an audiobook on Audible.com.I had wanted to get this as a ebook on Kindle but it seems to be only available as an audio recording and so today I went running to the lectures. As an aside, I am generally not big on audiobooks but these recordings were the perfect medium for these lectures to be delivered.The case studies today were on cancer and heart attack. Both of them have afflicted my friends and loved ones and as such, the case studies hit closer to home. I, in turn, am emotionally affected by them. 

Emotions aside, lectures 6 and 7 have very informative. I did not know that checking for air passage has been obsoleted in favour of chest compressions in the common CPR. It's also not just a course of diagnosis after diagnosis. For example for the lecture on heart attack, the professor suggests treatments and steps we can take to prevent it. In the same lecture, he also gives a short instruction on how to react to a possible heart attack and with it, an updated CPR lesson. Lecture 8 awaits.

One Second and A Million Miles

The first musical that I encountered by Jason Robert Brown was "The Last Five Years" which if you haven't seen it, you should. Then comes his new musical " Bridges from Madison County" and I haven't seen it, but the songs are really quite good. The string arrangements didn't hurt it either. Here's one entitled "One Second and  A Million Miles" :

Speaking of recommendations, I've just finished Brandon Sanderson's new book, "Firefight" which is book 2 of the Reckoners series. Wow. He simply does no wrong.For the fantasy uninitiated, you should check out his "Mistborn" series which was how I discovered him. In those books were perhaps some of the best fantasy writing I've read. From there, I've consumed almost everything he has written save for the last three books of the "Wheel Of Time" series which he coauthored with Robert Jordan.

From Mistborn if you are looking for something abit heavier you can try his Stormlight Archive of which 2 out of the planned 10 books have already been published ."The Way Of Kings" and "Words Of Radiance" rank very highly in my recommendations. I had chills reading those books. If you are looking for some abit lighter, you can sample his Young Adult offerings all of which are a hoot to read. (Alcatraz anyone?)

We just decided to

It's the new year and with it come fresh beginnings.

Like a run, which I did and certainly hope to do more of. 

And a dim sum lunch with friends, which I overslept and was late for.

And a series - the Newsroom.

It all started with a Facebook post with its opening scene.

And with that I called up Newsroom Season 1 and finished the first episode - and it was perhaps the best opening episode for a series I have watched. I was rooting for Will and his team and all it stood for.So give it a try if you feel so inclined. You may very well be doing yourself a favor.

Hear me now, O thou bleak and unbearable world

Thou art base and debauched as can be.

But a knight with his banners all bravely unfurled 

now hurls down his gauntlet to thee!

- I, Don Quixote

Noodle House Ken

If there is something I've been yearning for the past few weeks, it's Ramen. To take advantage of my knocking off from work earlier today, I decided to give the Ramen shop near my workplace a try.

Noodle House Ken(NHK) is situated at a rather quiet stretch of orchard Road in Orchard Plaza. Flanked by Tailors and camera shops this would be the last place you would expect to find a Ramen House but my goodness, they make a mean bowl of Ramen.

I had Char Siew Ramen and added a Tamago. The broth is double boiled and it is really good. The next thing I saw were the Char Siew Slices - I think I had a total of 4. For a moment I thought I was in Char Siew Nirvana. Even when I finished my noodles, I had left over Char Siew and I wasn't even trying to save them for last. To top everything off, I think this is the first time I actually liked having the Bamboo shoots. They were nicely done.

What was a letdown was the egg though. The favours didn't penetrate through the egg giving the characteristic oomph to the Ramen but I might have caught them on an off day.

In conclusion, if you are looking for an authentic Ramen experience, look no further than Noodle House Ken. The number of Japanese customers I dined with can't be wrong!

Noodle House Ken

150 Orchard Road

#01-17/18 Orchard Plaza

Tel: 6235 5540

Operating Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12noon - 2pm, 6pm - 2am
(Closed on Sundays)

How to get there

Drop at Somerset MRT, cross the road to OG and walk in the direction of the traffic until you see Orchard Plaza. When you see the camera shop in the corner, turn left and walk to somewhere in the middle of the building. You will find an Indian cookhouse. Noodle House Ken is beside it.

Connoisseur

I think TCC makes one of the best Aglio Olios I've ever tasted. Ok, maybe "best" isn't such a good description. More like dream-about-it-delicious with it's al dente sppagetti, freshly pan-fried scallops and now, superb value for money .

It's time, I fear, for Aglio Olio lovers to unite.

Reading week

It was a journey that began with Hyperion by Dan Simmons.The amazing tales of the seven pilgrims will forever leave it's footprint in my mind. That said,you do not need to read Hyperion to appreciate the fascinating world Simmons created with Endymion. It does however give insight on why things are the way they are in Endymion.

Endymion is, on its own,a thoroughly exciting read - I almost did not want the tale to end.Thank goodness there is still Rise of Endymion. If I was not a fan of sci-fi before, I am now.

