Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS)

From my own Lonely Planet books:

There are bus journeys in Tibet where the road goes over 5000m. Acclimatising to such extreme elevations takes several weeks at least, but most travellers come up from sea level very fast - a bad move! Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) results from a rapid ascent to altitudes above 2700 m. It usually commences within 24 to 48 hours of arriving at altitude, and symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite; in fact, very much feels like a hangover.
If you have altitude sickness, the cardinal rule is that you must NOT go higher as you are sure to get sicker and could develop one of the more severe and potentially deadly forms of disease. These are high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) and high-altitude celebral oedema (HACE). Both of these forms of alitude sickness are medical emergencies and, as there are no rescu facilities similar to those in the Nepal Himalaya here, prevention is the best policiy. AMS can be prevented by 'graded ascent'; it is recommended that once you are above 3000m you ascend to maximum of 300m daily and have an extra rest day every 1000m. You can also use medication called Diamox as a prevention or treatment for AMS, but you should discuss this first with a doctor experienced in altitude medicine. Diamox should not be taken by people with a sulphur drug allergy.

If you have altitude sickness you should rest where you are for a day or two until your symptoms resolve. You can then carry on, but ensure you follow the graded-ascent guidelines. If symptoms are getting worst, you must descend immediately before you are faced with a life-threatening situation. There is no way of predicting who will suffer from AMS, but certain factors predispose you to it: rapid ascent, carrying a heavy load, and having a seemingly minor illness such as a chest infection or diarrhoea. Make sure you drink at least 3L of noncaffeinated drinks daily to stay well hydrated. The sun is intense in altitude so take care with sun protection.

Train VS Plane:
Altitude sickness (AMS) is no joke and it is quite common to discover that the nice travellers you met on the way into Lhasa have left the next day, sick as a dog (or worse) from the change in altitude. While medicines such as Diamox can certainly help, it's best to avoid shocking your systems by rising in altitude gradually. This means of course that flying is the worst way to travel in. The train is much better, as you only start to rise above 2000m on the second-last day, giving your body a bit of chance to acclimatise before you arrive in Lhasa. Having both flown down and taken the train in, we can say the difference in how we feel upon arrival is night and day in favour of the train.

The next trip

Having everything prepared for the trip tomorrow to Guangzhou, China. Won't go for to long since the main purpose is actually for accompanying my parents who wish to take a general check up.
But, we won't be staying all the time in hospital, so we will also take the chance to go sightseeing. We will be staying in the hospital, as it provides also some accomodation. Heard it's quite good, but it won't go quite cheap either. Just heard from my dad that for 2 rooms, it will cost around 1 million/night. They have arranged it so I'll just follow suit.

Actually I've been to Guangzhou once, for Jacky's wedding and I stayed only for 3 days. Didn't get to see many places though. This time, however, I will try my best to maximize the stay. For 3 days I'm thinking to bring my folks go around sightseeing. Guangzhou has some places to go also, the museum, parks, etc. One thing that we won't miss is the food, dimsum. On sunday, my bro will come back home alone while me and my parents, also my aunt, are heading to north of Guangzhou, to a city called Chaozhou. It's near where my grandparents came from, a small district between Shantou and Chaozhou. I just don't know how to go to these places but I think it's easier to explore once we're in Chaozhou. From Lonely Planet, I read that Chauzhou is a little charming city. We'll see about that, I sure will take a lot of pictures.

Chinese New Year Legend

The 26th of January is the celebration of Chinese New Year and this time it's the Ox year.

Brief story of the zodiac legends, taken from wikipedia:

The 12 Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac (see Origins of the Chinese Zodiac). One of the most popular reads, in summarised form, as follows:

The rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into believing that the banquet was the next day. The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was the next day. When he found out, the cat vowed to be the rat's natural enemy for ages to come.

Interestingly, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese Zodiac, in place of the rabbit (see below).

Another popular legend has it that a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade Emperor.

