DAY 1286-1300

Mar 10 - 24

1) And so it has happened. The past two weeks have been trying as the Covid-19 pandemic spreads across the globe. The latest news from UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has called for an immediate lockdown to be enforced by police. The only excuse for going out would be to buy food/medication, brief exercise (alone and once a day), and/or absolutely necessary work (if unable to work at home). As an international student studying for my exams, I've definitely felt the added stress of uncertainty.

2) For instance, we've only recently been notified that all of our exams will now be made online, including our clinical presentation. There remains a lot of uncertainty regarding the dissertation project itself, since (presumably) no physical contact will be permitted. Regardless, I've been taught from young to take things one step at a time, so for now - it's study for the upcoming statistics (SPSS) online exam.

3) While walking out to get lunch/dinner, I have noticed that most shops (including the street markets I usually frequent) have been closed indefinitely. The only few that remain open only do takeaways, which is fine for me since I only ever get food to go anyway. But everything feels so strange - the once bustling streets filled with men and women in business attire, now completely empty. In hindsight, I am perhaps happy that I had a chance to try out different types of food before shops started closing.

4) One of the key aspects of preventing disease transmission is hand-washing. When I was in second year of medical school, we had a machine that helped us practice our hand-washing skills - which I used to hate because I could never wash my hands thoroughly enough, given the limited time we had to simulate the act of washing. Yet now I realise the absolute importance of keeping clean, especially in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.

5) Whilst scouring my news feed on social media, I am nevertheless saddened by the ongoing spread of false information regarding the disease. It seems that in addition to fighting a viral pathogen, we are also engaged in another virus - that of viral misinformation. I would therefore like to humbly point out three (3) continuously reliable sources of information, that will provide clear, concise, and most importantly FACTUAL advice regarding the disease (from the CDC, WHO, and KKM):-

1. https://www.cdc.gov/.../2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html...

2. https://www.who.int/.../novel.../advice-for-public 

3. http://www.moh.gov.my/.../view/2019-ncov-wuhan-guidelines

6) While everyone waits at home idling about and praying for the pandemic to pass, let us all be thankful for the front-liners - the healthcare providers, the police force, the army, the cleaners, the janitors, and everyone who has to literally risk their lives by potentially exposing themselves to the virus. Hopefully, when this becomes a distant memory, humanity can look back favourably on our collective efforts as we tackled nature's microscopic foe.

7) That will suffice for my blog post today. Thank you very much for reading as always, stay safe, stay healthy and let's face this together!

Simple, step-by-step guide to washing hands thoroughly :)

DAY 1269-1285

Feb 22 - Mar 9

1) Tying up loose ends. That would be how I might describe the past two weeks. Basically, there are quite a few deadlines coming up in the next few weeks - the Module 3 Essay deadline was fast approaching; we had mock practice for our Clinical Presentation (Oral), for which we also need to submit an abstract; and we have to prepare for a Statistics Exam and an Abstract Writing Exam. So basically I've spent the past week finishing and submitting my Module 3 Essay (on Multiple Sclerosis), and preparing for my mock presentation.

2) I've decided to deliver my talk on the effects of coconut oil (especially Virgin Coconut Oil, VCO) on Alzheimer's Disease. Past research (cellular studies, animal models, and clinical trials) have shown that the behavioural changes (reduced anxiety, improved cognition) correlate well with the pathology seen on immunohistochemistry. Therefore, it seems an avenue ripe for further research, given that coconut oil is already used in many South-East Asian countries. More on that when the time comes - for now I need to submit my abstract in two weeks' time.

3) Given how busy most of us have been, that didn't stop us from having some fun. As I write this, my friends have just come over for a pizza party/movie night out. Everyone has watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy, except yours truly. And so my good friend Sai, with a heart of gold, had bought the entire trilogy on Netflix. We had originally planned on watching at least two movies (given that we had booked the Cinema Room from 5-10pm), but obviously we had underestimated the duration of each movie. The extended version of the first show (The Fellowship of the Ring) is over three hours!

4) In short, it was a really enjoyable movie - one which gave rise to a number of now-classic memes, including the common "One does not simply walk into Mordor!" and "You Shall Not Pass!" Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the CGI and special effects, especially for a show that came out in 2001. It also helped that the Cinema Room had top-notch surround sound and was itself sound-proof - really enhancing the entire cinema-like experience. We were (seriously) contemplating a full marathon (watching the other two movies in succession) but finally decided against it. There will be another next time, and it will (hopefully) be next Sunday.

5) That's basically it from me for this edition of the blog post. Today is International Women's Day - so more power to women! Anyway, thanks very much as usual for visiting, and have a great week ahead. Cheers! :D

Sunday movie night!

ft. Malavika, Myself, Sai, Yueran, and Sanika

Street food near where I live (only open on weekdays)

The opposite view to the picture above XD

Creole burger :)

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia - just right down the street where I live

Long time since I've had the stew chicken with rice and peas at Delly Caribbean Cuisine @ Camberwell Green

Mixed fruits from Tesco

This was really good delicious and filling - Korean grilled beef (spicy)/chicken (not) combo with rice

Functional Neurological Disease - a mid-week lecture probably more suited for clinicians, but we went anyway

Tate Modern - a large repository for art

This is one good value-for-money fish and chips

Just look at the amount of meat, and so flaky and fresh!

Probably paediatric psychiatry...

Me smiling before the procedure begins :)

Dr. Doreen Fialho about to stick a fine needle EMG (electromyograph) 

into my adductor pollicis brevis (APB) (one of the muscles in my thumb)

Now she asks me to move my thumb against resistance and looks for the spiking (activity) of the muscle

If you zoom in, that's the needle in place

And if you look at the computer, the spikes show the activity of my thumb muscle as I move it - by analysing the spike patterns, diseases could be diagnosed

Here's a clearer view of some of the patterns generated by different muscle groups on needle EMG

Tried some fine chargrilled chicken udon at Itsu - plenty of greens and a healthy option

Had their sushi box set for dinner

Bangers and mash, with a side of peas for lunch today

So one of the food stalls near where I live sells rotisserie chicken with sides, and it is out of this world good! Well worth it for £6.50 imho

 The Spanish cuisine stall where I get my Spanish omelettes and/or paella from

Louise House Student Accommodation, my home for the next four months or so

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - let's go!

What a treat to watch the show in the Cinema Room (with really good surround sound, not to mention it's sound-proof!)

Margherita pizza

Pizza party

 T'was an enjoyable night!