5cm per second

is a piece of beautifully rendered animation the title of which references the speed at which cherry blossoms falls. Metaphorically, the cherry blossoms represents humans, often starting together but inevitably pursuing our separate ways. The story is told in three acts, Cherry blossom, Cosmonaut and lastly , 5 centimeters per second. The total runtime is about an hour.

Paradise lost

I totally heart the second song. It sounds so pure and simple. Like days long passed.

Rondo of the House of Sunflowers

If I could walk once again
I'll do laundry and I'll cook
And I'll go for walk
How bright it is, when the sky clears up
The sun is laughing
I like rainy days too
I'll walk in the rain with nice umbrella and raincoat
As angels haven't come to pick me up yet
Let me walk for a while till then
I want to dance once again like a breeze

Turn and turn, with hand in hand
straighten my back
straighten my knee
raise my foot
My skirt are ballooned with air
Everyone is laughing
As angels haven't come to pick me up yet
I'll wipe the glasses of the window
I want to dance once again like a breeze

Cinemix

These few days I've been studying to movie soundtracks courtesy of iTunes. Songs I've heard include soundtracks from LOTR , Forrest Gump , Lost, Battlestar Galactica and even Band Of Brothers. They also have a webpage where you can request for songs by search!

So if you have iTunes please go try it out.

Radio > Classical > Cinemix.

Going global

Maybe it's my engineering instincts kicking in but is this awesome or what?

For the longest time

I was taking the taxi back from the Hai Sing Alumni band BBQ when I heard for the longest time by Billy Joel on the radio. Even though the song came out one year before I was born, I found it awfully familiar and completely infectious. So infectious, in fact that I did a little search on Billy Joel and apparently he is responsible for all vocals including backing vocals which I think is pretty amazing.

Do check out the MV ya? Some cool old-school stuff.

Extrusion

Have you ever wondered how crayons are made?

I saw this video clip from another blog, which was taken from a Sesame Street episode in the 70s.Made me think of the good old days sia. And of course of Prof Seah's lecture on Extrusion. KNS.

祷告良辰歌

Sweet Hour Of Prayer
曲：William Batchelder Bradbury
词：圣徒诗歌552首

祷告之时 甘甜之时
使我离开 烦恼之事
来到神的 座前发表
所有意愿 所有需要
当我遇到 重压忧愁
我灵却常 得着自由
不陷恶者 所有布置
因为有你 祷告之时

祷告之时 甘甜之时
如有只翼 载我远驰 愿辞
来他宝座 向他求恳
他是信实 他是全真
他既命我 寻求他面
信他话语 靠他恩典
我要将我 重担卸释
在于你前 甘甜之时


Amen

Mygazines

It is true.

There is a little place on the intra-webs where you can get free magazines. From The Economist to National Geographic to Time to Newsweek to PC world, if it's a leading magazine, it's there and it's free. There is no sign up, no log in and basically no hassle. Most importantly these are not back issues. They are current ones and you have to check out their interface to believe it. It actually lets you 'flip' through the pages. Way too cool to be true.

But it is. In retrospect, I should have gotten this link in my JC days but it's better to be late than never aye?

GoThere

Gothere.sg is so great.

It shows me the bus route I take every morning since the end of the exams to SadTown , presumably to make myself sadder. I have such a great sadomasochistic streak, it scares me sometimes.

It shows me the route I walked the other day I missed the bus and decided against my better judgement to walk in because hailing a cab takes forever. The same day it rained as I was tackling my 3th hill crest. Now I know how long it takes to walk in- 40 mins.

It shows me life doesn't really end with the shut down of streetdirectory.com. It begins then really.

All you got to do then is to find something better to replace it.

Campustutor

Let me first assure you this is not a paid advertisement.

During my double-digit-bank-account days, I turned to tuition to help with my expenses. I have tried most of it. From calling the agents in the classified section everyday for one week to applying online, most of it was futile work.

Worse, the agents that called you back always see to find the worse possible of moments. I've had one call me when I was ordering Bak Chor Mee from Technoedge. And it's almost always guaranteed to be a private number and lasts barely longer than I take to order my Bak Chor Mee.

Consider the following senario. I would be in lecture and whenever my phone virbrates you will see this blur of activity that sometimes leads to me running out of the lecture threatre just to tell that guy after a protracted discussion on my hourly rate that no, I do not want the assignment because it is in freaking woodlands, thank you very much. In retrospect, it really was quite amusing.

Then along came Campustutor. Slated to be an agency that screens it's tutors to be current undergraduates via their e-mail accounts, it accepts student from any of the five universities in Singapore namely, NTU, NUS , NIE , SMU and SIM. The way they operate is so effcient, I wonder why the other agencies haven't caught on at all.

Almost everyday, the kind agents there will send you a list of assignment they have and then you, in consideration of the hourly rate, subject taught and location ,reply via sms to indicate your interest. If you are successful they will call you back, give you the exact location and tell you when you can start. To be sure, I only apply for the maths and physics ones and everytime I send an sms, I would always get a call back to confiirm details.

Because it's the holidays now and some parents are panicking in place of their children, I receive their assignment list everyday with at least 5 to 6 jobs.

So now Campustutor, all you got to do is enlighten me on how you turn off your e-mail alerts. Pretty please?

Something there

If there is something I can remember vividly about my father when I was small , it is the outings with him and my sister to the Bedok Cineplex. Everytime we went there meant a car ride in our then family car, a black Suzuki with me in front. These days he would never fail to recount with a smile the time he braked too hard and I tumbled into the leg space.

Then, there would always be an indian Kacang Puteh man in front of the Cinema and of the many containers with multi-coloured nuts ,peas and snacks , my sister and I would point to the "pillow" one. The Kacang Puteh man would smile, pull one glossy magazine page out of nowhere and roll it into a cone while filling it with the pillow snack and one of my father's favourite, sweet white nuts . I'll admit that it was darn impressive at that time.

The other thing about our outings is that we would only go for two kinds of movies. One, my father's favourite Jackie Chan movies and two, Disney movies that my sister and I never fail to bug him to bring us to. I don't remember even one movie that I didn't enjoy. Of all the movies, I like the Disney ones the best because, they were always fun and full of songs.



After Aladdin, I distinctly remember pretending the piece of metal in between adjoining MRT carriages to be a magic carpet which my sister and I took turns to ride on. It was marvelous.

Lion King was the other movie my sister and I totally enjoyed. Well, at least I did.

And the last clip I would like to share is actually one of my favourites! Beauty and the beast. Classic! =)


Ah. Those were the days.

p.s. In a completely unrelated note, I wonder if it's possible to ask these guys to help do a Beauty and the Beast medley. I wonder. They rock by the way.

Classic Saturday

Last week saw me watching Dead Poet's Society and I think it's a great movie . It is about a teacher who teaches literature so interestingly that it motivates students to appreciate the subject matter more. It allows the students to think for themselves. From the tearing of the prologue from their textbooks to getting the students to stand on tables to see things from a new perspective, the sheer craziness and spontaneity the teacher brings to class is infectious.

I have a penchant for watching movies about inspiring teachers because someday, if I ultimately become a teacher I want to be like them. I don't want to mould students into the same boring shape, cookie-cut to society's expectation. I want to be able to mould them such that they are able to think for themselves, each one different, each with a character of it's own. But wants and needs rarely match up in today's society.

Still, there are exceptions.I look back upon my years in the education system and I find a myriad of examples to illustrate my point. And with all my heart I want to thank them.

Ms. A, Mr. N, Mr. L , Ms Q , Mr. S, Ms. L. Thank you all very much.

Marutama Ra-men

When I say there is a power difference between the Ramen at Marutama Ra-men and the Ramen at Ajisen, I really mean it. We all know there only one best Ramen in Singapore and sadly, Ajisen is just not it. Haha.

To be sure, you know you are getting authentic Japanese food the minute you step into Marutama Ramen on the 3rd level of Central. The Chefs are all Japanese! Even most of the waiters and waitress are Japanese.

You will find yourself in Ramen Nirvana as soon as the warm chicken broth reaches your lips and trickles down your throat. Then as your tongue samples the tender Char Siew and the egg almost explodes with flavour and melts in your mouth, you finally know why the Japanese slurp their noodles up with so much relish because you really do want to do the same too.

Then you realise it is time for plan for seconds.

Marutama Ra-men
03-90/91, Tel: 6534-8090

Opens: 11.30am to 9.45pm, Mondays to Fridays; 11.30am to 3pm and 5.30 to 9.45pm, Saturdays and Sundays

Hole-in-a-wall-style restaurant serving Japanese Marutama ramen, or chicken-based stock ramen.

Price: From $12 to $15 for main ramen items

LOTR Symphony

I must say, the orchestra was quite a bit better than in Play! the previous concert they played in.

But what really stole the show were the choirs because they nothing short of fantastic. Grandiose and full of energy all the way from beginning to the end, the Chorus of the Slovene National Theatres Maribor and Ljubljana showed that they were more than up to the task. Also involved was the Singapore Lyric Opera Children’s Choir who lent a touch of pure innocence to the breath-taking work that is the Lord of the Rings Symphony.

I was like to state for the record that every time the child soloists opened their mouths, I teared a little. Admittedly the solos were not perfect, but when you hear the single quavering note, pure, unadulterated, whole, you cannot help but be reminded how simple life was when you were small and how it can be.

And yes, they did that twice. I can almost imagine a Howard Shore smirking somewhere in his home saying " I got you there , didn't I?" But it's OK, because it felt damn good.