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the ox. The ox, being a naïve and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, overcome with a fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as well. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed first place in the competition.

Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After the ox, came the tiger, panting, while explaining to the Emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.

Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the rabbit arrived. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the 4th animal in the zodiac cycle. Coming in 5th place was the dragon, flying. Of course, the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back a little. Then, on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon, and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse's hoof is the snake, whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright, thus making it fall back and gave the snake 6th spot while the horse took the 7th.

Not long after that, a little distance away, the ram, monkey and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the ram and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the ram as the 8th creature, the monkey as the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.

The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late—although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest—was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn't make it to finish line. Just as the Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the 12th and last animal of the zodiac cycle. The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.

In Buddhism, legend has it that Buddha summoned all of the animals of the earth to come before him before his departure from this earth, but only twelve animals actually came to bid him farewell. To reward the animals who came to him he named a year after each of them, the years were given to them in the order they had arrived.

The 12 Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac (see Origins of the Chinese Zodiac). One of the most popular reads, in summarised form, as follows:

The rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into believing that the banquet was the next day. The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was the next day. When he found out, the cat vowed to be the rat's natural enemy for ages to come.

Interestingly, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese Zodiac, in place of the rabbit (see below).

Another popular legend has it that a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade Emperor.

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the ox. The ox, being a naïve and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, overcome with a fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as well. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed first place in the competition.

Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After the ox, came the tiger, panting, while explaining to the Emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.

Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the rabbit arrived. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the 4th animal in the zodiac cycle. Coming in 5th place was the dragon, flying. Of course, the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back a little. Then, on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon, and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse's hoof is the snake, whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright, thus making it fall back and gave the snake 6th spot while the horse took the 7th.

Not long after that, a little distance away, the ram, monkey and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the ram and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the ram as the 8th creature, the monkey as the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.

The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late—although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest—was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn't make it to finish line. Just as the Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the 12th and last animal of the zodiac cycle. The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.

In Buddhism, legend has it that Buddha summoned all of the animals of the earth to come before him before his departure from this earth, but only twelve animals actually came to bid him farewell. To reward the animals who came to him he named a year after each of them, the years were given to them in the order they had arrived.

Biscottini

Biscotti

Biscotti,biskuit, atau cookies, kudapan yang enak, ringan dan cocok untuk segala suasana. Berikut adalah resep untuk biskuit yang standard. Variasi bisa dilakukan sekehendak hati.

Ingredients:
300 gr tepung teriga (segitiga biru)
150 gr butter (bukan margarine)
150 gr gula pasir
2 kuning telur
baking soda secukupnya (kira-kira ½ sdt)
parutan kulit lemon dari ½ lemon
vanilla ½ sdt
garam ½ sdt

Cara pembuatan:
1. Campur mentega dan tepung terigu, bersama-sama dengan baking soda,garam, parutan kulit lemon, dan vanilla. Jangan gunakan mixer, tapi cukup aduk dengan tangan hingga semua tercampur dengan rata. Adonannya harus tidak boleh kering tetapi juga tidak boleh basah.

2. Kocok telur dan gula pasir dengan menggunakan mixer hingga creamy.

3. Campur kocokan telur+gula dengan adonan tepung yang sudah tercampur rata. Aduk hingga tercampur sempurna

4. Siapkan loyang anti lengket. Bentuk adonan biscuit sesuai selera, bisa bulat, bentuk bintang, kotak, binatang, sesuka hati.

