Capstone

Note: Haven't got my Physical Training's credit, 405 questions for Therapy computer test, 500 questions for Biochemistry computer test. Stress level increase by 20%. (x_x)

Yesterday when I read my friend's blog, I saw this quote: "Every drop counts". The next thing came to my mind is "Every second counts". Then by some circumstance, I saw this quote from somewhere: " 泰山不让土壤，故能成其大，河海不择细流，故能就其深 ". All these quotes emphasized one simple thing, no matter how small the amount is, no matter how small the value is, when they are united or aggregated together, they became something significant. This is the correct way to get knowledge, some of the things might sound simple or basic, but it is these simple and basic things that enable us to understand more complex things.

Nowadays in schools or tuition, when a teacher taught something, then a student will ask, "Is this important?" Some will even ask in a more direct way, "Will this come out in the exam?" This is what happen to our education system nowadays. Student wants knowledge that need for exams only, extra information is needless. Sounds sad isn't it. But when I think about myself, actually I have become one of them also, just concentrate on what will come out in exam, just want to know what is important. But as time passes I realized that this is not the way. Understanding of the mechanisms of hormone actions tells us the physiological effects of hormones and pathogenesis. Understanding of molecular structures of different muscles tells us the mechanism of muscle contraction and functions in human body. Understanding of membrane structure and ion channels leads to the understanding of drugs that treat a disease. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. (Marks 12:10) Sometime the things that we think is not important, is actually the key that leads to the understanding of the whole things.

In John 6:1-15, Jesus asks the disciples where they can get foods to feed five thousand men (excluding women and children). Philips said even eight months' wages cannot feed them. Then Peter brings a boy who wants to give five loaves of bread and two small fishes. How can this small amount of food can feed so many people? But after giving thanks, Jesus miraculously turns five breads and two fishes into many food that can feed the five thousand with left over. Even though that boy gave a small amount of food, but Jesus can use that small amount of food to feed the five thousand. Sometime what we have is little and have low significance, but we should appreciate it and present it to God, because God can make it into something significant. Amen.

Still

Recently gettig very very busy, many things need to settle. Next week will be a very tough week. Firstly, need to study Biochemistry, the hardest subject for this semester. Secondly there will be an exam for Therapy. 48 essay questions and 405 objective questions need to study, and almost all the Therapy teachers are very very strict x_x. Luckily I have settled my journal or diary for the practical. Thirdly, there will be a concluding lesson for Physiology of cardiovascular system, which included electrical activities of heart, cardiac cycle, pulses, electrocardiogram (ECG), regulations of heart activities, and vascular system. Forthly, I still doesn't manage to secure my credit of Physical Training (PT). Although I only missed 1 class (for a very absurd reason), but I cannot do 5 pull-ups (not chin-up), so the teacher don't want to give the credit. Many people said he will still give in the end, but after all he is a mad old guy who enjoys torturing the students. Credit (зачёт) is a thing that a student must get from all the subjects from that semester before he/she can sit for summer or winter exams.

By the way, summer exams is coming in mid June. Two subjects are included, i.e. Biochemistry and Physiology. For Biochemistry, students are required to study 128 essay questions and they expect the students to memorise all the formulas and reactions x_x. Physiology is not so scary, cause the teachers are not so strict, the subject itself is consider easier than Biochemistry (but many numbers need to memorise), and there might be avtomat for student. Avtomat (автомат), from the english word automate, means that a student can automatically get a 5 for exam if he/she fulfills the requirement, i.e. getting average mark of 4.8 and above for the practical lessons. But this avtomat is still not confirmed yet, and we don't know whether the requirment is still the same. There is less than 1 month time for my Biochemistry exam, and the worst thing is I haven't start preparing anything yet. Plan to start my revision on 1 June, but the semester offically end on 12 June, and the study week start only from 13 June. So many things is tangled around me @_@. The pressure and stress is building up, can really feel the tension.

Last few weeks, my pastor's wife was teaching from the Book of Exodus.
Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14)
Sometime when we are facing troubles, we need not to scare, just be still, do what you should do, and put your faith and trust in God, because He is always with us, and He will settle everything.

A song from Hillsongs. Enjoy.



