7 Things...

Oh dear, I didn't realise I was tagged. So blur... Sorry Sze Yuen! I read your entry much earlier, but didn't really take a good look at the tag list! :P

K, this will be fun...:)


7 Things You Plan To Do Before You Die
1. Graduate from medical school and be a good doctor.
2. Visit Kyoto during the springtime, to see sakura blossoms falling like snowflakes...
3. Get married and start a family.
4. Visit the Galapagos Islands to see real live GIANT TORTOISES!!!
5. Go clubbing (sad, no?).
6. Witness the Olive Ridley turtle nesting ritual (arribada) in Mexico with my own two eyes!
7. Draw and paint well enough to produce my own manga.

7 Things I Could Do
1. Learn the speak and write Mandarin and Japanese fluently.
2. Play more computer games...
3. Watch more anime...
4. Get some exercise... been sitting on my ass here for way too long already...
5. Improve on my drawing and painting skills.
6. Get my black belt in karate! (hopefully, soon...)
7. Learn how to fully utilise Photoshop.

7 Celebrity Crushes
1. Hmm.. Brad Pitt. *grin*
2. Wang Li Hom
3. Does Cho Hakkai from Saiyuki count? :P:P:P
4. ...
5. ...
6. ...
7. ...

7 Often Repeated Words
1. Tortoise.
2. D*****g
3. O*****
4. ****-****
5. Mah...
6. Huhh...
7. Shit.

7 Traits I Look For In The Opposite Sex
1. Loves me for who I am. Someone who I can talk to bout everything under the sun. :)
2. Someone I can be comfortable with at all times, even when I'm leaking tears full of eyeshit. :P
3. Sincerity and honesty.
4. Patience and understanding. It's ok if we don't agree all the time, what's more important is that we listen to each other and try to accept our differences.
5. Commitment. Someone who I can share the best and worst of my life with, and count on to be there for me, just as I would for him.
6. Someone who can tolerate my eccentric tendencies... (turtles, anyone?)
7. Most importantly, someone whom I can love with all my heart and soul, without any doubt or hesitation that we feel exactly the same way for each other.

My 7 Tags Go To:
1. Seng Kiat
2. Johan
3. Christine
4. Baxter
5. Cindy
6. Yaw Yee
7. Anyone who wants to be tagged, you're welcome! :)

Dedication

To my Darling.


Sonnet XLIII

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, -I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)~

It's a fungus, not a root

A kind soul told me that this caterpillar-looking root is actually a fungus called cordyceps. Searched the net a little and found that this particular species used in Chinese herbal soup is Cordyceps sinensis (冬虫草).

Here's something from a traditional Chinese medicine website:

http://tcm.health-info.org/Herbology.Materia.Medica/dongchongxiacao-properties.htm


Dong Chong Xia Cao (冬虫草)

Also Known As: Caterpillar Fungus, Cs-4, Dong Chong Xia Cao, Dong Chong Zia Cao, Hsia Ts'Ao Tung Ch'Ung, Vegetable Caterpillar. Cordyceps sinensis.

Family: Ascomycetes or Clavicipitaceae.
Properties: SWEET - WARM
Dosage: 4.5-12g.
Meridian: KIDNEY, LUNG

-strengthen kidneys, tonify yang impotence, sore/weak back
-tonify kidney yang, nourish lung yin and transform phlegm
-cough, wheezing, bleeding, Xiao Ke

Also Used For:
Orally, Dong Chong Xia Cao / Cordyceps is used for strengthening the immune system, for reducing the effects of aging, promoting longevity, treating lethargy, and improving liver function in people with hepatitis B. It is also used to treat coughs, chronic bronchitis, respiratory disorders, kidney disorders, frequent nocturia, male sexual dysfunction, anemia, heart arrhythmias, high cholesterol, liver disorders, dizziness, weakness, tinnitus, wasting, and opium addiction. It is also used as a stimulant, a tonic, and an adaptogen which is used to increase energy, enhance stamina, and reduce fatigue.


Yay. I learnt something new today. :)

World of the Weird Part 1 - Caterpillar Root

Firstly, Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya to all my Indian and Muslim friends. May you and your families be blessed with joy and merriment this festive season. ^_^ Weather's been really cold (for Malaysian standards) lately. It's been raining heavily nearly every evening. Sometimes it feels like I'm up in Genting or Fraser’s Hill again. Absolutely lovely. :)

This thing here is supposed to be a root, used in Chinese herbal soups. I fished it out of my soup one night. My mom has been using it occasionally alongside the more common kei chi (boxthorn fruit) and dong guai (another Chinese herb) for as long as I can remember. Although my mom keeps reassuring it's just a root, I can't help but think it may be something else… Look at it closely, doesn't it resemble a certain larvae stage of a certain insect? The little curled head, multiple segments, complete with wrinkles, sucker-like feet, and a tiny breathing pore in the middle of each segment. -_-"

I used to be a little freaked out by it, but nowadays, I've developed enough courage to pick it up, pop it into my mouth and chew it whole. It tastes well, tasteless. And a little crunchy. Has a slight nutty/herbal taste to it.

After much thought, I've come up with 3 theories regarding what this strange ingredient is:

1. It is a root that looks like a caterpillar.
2. It is a caterpillar that looks like a root.
3. It was a caterpillar that became assimilated with a certain plant, becoming a caterpillar-root hybrid (hence the crunchy, nutty taste commonly associated with grubs, plus the rooty, herbal taste).

Anyone out there who knows what this thing is?