Try Our "Ulster Fry" Meal

(photo credit: wikipedia)

Never miss a chance to try the Northern Ireland's traditonal cooked meal, the "Ulster Fry". I have been living here for quite some time and this is a common ordered meal from a restaurant.

An Ulster (Irish) Fry is a dish of fried food that is popular throughout Northern Ireland and the three counties of Ulster which lie in the Republic of Ireland (Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal). The Ulster fry is similar to the Irish fry.

A traditional Ulster fry consists of bacon, eggs, sausages (either pork or beef), the farl form ofsoda bread (the farl split in half crossways to expose the inner bread and then fried with the exposed side down),potato bread and tomatoes. Other common components include mushrooms, wheaten bread or pancakes. All this is traditionally fried in lard.

The Ulster Fry is not considered solely a breakfast dish as it is often served for lunch and dinner in households and cafés around the province. Emigrants have also popularised the serving of an Ulster Fry outside Northern Ireland.

Another Filipino "You Tube" Sensation- RIN ON THE ROX

Have you heard "Rin on the Rox" singing? I am truly impressed with their brilliant singing voices. Another Filipino talents this time from California soaring high in You Tube and will soon be known in the US or even worldwide. Just to recap, Arnel Pineda (the main vocalist) of the famous group "the Journey" and Charice Pempengco (handled by no other than Mr. David Foster in USA) were both discovered in You Tube when a fan downloaded their videos. Both Arnel and Charice were seen and invited in the show by the famous Ellen Degeneres and the rest is history. And now the talented duo, "Rin on the Rox"! What really amazes me are their beautiful voices. What makes it even more interesting is that they are both singing in the bathroom!!! It is awesome. Just recently they were seen by Ms. Ellen Degeneres and they're also invited to guest in her show. Well done, girls! Thumbs up!

Rin on the Rox- http://uk.youtube.com/user/hiphoprox

Arnel Pineda -

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pE4DzxvEYCo&feature=related

Charice Pempengco-

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=K_kJ-i_nqYo&feature=related

US Octuplets Born Today

I haven't handled an octuplets born in my entire nursing career. This must be amazing!

A mother in Southern California has given birth to eight babies, becoming just the second person recorded to deliver a set of living octuplets.

Medics from the Kaiser Permanante Hospital in California said the delivery was a success. Well done!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! 農曆新年

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is often called the Lunar New Year, especially by people in mainland China and Taiwan. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month ( Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxī. It literally means "Year-pass Eve".

On the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on Monday, January 26, 2009 — The Year of the Ox. If you were born in 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985 or 1997 - you were born under the sign of the ox. Like the ox, you are one of the most patient signs in the Chinese zodiac, but when opposed your fierce temper comes to the fore — and woe to anyone who crosses you!

For the ox in 2009, any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome, so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally.

Famous people born in the Year Of The Ox? They include President Barack Obama, actor George Clooney, boxer Oscar de la Hoya, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, and soccer star Wayne Rooney.

World's Tallest Thermometer

California is indeed a wonderful place to visit. One thing that fascinated me when we were driving along Interstate 15 in Southern California's Mojave Desert in Baker is the world's tallest thermometer. It is located adjacent to the famous Big Boy Restaurant. It is technically an electric sign, rather than a tall thermometer; however, it exists as a tribute to the record 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius) recorded in nearby Death Valley on July 10, 1913.

Approved by San Bernardino County by Planner Nancy Sansonetti, it was built in 1991 by the Young Electric Sign Company of Salt Lake City, Utah.

It stands 134 feet tall and is capable of displaying a maximum temperature of 134, both a reference to the temperature record.

Bongo in Belfast Zoo

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I am amazed the first time I have seen this beautiful creature. I couldn't let chance slip away without capturing this unique antelope at Belfast Zoo. I like the striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes and long slightly spiralled horns. The BONGO is the only Tragelaphid in which both the male and female have horns. Among the various species of antelope in the African Equatorial forrest, Bongos are the largest. They are the only forest antelope to form herds. Bongos are extremely shy, making accurate population estimation difficult.

