Weaving

Did you know that elephants often have this rhythmical behaviour of moving/swaying their head and body from side to side? We noticed that during the trip tp KK. It was fun watching them do that. This is apparently a comon behaviour called weaving.
From this source, weaving is often displayed by elephants in captivity. The elephants in the wild are preocupied with daily survival that they do not have time to develop this behaviour.
Why do elephants weave? If its movement is being restricted, an elephant may weave until it reached its goal, eg. getting physical contact with another elephant. Elephant in zoos/circus lack everyday challenges in the jungle, therefore, they might develop this behaviour also.

Talking about elephants, fans of Robert Pattinson will be thrilled that his movie will be out soon. The name of the movie - Water for Elephants...(-_-"). Well, at least no more heavy makeup for him.

You've grown

Look how big you've grown....
Kitty then...

Full grown adult now...but yet still playful as ever... 

And newest addition to the family- your second batch of brothers and sisters... 

Waiting is a long process

I hate waiting and I hate going to the hospital. I bet every patient here will ask the same question, 'Why me?'. When I was admitted last time for the cyst on my wrist, it was a minor surgery. And yet, I hate the feeling of waking up after the anesthetic. Made me dizzy and nausea.
I can't imagine how my brother in law feels like now. He just had another operation as he has fluid in his lungs. That's the cause of his irregular heartbeat and breathing difficulties yesterday night. He's still in the ICU as of now. I am sure he has the same question - of all people, why him? No one can provide the answer.

I've already accepted the fact that life is unfair. But like the famous saying goes, when life gives you lemon, make lemonade out of it. I'm sure he will recover and live another ha;f decade more, at least.
We can't imagine the pain that he's gone through. The best we can do is just to be positive. I hope he will too. A positive mentality really helps.

Nothing is more important than health

I hugged my sister yesterday. I cannot recall the last time I did. Or if I ever did.
My brother in law (BIL) was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday. He was having some breathing problem two days before that led him to do a check-up. The specialist admitted him on the day of check-up itself. They found that his right artery was blocked.
Doing a 'balloon' process is not possible. The only option is a bypass. So, the operation was on Monday and it went successfully. They took his leg's vein for the bypass. This is a common procedure. To know more about it, refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery.
And so, after the operation, his condition was good. He soon can sit up and eat solid food. We were very positive and happy to see hom recovering so fast.
But yesterday, he was transferred to normal ward from ICU. We went to visit him and was surprised to see his pale face. His heartby is very irregular and he is having difficulty breathing. They have to give him another bag of blood and air mask. He's not having appetite to eat and drink.
It is heart wrenching watching him. And my sis cried as she's too worried. I know how it feels. Watching the person you love suffering and you cannot do anything much to help.
The other day, my sister mentioned that she has take up the responsibilities that were handled by my bro in law previously. Tasks like paying the bills, maintenance fees or fixing the leaking pipe in their house. I know she misses him.
The last I heard this morning, he vomited few times. Is this normal after the procedure? He was sweating cold sweat from time to time. I just can hope and pray he will be ok.
To the rest of us, do take care of what you eat. And most importantly, find time to exercise. It might not 100% guarantee that you will be healthy but it is at least a prevention. Nothing is more important than health. We might think that money is more important now, but if you are sick, lying on the hospital bed, no amount of money make you feel better. And also, buy medical insurance.

Milky Straw

Saw this in Melbourne and could not resist the temptation to buy it.

It comes in a variety of flavour. Strong flavour but too sweet for my liking. Still, it's something unique.

Bleeding

I gave my mum a scare the other day. It was on the plane ride back from KK. Extremely exhausted, I fell asleep as soon as the plane took off. Not long after, I felt dryness in my nose. I rubbed it a bit and felt liquid dripping out. I thought I caught flu. When I look at my hand, it was covered with blood!
Blood keeps dripping out and lucky me, I have tissue just conveniently located in my handbag. I called out to my mum, who was also sleeping at that time and she was shocked. I used up few pieces of tissue. And thankfully the bleeding stop. I didn't know that I should not tilt my head backwards. I should have just apply pressure on nose.

Did a little googling (from Wikipedia) and here's something about nose bleed.

Epistaxis (from Greek ἐπιστάζω (epistazo) to bleed from the nose: ἐπί (epi) - "above", "over" + στάζω (stazo) - "to drip" [from the nostrils]) or a nosebleed is the relatively common occurrence of hemorrhage from the nose, usually noticed when the blood drains out through the nostrils. There are two types: anterior (the most common), and posterior (less common, more likely to require medical attention).

The causes of nosebleeds can generally be divided into two categories, local and systemic factors, although it should be remembered that a significant number of nosebleeds occur with no obvious cause.



Local factors
-Blunt trauma (usually a sharp blow to the face such as a punch, sometimes accompanying a nasal fracture)
-Foreign bodies (such as fingers during nose-picking)
-Inflammatory reaction (e.g. acute respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, allergic rhinitis or environmental irritants)
- Anatomical deformities (e.g. septal spurs or Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia)
- Insufflated drugs (particularly cocaine)
- Intranasal tumors (e.g. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma or nasopharyngeal angiofibroma)
- Low relative humidity of inhaled air (particularly during cold winter seasons)
- Nasal cannula O2 (tending to dry the olfactory mucosa)
- Nasal sprays (particularly prolonged or improper use of nasal steroids)
- Otic barotrauma (such as from descent in aircraft or ascent in scuba diving)
- Surgery (e.g. septoplasty and Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery)
- Leech infestation


Systemic factors
- Allergies
- Infectious diseases (e.g. common cold)
- Hypertension
- Drugs — Aspirin, Fexofenadine/Allegra/Telfast, warfarin, ibuprofen, clopidogrel,prasugrel, isotretinoin, desmopressin, ginseng and others
- Alcohol (due to vasodilation)
- Anaemia
- Connective tissue disease
- Blood dyscrasias
- Envenomation by mambas, taipans, kraits, and death adders
- Heart failure (due to an increase in venous pressure)
- Hematological malignancy
 -Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- Pregnancy (rare)
- Vascular disorders
- Vitamin C or Vitamin K deficiency
- von Willebrand's disease

I think mine was due to the low humidity of inhaled air. Hope it won't happen to me again or I will just have to wear a black shirt the next time I board a plane.

bundle of joy

I find myself rushing back home after work nowadays. Rushing home to a bundle of joy....Just before I left for Australia few weeks back, mummy cat gave birth AGAIN. Not that I'm complaining as I have fieve little kitties to play with. Watching them grow day by day is a joy.
For the past week, I've been diligently cleaning them alternate days. They have flea. And cat fleas are not easy to get rid of. Every other day, I have to spray them with anti-flea spray which is mild enough for kittens. Their eyes are infected as well causing them to be red and swollen. I have to clean them with mild antiseptic.
Now, they're beginning to grow into a healthy bunch. They can eat rice. Watching them playfully running here and there, I really feel a sense of accomplishment and happiness.
Soon, I'll have to put them up for adoption. It's not going to be easier this time. I felt so attached to the last batch, it's hard letting them go. But I'm glad they found good owners.
Pics to come soon.
So, anyone wants to adopt a kitten?

the end is near?

I had a very interesting question thrown at me today. Do I believe the 'End of Days' is coming?

My answer: Yes and no.

Now let me explain.
I do believe that the signs are showing. Mother earth is angry. VERY ANGRY. Whether it's human's fault or not, natural disasters is inevitable. Look at the earthquakes and tsunami recently. Christchurch, China, Japan and the most recent -Myanmar. All within the short span of few mths. Look at the casualties, over 10k of people died in Japan. These are all unpreventable. The radiation in Japan is like rubbing salt to the wound. Man-made disasters. Look at the issues in Egypt. Look at the wars created by human. I did a quick search online and found a few prophecies in the bible on signs that the end is near.
DON'T get me wrong. I do not have the intention to promote anything related to any religions.
Just found the article interesting enough to share.
http://www.contenderministries.org/prophecy/endtimes.php
On the other hand, I believe that we still have a long way to go before the end comes. IF it does (contradicting myself) come...Human can at least TRY to prevent manmade disasters. A nation affected by the wrath can bounce back stronger and with a renewed spirits. Even if the end does come, it might not be for another 100 decades. No one can predict what the future holds.

Lesson of the day:
Treasure all you have today. It might not be the end of the world, but who knows what tomorrow migth bring?
I also learnt a very strong word today. Agnosticism. Google that.