5. Panggang dalam preheated oven, 180˚selama kurang lebih 20 menit.

Jungle Drum

To hear the song and watch the video, click here

Jungle Drum
Emiliana Torrini from the Album "Me and Armini"

Hey I'm in love
my fingers keep on clicking
to the beeting of my heart

hey I can't stop my feet
ebony and ivory and dancing
in the street

hey it's 'cause of You
the world is in a crazy hazy hue

my heart is beating like a jungle drum
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
...

man You got me burnin'
I'm the moment between
the striking and the fire

hey read my lips
'cause all they say is
kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss

no it won't ever stop
my hands are in the air
yes I'm in love

my heart is beating like a jungle drum
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
...
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm
...
my heart is beating like a jungle drum
my heart is beating like a jungle drum
my heart is beating like a jungle drum

rakatungtungrakatungonburubummbummbumm

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Untuk 2 orang
590Kcal/porsi
tingkat kesulitan: mudah
waktu persiapan: 30 menit

Bahan-bahan
100gr pancetta affumicata (smoked pork bacon), potong dadu
1 sdm olive oil extra vergine
2 siung bawang putih
1 telur
20 gr parmeggiano reggiano
lada hitam
garam
160 gr spaghetti

Cara membuat:
Rebus air yang banyak di dalam panci, larutkan 1 (satu) sdm garam. Setelah air mendidih, masukkan spaghetti, masak hingga al dente.

Sambil memasak spaghetti, di pan yang lain, panaskan olive oil dengan 2 siung bawang putih yang diiris dengan api sedang. Setelah minyak panas, masukkan bacon, dan masak hingga bawang putih berubah warna. Angkat bawang putihnya dan lanjutkan memasak bacon hingga matang. Jika suka lebih garing, bisa dimasak lebih lama di atas minyak. Matikan api.

Di sebuah mangkuk, kocok telur dengan parmigiano reggiano. Tambahkan garam dan lada hitam halus secukupnya.

Jika pasta telah al dente, angkat spaghettinya, dan masukkan 3 sdm air rebusan pasta ke dalam pan yang berisi bacon yang sudah dimatikan apinya. Nyalakan apinya dan buang sisa air rebusan pasta.

Jika bacon sudah mendidih lagi, campurkan spaghetti dan aduk rata. Tambahkan campuran telur dan parmigiano. Matikan api. Aduk secepat mungkin pasta dan campuran telur+parmigiano hingga rata. Jangan sampai terlalu lama, dan jangan sampai telurnya matang.
Angkat dan hidangkan panas-panas.
Bubuhkan lada hitam halus di atas dengan parutan parmigiano reggiano dan hias dengan parsley.

Spaghetti al pomodoro

for 2 persons
difficulty: easy
preparation time : 45 minutes

Ingridients:
500 gr tomat San Marzano atau 1 kaleng Pelati di Pomodoro
1 bawang bombai, potong dadu
1 siung bawang putih
1 sdm olive oil extra vergine
garam
4 daun basil
180 gr pasta (spaghetti, penne, linguine, etc)

Cara membuat:
Di atas api sedang, panaskan olive oil bersama dengan potongan bawang bombai dan bawang putih, aduk-aduk agar tidak hangus dan jaga agar api jangan terlalu besar. Tambahkan air panas dan masak hingga bawang bombainya lembut.
Masukkan 1 kaleng pomodoro pelati, dan masak hingga tomat hancur, menyatu dengan bahan-bahan yang lain dengan api kecil, setelah kira-kira 20 menit, masukkan potongan daun basil. Masak lagi sekitar 10-15 menit.
Sementara itu, didihkan air di panci yang cukup besar. Jangan lupa tambahkan satu sendok garam. Setelah mendidih, masukkan spaghetti dan masak hingga al dente (sebagai pedoman, bisa dipakai petunjuk waktu memasak yang tertera di packing).
Campurkan spaghetti yang sudah al dente ke dalam saus tomat, besarkan api, aduk-aduk hingga rata

Sajikan dengan hiasan daun basil utuh.

Slipping through my fingers - ABBA

Lyrics of ABBA's Slipping through my fingers

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that Im losing her forever
And without really entering her world
Im glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see whats in her mind
Each time I think Im close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by
Then when shes gone theres that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I cant deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go
(slipping through my fingers all the time)
Well, some of that we did but most we didnt
And why I just dont know

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see whats in her mind
Each time I think Im close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time
Slipping through my fingers...

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...