STILL

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Laminin

Note: Recently too busy with study, now getting to the end of semester but there are more and more stuff to read. A concluding test for therapy in end of May and summer exams fall in mid of June. (x_x)

Recently I was studying about extracellular matrix (ECM) in Biochemistry, and one thing caught my attention, that is laminin. It is a multiadhesive glycoprotein (MAG) that located in basal lamina of all epithelial cell, external laminae of muscle cells, adipocyte and Schwann cells. It has molecular weight of 140-400kDa. It is a heterodimeric protein with 3 chains. Major functions are to anchor cell surface to basal lamina (cell-ECM interaction), to provide additional structural support for tissues.

Ok, I know this geting boring, but is so special with this laminin? Let's refer some informations in Wikipedia:

Laminin is a protein found in the extracellular matrix, the sheets of protein that form the substrate of all internal organs also called the basement membrane. It is the major non-collagenous component of the basal lamina, such as those on which cells of an epithelium sit. It has four arms that can bind to four other molecules. The three shorter arms are particularly good at binding to other laminin molecules, which is what makes it so great at forming sheets. The long arm is capable of binding to cells, which helps anchor the actual organs to the membrane.

Laminin is vital to making sure overall body structures hold together. Improper production of laminin can cause muscles to form improperly, leading to a form of muscular dystrophy.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminin

And how does this laminin with such a vital role looks like?

It looks exactly like a cross, Amazing isn’t it? And it is this cross that holds all the cells and tissues together in our body.

A verse to finish this post:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
(Colossians 1:15-17)

Amen.

Three Persons on an Airplane

This is a small story that one of my brother shared in the fellowship, and I think it is worth to share with other people.

There is an airplane flying in the air. Suddenly the airplane is hijacked by another airplane of terrorists. The airplane almost lose control. There is an announcement in the airplane:

"Becareful, the airplane is hijacked by terrorists, please be aware and be on guard all the time!"

In that airplane, three of the passengers have different reactions toward that announcement.
Person A - He believes the hijack and feels very afraid.
Person B - He feels that the hijack is just an illusion.
Person C - He knows about the hijack, but don't really care about it.

Suddenly the airplane is hijacked once again, and this time the airplane lose control, many passengers injured and some of them died. There is a small paper notes passing among the passengers:

"Caution! Airplan lost control! Please takes out the safety jaket below your seat and put it on. When the signal light near the emergency exit is lighten up, please jump out from it."

When person A has read the note, he passes it person B, and quickly wear the safety jacket, and waiting for the signal light to be lighten up. When person B has read the note, he said, "There is some grammar and spelling mistakes in the note, so it is untrue." Then he throws that note on the floor. Then person C takes up that note from the floor. When he has read the note, he said, "Hmm, very true, that's a good idea." So he folds the note and keeps it in his pocket.

What will you tell that 3 persons if you are also on the plane? If I am on the plane, this is what I will tell them:
Person A - Good job, keep your guard, and make sure you continue to follow the instruction on the note, and you will be safe.
Person B - Stop being so stubborn, the hijack is true. If you continue to sit on your seat doing nothing, you will die together with the airplane.
Person C - Don't just merely knows it, but take action. Put on your safety jacket.

These three persons reflected 3 different attitudes toward God:
Person A - He believes in God and obeys His commands.
Person B - He don't believes in God at all. For him God is just an illusion created by human.
Person C - He knows that there is God, but he didn't obeys God's commands and keep following his own ways of life.

So ask yourself, you are person A, B, or C ? Once I was person C, I recognised that there is a creator who created the world, but I never follow Him. Later I realised who am I, and now I am person A.

I want to finish this post with a verse:
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21)
Amen.

Contrast Bath?

Today we learnt about physiotherapy during therapy class. He taught a lot, including cold and warm compression, hydrotherapy, sinapism, cupping. Btw he joked a lot also =). But one thing that caught my attention is contrast bath.

I am sure everyone know what is bath, and most of the people like to take a hot water bath especially after work, after exercise, after getting back from outside, because it helps to get rid all the sweat and also relax our muscles and stress. But what does it means by "contrast". Contrast mean one thing that is strikingly dissimilar to another. My teacher taught us that contrast means different, so contrast bath means when you are taking a hot water shower, then suddenly you turn off the hot water and turn on the cold water, then later switch back to hot water and do it for several times. This contrast bath gives stimulating effect. So we asked him what exactly is stimulated, he said hot water stimulates vasodilation, and cold water stimulates vasoconstriction, so by alternating hot and cold shower, it can "trains" (that's the word he used) your blood vessels to dilate and constrict. It also "trains" your body to produce and release heat. He said he personally enjoy this contrast bath. He said when a person takes a contrast bath, you can hear two sound, one is the shivering sound made by that person when taking cold water (and he imitated that sound), and second is the relaxing sound when taking hot water (and he imitated it again). =.=|||

Btw, he said we must donate some money to the poor, but at the same time must enjoy life. During the class he also told us about his "philosophy" and some teaching from al-Quran =.=||. But everytime after he taught a philosophy theory, he said," The conclusion is, you must enjoy life by taking contrast bath, and remember to take care the poor also. " =.=|||||||

Anyway, the textbook never write anything about this contrast bath, and since he keep saying we must enjoy life by taking contrast bath, so I tried to search it on the net, and this is what I found:

Contrast Bath therapy, also known as "Hot/Cold Immersion therapy", is a form of treatment where a limb or the entire body is immersed in ice water followed by the immediate immersion of the limb or body in warm water. The theory behind contrast bath therapy is that the warm water causes vasodilation of the blood flow in the limb or body followed by vasoconstriction. The effect is to pump out inflammation — although this has been called into question. Contrast bathing can be used to reduce swelling around injuries or to aid recovery from exercise.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_bath_therapy

Hydrotherapy is the use of water as a therapeutic agent. Water may be applied to an injury in the form of ice, heat, etc.The specific type of hydrotherapy to be discussed here is called Contrast Baths.

Technique:

• Find 2 wash buckets/basins that can easily accommodate your painful body part.
• Fill one basin with very hot water - as hot as you can comfortably tolerate (do not scald)
• Fill the second with ice cold water - as cold as you can tolerate (ice cubes may be necessary)
• Immerse your sore body part into the hot basin for 1-2 minutes
• Immediately transfer into the cold basin and immerse for 30 seconds.
• Repeat dipping for 5-10 transfers.
• End your bath in the cold basin.

Perform this procedure one to two times per day.

The contrast of hot-cold creates a pumping of the blood in and out of the body part. The blood vessels dilate in the heat and constrict in the cold. Any stagnating swelling is reduced as it is pumped out of the body part. Inflammation is reduced as fresh blood and healing agents are pumped into the injured area. Pain is also reduced, as both hot and cold have anesthetic effects. Contrast baths are effective in helping carpal tunnel syndromes and hand / forearm tendinitis.
Source: www.ithaca.edu/faculty/nquarrie/contrast.html

A common treatment for sports injuries, such as a sprained ankle. Two baths or basins are used, one filled with hot water and the other filled with cold water. Plunging the injured part into the baths alternately stimulates blood supply to the immersed part, accelerates metabolic processes, decreases pain, and increases the elasticity of the ligaments. The ratio of heating time to cooling time is adjusted according to the likelihood of creating tissue swelling. Short periods in the hot water and longer periods in the cold water are used for acute injuries.
Source: www.answers.com/topic/contrast-bath

Wow, really got such thing even though the method is a bit different. I personally tried out the method that my teacher taught, but not as "stimulating" or "enjoying" as he mentioned, maybe it is due to the low quality shower system of the hostel.

P/S: If you want to try out, go ahead, but don't blame me if you don't have any stimulating effect, or if you get any bad side effect from it.

Before & After

Before I came to Christ, I thought I knew who God is.
After I came to Christ, I realised who God really is and what He did from the past to present.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I am a mature person who walk straight in his pathway.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I just a newborn baby and now only start to learn how to crawl.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I am a good person, and becoming better as I grow older.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I am a slave of sins, and will becoming worse if I didn't know about God.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I am smart and always choose the right paths that lead to success.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I being so foolish all the time and the paths I chosen in the past actually lead to death instead of success.

Before I came to Christ, I thought my wisdom can understand everything if I ought to know.
After I came to Christ, I realised that my wisdom cannot understand even the most foolish things of God.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I am righteous and did what is good in people's eyes.
After I came to Christ, I realised that my righteousness is just a filthy rag and I always did what is wrong in God's eyes.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I am a humble person.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I have been so boastful all the time when I knew that Christ humbles himself and died on the cross.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I know what is love and always love the others.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I never knew what is love until God shown His love to me so that I can love my family and my friends.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I can solve all the problems in my life.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I always mess up my life and only God can clean it up for me.

Before I came to Christ, I thought Bible is the most boring book.
After I came to Christ, I realised that every word that proceeds from the mouth of God gives me life and strength.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I am always walking alone in the journey of life.
After I came to Christ, I realised that God together with many brothers and sisters are walking along with me all the time.

Before I came to Christ, I thought as I do more good deeds, I can enter heaven.
After I came to Christ, I realised that only through Christ I can see the kingdom of God.

Before I came to Christ, I thought a bad deed can be erased by a good deed.
After I came to Christ, I realised that a bad deed can only be erased by forgiveness from God and blood of Christ.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I had fulfilled all the laws and rules.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I broke all the Ten Commandments, and only Christ can fulfill all of them.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I knew what is forgiveness and mercy.
After I came to Christ, I realised that I never truly forgive anyone until God shown mercy to me, so that I too can be mercy and forgive people.

Before I came to Christ, I thought I am the one who decides whether I should believe in God or not.
After I came to Christ, I realised that God is the one who actively drawn me near to Him, so that a sinner like me can believe in Him.

Once I am lost in my life and I never seek God, but God found me and forgave me. Thank you Lord for your unfailing love and thank you Jesus Christ for you died for me when I am still a sinner. Amen.

樱花？

First of all, I would like to wish everyone Happy Labour Day!


I remember last year spring, the first glance I saw this tree, I thought, "Huh? There is sakura in this place also?". After observed it closely I realised that it isn't. Few days ago I saw this tree again and I still felt that this tree look like sakura (cherry blossom), and this tree only blossoms at this period. Out of curiousity, I ask my seniors about this kind of tree.

Me: What tree is that actually?
A: Oh, I think that is sakura (cherry blossom 樱花).
B: No la, where got sakura in this place, it is apricot tree with its flower (杏花).
C: Apricot tree? I thought that is peach tree (桃树)?
B: No, Russia where got peach, is apricot tree.
D: Ei? I though that is plum tree (李树)?
E: Plum tree? I though that is plum blossom (梅花)?
Me: I thought plum blossom only appear in winter?
B: No, is apricot tree.

At the end, we don't have any conclusion, and B keep insists that it is apricot tree. After that I did some researchs on the net, and this is what I found on Wikipedia (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus):

Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs, including the plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and almonds. It is traditionally placed within the rose family Rosaceae as a subfamily, the Prunoideae (or Amygdaloideae), but sometimes placed in its own family, the Prunaceae (or Amygdalaceae). There are around 430 species spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe.

The flowers are usually white to pink, with five petals and five sepals. They are borne singly, or in umbels of two to six or sometimes more on racemes. The fruit is a drupe (a "prune") with a relatively large hard coated seed (a "stone"). Leaves are simple and usually lanceolate, unlobed and toothed along the margin.

There are also a number of species, hybrids, and cultivars grown as ornamental plants, usually for their profusion of flowers, sometimes for ornamental foliage and shape, occasionally for their bark. These ornamentals include the group that may be collectively called flowering cherries (including sakura, the Japanese flowering cherries).

So after all, sakura, apricot tree, peach tree, plum tree, plum blossom are all belong to this genus called Prunus, and all of them have similar appearence of flowers, that is why everyone has different opinions about that tree. Anyway, no matter what tree is that, for me, it looks beautiful. I remember a friend of mine, who loves tulips very very much, and during this period (around May to June), we can see many tulips along the street. Last year she asked something like this, "为什么这世上有这样美的东西？(Why there is such beautiful thing [tulip] in this world?) ". I think the answer can be found in the Book of Genesis.


Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11,12)

Amen.