The Bongo has a highly advanced social organization. Males tend to be partially solitary, however, females and juveniles typically coexist. Dominance behavior can be observed in multi-male interactions. They possess a wide range of vocalizations. Bongos snort, grunt, moo, and bellow out a "bleat-like" alarm call.

Sustaining a Long Distance Relationship

A very interesting article published by Michael Douglas has caught my attention. He is a relationship expert and he is the webmaster of http://www.love-lectures.com where he provides free relationship advice and dating tips for couples and singles in building healthy and successful relationships.

Is it possible to have a long distance relationship? How long are you going to sustain it? Here are more great ways to keep the romance in a long distance relationship alive....

1. Establish an effective communication channel

Most people will think that the telephone is the most convenient mode of communication, but there are other means of communication that help keep in touch and say things you might not say over the phone. Instant messenger, emails, VOIP phone and conventional mails can be very effective if you know how to use them. Each of the channels has its own advantages and disadvantages and therefore you must start to explore each of them.

2. Plan to meet each other

There is nothing more important than planning to meet each other at intervals throughout your long distance relationship. If you think you can sustain the relationship on patience and daily chats, it doesn't happen. It's also a sign of commitment if you take the trouble of actually visiting your partner or better, paying them a surprise visit.

3. Find a hobby that you can both share

By finding and sticking to a common hobby, both of you will have something to discuss and work on throughout your long distance relationship. Finding something to do online can be quite interesting.

4. Surprise your partner

Occasionally surprise you partner with cards, gifts, letters and flowers when they least expect it. Put your imagination to use and your partner will be sure to love your efforts to keep them happy.

5. Capture and share that interesting moment

You can always capture some interesting moment of yours by exchanging photos, video clips and as well as audio recording. This will keep your partner informed on what has happened in your life despite the physical distance.

What To Do In An Emergency?

..Don't PANIC!

..Recognizing What Is, and What Is Not an Emergency

If the emergency is life threatening - call 9-9-9 (UK) or 9-1-1-1(USA). This is a free call from any phone, including pay phones. Even non-activated cell phones, provided they have power, can be used to reach 999 (or 911).
If the emergency is not life threatening, do not call 999 (or 911). It is more cost effective to drive or take a taxi to the hospital or doctor. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Could the victim's condition worsen and become life-threatening on the way to the hospital?


2. Could moving the victim need the skills or equipment of paramedics or emergency medical technicians?


3. Would distance or traffic conditions cause a delay in getting the victim to the hospital?
   If you suspect a spinal injury, do not move the victim. Call 999 (or 911) and wait for help to arrive. You may be asked to administer CPR or the Heimlich Manuver in cases of stopped breathing or choking.


4. The victims of any future attack; whether nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional; will be sent to emergency departments for treatment.

..Responding Appropriately in Medial Emergencies

1. Action can mean anything from calling paramedics, applying direct pressure to a wound, performing CPR, or splinting an injury. Never perform a medical procedure if you are unsure of how to do it.


2. Calling 999 (or 911) is the best thing to do in an emergency situation, even if you cannot speak. 999 (or 911) operators can identify your location from the call. Do not hang up until instructed to do so by the operator.


3. Emergency rooms provide services to any and all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, insurance coverage.

******************************************

credit: http://www3.acep.org/patients.aspx?id=26024

photo credit: skynews

Never Give Up

One of the famous quotes by Satchel Paige, "Never let your head hang down. NEVER GIVE UP AND SIT DOWN AND GRIEVE. Find another way." Does it sounds hopeful? It truly is true. It works for me!

At the time, "giving up" seems the easiest way out. We thought our actions are justified. However, will it give you peace if you give up? Certainly there are those times in our lives when we truly have given our best effort, and still don't attain that which we sought, but there's a world of difference in having done our ALL and in having simply lost by default, giving up! Those who continue to walk on the trouble-filled path finally meet success. Let nothing stop you from achieving success.

If I Were A Boy

The music video for "If I Were a Boy" sang by Beyonce Knowles was shot in black and white and portrays a narrative about an ordinary day for a couple in a role reversal that is hinted at by the lyrics but is visually revealed only at the end of the video.

It begins with Knowles and her husband reciting words such as "intimacy", "honesty", and "commitment." The song starts as her husband prepares breakfast and Knowles takes off to her job as police officer with an attractive male police partner with whom the sparks are clearly flying. While her curves are admired by the police partner, her husband is spending time at his office job looking up a pair of earrings to buy for her online.

The husband calls Knowles, only to be ignored by his wife, who is out having a beer "with the guys." That night the husband gives Knowles the earrings and the two leave for a party at which he catches her dancing intimately with her police partner. As the husband confronts her at home, the reversal is revealed and roles are restored; we learn that the husband is actually the police officer with an attractive female partner. Knowles is the office worker who has been snubbed.

....Sounds familiar, huh? What if i were a boy and you were a girl? What do you think? Wise up, guys!

credit:wikipedia

Mixed-Sex Wards in UK Hospitals?

Have you been to a hospital lately? Have you noticed the mixed-sex wards? Or do they already have a single-sex wards? The government has promised to eliminate mixed-sex wards in hospitals all over UK. Under the government's definition of mixed-sex accommodation, patients should be kept in bays divided at the very least by fixed full-height partitions. However, it is somewhat a big problem at present as experienced by the patients themselves. Others had curtains dividing the sexes, falling short of advice that there should be solid full-height partitions. Patients have enough to worry about without having to suffer the indignity of being placed in accommodation that affords them too little privacy.It is scandalous that mixed-sex wards are still being used. The Tories (referred to a variety of political parties and creeds in the UK) have pledged last year to invest in single-sex rooms. The government said progress was being made but admitted there was more to do.

On the other hand, I am working in a hospital which has recently followed (at long last!) the single-sex wards. It definitely works for them. They have their own privacy and been given the respect due to them.

Improving Your Self Image

I have read this article about self image and it helps me realise how important it is to us. According to the author Fatima Musa, "your self-image is the "I am" definition that you say of yourself. How you picture yourself determines your personality, behavior, actions and your relationships. You see yourself based on how you think others see you. You tend to internalize after you hear over and over the criticisms or compliments from others. A poor self-image affects your self-esteem and accomplishments.

You might need to improve the pictures you have if you find yourself uncomfortable with...

1. Excessive shyness and timidity.
2. Extreme humility.
3. Feeling defeated and inadequate consistently.
4. Remembering past hurts and failures and feeling remorse.
5. Comparing yourself unfavorably with others and feeling inferior.
6. Ashamed of how you look and feeling self-disgust.
7. Recurring chronic problems.

Discomfort comes when you are aware that you have not allowed yourself to create what you want.

Tips to create a new adequate self-image:

1. Your body image. You have to like yourself. You will do things that destroy your body if you feel bad about it.
2. Changing the picture. You must change the picture you have been holding of yourself. You can "delete" those old images and "install" new ones.
3. Create new experiences. A poor personal perception of how you look saps your confidence. You can create new reference experience to give you the boost. You can take some kind of positive actions to bring about a different understanding.
4. Changing your beliefs. Your beliefs determine the results and experiences in your life. So if you want to experience more joy, happiness or a better relationship you must believe that it is possible.
5. Using suggestions with hypnosis. Your opinion of yourself has been programmed into your subconscious and no phony talking will change that. An open relaxed mind will allow you to easily create new thoughts and give you a different direction. It took years for you to develop your identity. It will take time to change and create new empowering ones.

Your vision to raise yourself will motivate you to learn the skills, change your thinking and take action. You must think, act and look a success before you become one.

Economic Crisis Hits the UK

Now we're literally feeling the crisis in the UK! Prices in commodities are up, bills are soaring high, bank has cut interest rates and the job losses happening nationwide have been the hardest hit by the economic downturn. Personally speaking, I am quite worried these days since my hospital (Northern Health Trust) is affected by it. We have started to feel the crisis in later part of 2008. We are always short staff and even our loud clamor for staff reinforcement has not been heard. We are not allowed to get agency nurses because it will cost more. Our budget is cut short. Limited hospital supplies are observed. It is so sad because patients are always at risk. Where's the dignity in that? And the big question is, would I still be retained?

There are also talks that five residential care homes in the Northern Health Trust area have been heard for closure under new proposals. They could be replaced in the future by supported-living housing or homecare support services. God knows how! At present there is hardly staff to do the service. They're not hiring staff because of limited budget. Patient's safety will be compromised. And there are hundred of Trusts nationwide experiencing the same concerns.

We will just have to wait and see, fingers crossed!

Importance of Communication Skills in a Relationship

A relationship is a connection and exchange between people. Communication plays a large role in the exchange between people. It exchanges information in the form of ideas, wants, desires, feelings, and much more. Incomplete or stopped communication can create a block in the relationship.

Sometimes we take the most important things in life for granted and do not realize its importance until it is too late. Many of us take our relationships for granted and move on until one fine day we wake up to realize, we don't have the connection any more.

Sometimes, this can lead to breakups or divorce, or simply just a uncomfortable relationships. Suddenly we realize something is wrong in the way things are going. A person who just went through a very sad breakup and has not been the same man/woman any more. This sad experience lead me to realize the most important thing in life is your relationships.

The importance of communication skills in relationships may save your relationship simply because, at the end of day, if you have no one to share your happiness with, all the money in the world is worthless.

Are You Experiencing Burnout?

Burnout is a very real threat to people in challenging and stressful jobs. The feelings of intense tiredness and disillusionment that come with it bring intense unhappiness, and can spell the end of otherwise promising and emotionally rewarding careers.

Symptoms include: Physical exhaustion/fatigue, Rigidity to change/loss of flexibility, Low job performance, Depression, Loss of concern and feelings/apathy, Insomnia or sleeping more than usual, Cynicism/negativism, Decreased communication/withdrawal , Headaches, Emotional exhaustion/loss of emotional control, High job turnover/leave position, Increased absenteeism Lingering colds/frequent colds/flu, Low morale/sense of futility, Loss of enthusiasm for job, Loss of patience/irritable, Increased drug use, Shortness of breath, Inability to cope with unwanted, Increased marital and family conflict, Hypertension, Feelings of anger/bitterness/resentment disgust, Lack of focus on job/lack of purpose and priorities, Boredom.

Coping successfully with stress is the key to avoiding burnout. An extensive review of the literature by Nusbaum8 indicated the following individual/social strategies as the most common functional methods:

1. Develop a realistic picture of yourself - know what you're feeling and why.
2. Set realistic goals for yourself.
3. Recognize the symptoms of stress and burnout.
4. Ask for help when it's needed.
5. Develop a structural and personal support system.
6. Retain hope.
7. Develop a detached concern for recipients of your efforts.
8. Maintain an active personal social life outside of work.
9. Take time-outs when you need them.
10. Maintain a regimen of proper nutrition and physical exercise.
11. Develop a sense of organizational involvement.
12. Be willing to accept counseling when needed.
13. Develop self-therapies such as meditation, biofeedback, or relaxation response.
14. Accentuate the positive.

Of these, the most important is the first. Individuals must be aware of their own feelings and physical condition to realize problems that exist and thus seek the proper coping strategy.

NHS (National Health Service) Targets Putting Patients at Utmost Risk

Have you been hospitalised before? How did you experience the care you receive at NHS Hospital- Accident and emergency (or ER in the US)? How long did you wait to be attended? Based on survey, