As a research student...

I've been in this situation...

Quite a few times like this...

At the moment...
Waargh, what a life.

Swine flu, khinzir pula dapat selsema

Belum pun selsema burung 'habis' sepenuhnya, babi pula dapat selsema. Walaupun kita jauh dari kawasan bermulanya wabak, dengan kemajuan sistem pengangkutan dan perhubungan terkini, penyakit juga merebak sepantas pergerakan manusia.




Dengar cerita, walaupun banyak 'suspected case' dilaporkan media, bilangan kes positif kian bertambah, cuma masih di'cover'. Apa pun, langkah keselamatan harus diambil dan tanda2 awal perlu diperhatikan.


Below are some Q&A on swine flu from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).


April 24, 2009
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Swine Flu & You

What is swine flu?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Most commonly, human cases of swine flu happen in people who are around pigs but it’s possible for swine flu viruses to spread from person to person also.


Are there human infections with swine flu in the U.S.?
In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas. CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation.


Is this swine flu virus contagious?
CDC has determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it not known how easily the virus spreads between people.


What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.


How serious is swine flu infection?
Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. with no deaths occurring.

However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died 8 days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.


How do you catch swine flu?
Spread of swine flu can occur in two ways:

•Through contact with infected pigs or environments contaminated with swine flu viruses.
•Through contact with a person with swine flu. Human-to-human spread of swine flu has been documented also and is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.


Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).


How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.


What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

•Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
•Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
•Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
•If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs spread this way.


What should I do if I get sick?
If you live in San Diego County or Imperial County California or Guadalupe County, Texas and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.
In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
•Fast breathing or trouble breathing
•Bluish skin color
•Not drinking enough fluids
•Not waking up or not interacting
•Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
•Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
•Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
•Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
•Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
•Sudden dizziness
•Confusion
•Severe or persistent vomiting


Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.


More information on swine flu can be found at www.cdc.gov/flu/swine, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/, or call CDC at 800-CDC-INFO (English and Spanish) or 888-232-6348 (TTY).

Makan ikut mood, atau mood ikut makan?

A: Takde mood la nak kerja, tak pekena teh tarik lagi. Jom pi minum!
B: Takde mood lah nak makan, banyak kerja ni.

Si A takde mood nak kerja sebab belum makan. Si B pula takde mood nak makan sebab banyak kerja.

Sesetengah orang percaya yang apa yang kita makan akan mempengaruhi 'mood' kita. Ini mungkin kerana dirinya berasa bertenaga selepas minum secawan kopi sewaktu sarapan, seterusnya bersemangat melakukan kerja.

Benar, mengambil sarapan adalah penting untuk membekalkan tenaga pertama memulakan aktiviti harian kita. Namun, kaitan antara makanan dengan mood masih lagi menjadi persoalan kajian. Kebanyakan kesan makanan terhadap mood lebih merupakan kesan psikologi. Contohnya perasaan perlunya meminum kopi setiap hari supaya kita lebih seronok berkerja. Ada juga yang bergantung kepada coca-cola untuk 'stay up' malam mengulangkaji pelajaran.

Kawan: Dah pekena kopi kaw ni boleh la berjaga malam ni buat kerja.
AzD: Mphh! Hang bagi la kopi apa pun kat aku, nak tidoq kalau aku lena seh seh jugak.

Ini lebih kepada kesan ketagihan, sama seperti kalau tak kena rokok sebatang, tak boleh duduk diam. Termasuk juga peminat coklat, rasa bahagia sebaik saja coklat cair di lidah.

Mood kita amat dipengaruhi oleh hormon dalaman. Food additives atau 'pengawet' yang ditambah dalam kebanyakan makanan terproses ada yang mempunyai ciri seakan hormon estrogen, yang boleh mempengaruhi tahap kesuburan dan juga mood. Namun kesannya masih hanya di peringkat makmal. Kombinasi makanan yang kita makan serta pengaruhnya terhadap hormon mungkin mempengaruhi mood kita. Namun setiap manusia itu berbeza.

Memang ada komponen makanan yang dapat mempengaruhi mood, contohnya asid amino tryptophan. Otak menggunakan asid ini untuk menghasilkan serotonin, yang diketahui dapat meningkatkan mood seseorang. Sebenarnya, aktiviti makan itu sendiri yang mempengaruhi penghasilan hormon, seterusnya menentukan mood kita.

Sedar atau tidak kita sering makan banyak jika makan beramai-ramai bersama keluarga yang lama tak jumpa? Masih ingatkan kita aksi makan kita ketika pertama kali makan bersama keluarga mertua? Apakah kita lalu nak makan kalau baru lepas marahkan orang? Jawapanya mungkin berbeza bagi setiap orang.

Pernahkah kita makan di restoran, sedap, berselera, gembira. Contohnya pekena ikan patin di Temerloh, atau kari kepala ikan di kedai mamak. Sekali tiba masa untuk bayar, mood kita bertukar menjadi amarah. Harga yang dikenakan tak terfikir terutama bagi mereka yang tidak biasa. Mungkin mereka perlu terima bayaran secara kad kredit. Tak semua orang suka bawa duit banyak2 dalam 'wallet'.

Hmm, makanan mempengaruhi mood, atau mood yang mempengaruhi makan...

Sepatah kata: Cuaca makin sejuk di sini, perut asyik rasa lapar aje. Ada kaitan ke lapar dengan suhu cuaca...

Countdown continues...

Bangun pagi hari ni, sebelum solat subuh, minum segelas air yang masih belum dipanaskan oleh api. Konon2 ikut sunnah nabi lah. Itulah dianya umat sekarang ni, tak istiqamah, buat bila teringat aje. Rasanya doa mangun tido pun terlupa tadi. Tau takpe. Pastu, teringat pulak kat Kopi Radix. Balik hari tu ar minum, boleh tahan juga rasa.

Sambil mengadap laptop ni, sambil dgr radio malaysia, tengah siar siri motivasi Dr Fadilah tu tadi. Katanya, salah satu motivasi untuk terus belajar ialah letak gambar orang tersayang dekat dgn meja study kita, lebih kurang gitu la. Terus rasa rindu kat mama dan abah. Dulu masa kat asrama sekolah memang aku letak gambar family kat meja study aku, gambar adik angkat, gambar kereta idaman, kata2 semangat dsb. Sekarang ni, meja aku serabut aje, seserabut otak aku kot. Ada le sekeping gambar Aiman baby tertempek kat tepi. Kereta ada jugak, model kereta Ford antik.

Bukan taknak letak gambar family kat sini, tapi kang aku jadi rindu, sayu, langsung takleh nak concentrate study. Lagipun skang ni gambar digital, bukak aje My Pictures, beratus2 gambar dok ada. Memang, aku mudah rasa sayu bila nengok gambar mak bapak aku, macam2 aku pikir. Ya Allah, panjangkanlah umur ibubapaku dalam kesihatan dan keberkatan dari Mu, Amiin.


Countdown Continues

Countdown aku tu dah menunjukkan 2 digit aje hari ni, 99 more days to submit thesis. Halah, cepatnya! Rasanya masa aku set countdown tu beratus2 hari lagi. Aiya, 3 bulan je lagi ke? Sempat ke?

Masa meeting semalam, macam kompiden boleh submit as planned. SV aku pun macam happy je dgn progress aku, tak tau la kot diorg berlakon aje depan aku, belakang kutuk2. Ish, paranoid lak aku nih. This time kena ikut as planned, kalau lari deadline alamatnya extend lagi lah. Tapi kalau extend pun tak lama la, untuk 'mencantikkan' thesis aje, supaya tak banyak correction nanti. Kat Australia, PhD takde viva, so the write up, the thesis, must be excellent, strong enough, as you don't have the chance to defend your thesis verbally. Bagus ke tak takde viva ek? Ntah lah, mungkin ada pros and cons tersendiri.


PR kena bagus

Awal2 lagi antara topik yang penting, dibincangkan masa orientation, dalam dunia research ni ialah 'How to manage your supervisor(s)'. Mereka ini lah perantara anda. Walaupun kadang2 kita kurang setuju dgn diorang, kena 'adjust' attitude kita towards them. Jadi student balik, kena la ikut cakap cikgu. Ada juga cerita student PhD melawan sv, duduk la nko 5-6 tahun tak habis2 study. Alhamdulillah, so far semua SV aku mudah diurus. Cuma selalu kalau komen sorang cakap macam ni, yg lagi satu macam tu. Pendekatan aku, komen yang aku setuju aku guna. Mana boleh puaskan hati semua orang, abis hati aku sapa nak jaga!

Abah aku selalu cakap, orang putih ni kena pandai baik2 dgn diorang, ajak minum bagai. Aku pernah ajak diorang datang rumah, makan2 hari raya. Party rumah dia pun kita pegi la, makan apa yang boleh. Ade ke patut masa first time dulu orang hulur kat aku bacon! tak nampak bini aku bertudung litup kat sebelah ni? hehe, itulah dianya, sesetengah mereka ni insensitive sikit. Kata aje multicultural bagai, jiran Muslim kat sebelah rumah, tapi tak tahu orang punya culture camane.

Lepas meeting semalam, aku hulur la ole2 dari Malaysia yang aku belikan masa balik aritu. Kain songket sorang sepasang, tak tau la diorg nak jahit jadi apa. Seronok la diorg dok belek2, 'You've been naughty again!' Hehe, bribery! Mana ada, adat la bawak buah tangan kan. Dulu sekali aku kasi scarf Pashmina, ingatkan sini takde. Rupanya berlambak, murah pulak tu! So nak kasi hadiah pandang2 la sekitar dulu. Hmm, mana laa aku tau barang2 orang pompuan neh... aku suka aku beli la.

Continue to write, write and write... Chiow!

Just For Fun

This is one of the interesting forwarded email in my inbox I've got...

Shopping pattern. However, many men have adopted the similar pattern these days.

Always be careful which button to press! Pressing a wrong button may cause malfunction.

Hard to understand, aye!? Jangan mara aar...

Back to Nature

Once upon a time, there was a small family of three; the father, the mother and the son. One fine morning, the father woke up and looked at the sky. "What a good sunny day!" he said.

He knew that one way to get closer to the Creator, one should always reflect on the beauty of nature and creation. They are all signs of Allah’s great power and knowledge. Allah doesn’t create the mountains and the oceans, the animals and the trees, without purposes.

Knowing that his wife needed to see the world outside other than the house and the lab, his son has longed to play in the water, and even he himself needed some fresh air after a few days inhaling the stale air of his home-office, he decided to take them to enjoy the creations of God. So on that bright sunny day, they all went to the Royal National Park, Sydney.

First, they stopped at the visitors centre to get information about the park and the surroundings. Drove another 25 minutes towards the sea, a place called Wattamoloo, they went to have a dip in the sea, but because the waves were quite strong, the father decided to go to the lagoon nearby, suitable for little ones, and for adults who do not swim, like them both. After having a light lunch and performed prayer in between the trees, they headed to the boat shed. They hired a boat, and they all went 'row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream...'

By then, the son has shown signs that he was a little bit tired. As the sun started to get closer to the horizon, the tired but happy little family headed back home. They had a lovely hot mee-hoon tomyum seafood for dinner, specially made by the lovely little mother.

The scene from the beach facing the lagoon

Wattamoloo Beach

Looking over the beautiful escarpment of the park

The Royal National Park

The RNP situated just about 30km south of Sydney CBD. Drive south through the Princess Highway and you will see the signboard into the park a few km pass Sutherland. Other than spectacular view for sightseeing and having a family picnic on the beaches, there are also other activities you can have such as kayaking, boating, fishing, bush walking and more. Entrance fee is $11/day for a car.

To make a long story short

"Ya, aku balik Malaysia kejap!"

Dua minggu terasa begitu cepat. Kawan-kawan berkata dan bertanya kenapa tak bagitahu, nak jumpa dan sebagainya. Dua minggu, berurusan di sana sini, pejam celik pejam celik, dah pun habis. Tempat utama, Taiping dan Gombak. Kuantan pun tak sempat nak jejak kaki, tak jumpa bos dan rakan2 sekerja. Buat kawan-kawan yang bertanya, sorry yer. Nanti aku balik for good nanti kita jumpa la insyaAllah.

Dipendekkan cerita...


FAMILY GATHERING

Sementelah ada kenduri menyambut menantu Mak Tam sekeluarga, dapatlah aku berjumpa sanak saudara serta kenalan abah dan mama yang bertahun tak jumpa. Soalan standard, "Bila balik? Dah abih dah ka?" Tak kurang juga komen yang berbunyi, "Naik badan noo!" Yang hairan tu, paradoxically, ada juga yang kata, "Awat nampak kurus sikit?" Err, betul ke?

Aku juga jadi 'bidan terjun' sebagai pengapit Pengantin Lelaki, manakala Siti Sarah, sepupu aku jadi pengapit Pengantin Perempuan. Pengapit asal yang ada dalam 'kertas kerja' tarik diri di saat akhir. Asalnya memang ada pencalonan nak suruh jadi pengapit pun, tapi mungkin sebab dah tua dan dah kurang hensem sikit agaknya, 'ahli majlis mesyuarat' tidak menyokong katanya. Last2 kena jadi pengapit jugak. Tak apalah, dah biasa jadi bidan2 terjun nih, tapi jangan amalkan selalu yer dik! Nasib baik ada sepasang baju melayu yang aku tinggal dalam almari kat Taiping. Beres!

Kerja asal aku seperti dalam paperwork ialah jadi Jurugambar. Nak jadi cerita, kamera aku buat hal sehari sebelum flight balik, maka gundah gulana lah jiwa raga, melayan ragam kamera yang asyik dengan mesej 'Error 99'. Terpaksalah gunakan kamera baru pengantin, Sony Alpha-200. Oleh kerana jadi tok bidan, gambar-gambar semasa persandingan diambil oleh saudara sepupu yang lain. Bagus jugak, banyak la muka tok masuk frame, ekekeke!

Cik Wan dan Cik Siti sebagai pengapit. Err, turn Cik Siti jadi pengantin bila yer?

Ini baru keluarga Mak Andak!

Sempat 'kidnap' pengantin ke Lake Garden Taiping posing2!

Antara hasil kerja jurugambar merangkap tok bidan terjun pengapit

Untung mempunyai keluarga besar, ramai dan mesra. Memang meriah! ALhamdulillah majlis berjalan lancar.


TRIP TO PENANG

Since we have this free voucher, so we went to Bayview Beach Resort, Batu Feringhi in Penang. We stayed for 2 nights only instead of 4 nights like the one provided in the voucher. The reason being that I wanted to spend more time in Taiping. Otherwise we wouldn't have much time before heading for Gombak. Ye lah, it's not like before we got married and have kids, you can stay at your parents' as long as you like. Now got two 'kampungs', although Gombak is no near any kind of kampung.


SICKNESS

The first week, I got diarrhea. For five days I couldn't really enjoy the food, including the time when we were in Penang. Oh God! I just looked at other people eating kerang bakar, sotong bakar, sotong kangkung and much more at Padang Kota and slurping my saliva. I only had a bowl of laksa penang. The Ubat Tuju Angin and Chee Kit Teck Aun were not really helping. Finally it stopped gradually after taking the pills from the pharmacy. I know mama wanted me to go to the clinic, but then I'm sure I'll be getting the similar thing as well.

Another incident while we were in Malaysia was the loss of Tok Ki or Ayah, my wife's grandfather. He passed away peacefully at his home in Bukit Bayas, Kuala Terengganu. Thinking of the distance, sadly we decided we couldn't pay the last visit. We had just arrived in Taiping, I was still purging and Aiman was not very well at that time. Al-Fatihah.

When we were in KL, and on the day I was having this Nutrition Society of Malaysia conference, presentiing a poster entitled 'Going Hungry in Australia?', mama was admitted to Taiping Medical Center for purging as well. She was dehydrated I believed after 2 days of non stop purging. Got 3 bottles of drip, then she was OK. Alhamdulillah. I went back to Taiping after the first day conference, and missed the second day.


KESIMPULAN & PENGAJARAN

1. Dua minggu amat cepat berlalu. Time flies mate!
2. Kita merancang, Tuhan yang menentukan. Konon nak makan macam2 tapi tak boleh, itu la peringatan dari Tuhan. Jangan over.
3. Bagi orang tua dan juga kanak-kanak kecil, diarrhea jangan dipandang ringan. Seorang rakan kehilangan ibunya disebabkan diarrhea yang tidak dirawat. Kalau dah mula rasa pening-pening dan badan tak seimbang, maknanya terlalu banyak air telah kehilangan. Memang apabila berbaring kita berasa sedap dan selesa, tapi mungkin membawa maut...
4. Sayangi ibubapa anda, dan tunjukkan kasih sayang anda! Sementara mereka masih di dunia...

Beg

Lama tidak 'bersiaran' di sini. Kali ini saja nak cerita perihal masalah bagasi masa naik-turun kapalterbang hari tu...

BALIK MALAYSIA

Perjalanan pulang ke Malaysia terasa lama kerana transit beberapa kali; Sydney - Brisbane - KL - Penang. Perubahan tekanan udara yang berubah-ubah mengakibatkan gegendang telinga sakit seketika.

Sampai sahaja di Penang International Airport, kami tergesa-gesa ke bilik 'Salin Lampin', seperti yang ditulis di papan tanda. Aiman 'melabur' sewaktu landing time, mujur di hujung perjalanan. Kalau tidak susah juga nak 'mendobi' dia di atas flight.

Tiba kami ke ruang mengambil bagasi. Kosong! Semua penumpang yang baru tiba bersama kami pun tiada lagi. Bergegas ke kaunter di depan. En Roslan, pegawai bagasi, meminta 'tag' bag kami. Tiga tag kesemuanya.

"Laa, beg hangpa ni mesti dok ada kat KL ni. Tag ni tulis KL, bukan Penang," kata En Roslan.

"Ya ka encik?" tanya aku sambil terkelip-kelip biji mata. En Roslan pun menunjukkan tag yang tertulis SYD -KL. Ya lah, bukannya hari-hari naik kapalterbang, tak perasan.

"Ni kawan hat check in kami kat Sydney tadi la ni silap. Dia orang baru kot, supervisor dia dok bagi arahan, marah2 kat dia tadi," tambah aku.

"Takpa, lain kali check tag ni, mesti sama airport dengan yang hangpa nak turun. Isi borang ni. Nanti saya check dengan KL ada ka tak beg hangpa. Kalau ada nanti depa bok mai next flight. Dalam pukoi 11.30 paling awai buleh dapat. Dok tang mana?" jelas En Roslan.

"Dok Taiping. Takpa, rumah abang kat Penang. Kami tunggu la sampai beg tu sampai," explain aku dengan penuh harapan.

"Takpa lagu tu. Nanti beg sampai saya talipon lah mai ambik," En Roslan memberi pengesahan sambil membaca borang tadi. "Ni boh nombor talipon sekali."

Alhamdulillah, sekitar tengahari En Roslan telefon memberitahu beg dah sampai. Kami pun sekali lagi ke Penang Airport untuk mengambil beg2 tersebut. Sampai di rumah, kami pekena nasi beriani dengan beraneka lauk, abang beli kat kedai favourite dia dalam perjalanan pulang makan tengahari di rumah.

Rancangan asal untuk terus pulang ke Taiping selepas tiba di Penang. Tujuannya untuk ke rumah Mak Tam yang tengah bersiap untuk kenduri menyambut menantu lagi dua hari. Tunggu beg punya pasal, rancangan bertukar. Kami lepak di rumah Abang sampai ke petang, lebih kurang pukul 6 baru sampai Taiping.

BALIK SYDNEY

Perjalanan direct flight dari KLIA ke Sydney Airport memakan masa hampir 8 jam. Alhamdulillah Aiman tidur sepanjang perjalanan. Kami juga mendapat extra seat, 4 kerusi sebaris.

Sampai di Sydney sekitar jam 8 pagi waktu tempatan. Selesai pemeriksaan Kastam yang mengambil masa kerana sistem down pagi itu dan mereka tidak dapat mencari ID Aiman online. Kami pun ke tempat mengambil beg. Kosong juga! Ramai yang sedang mengisi borang sekitar conveyer tersebut. Pegawai bertugas memberi penjelasan.

"The workers are having strike this morning. Please fill up this form and return it to me. We will deliver your bags to your place soon."

Nak jadi cerita nasib kurang baik betul dengan bag kali ni. Pagi itu pekerja bahagian bagasi mogok, tiada siapa yang nak unload bag dari flight. Tapi sekurang-kurangnya kami tinggal di Sydney. Susah bagi mereka yang tinggal jauh di pedalaman atau bandar2 lain yang jauh dari Sydney. Ada sekeluarga dari Malaysia yang datang hanya untuk seminggu, kami ajak ke rumah sementelah mereka mempunyai anak kecil. Selesai membeli barang2 asas seperti susu anak dan sebagainya, mereka pun ke hotel.

Esoknya masih belum dengar berita pasal bag. Kami ke airport, berjumpa dengan pegawai bagasi dan alhamdulillah, bag kami diserahkan tanpa sebarang masalah dan tidak dibuka untuk diperiksa langsung. Keropok lekor dan ketupat palas masih elok. Kalau ku tahu, boleh sumbat macam2 sebelum balik hari tu!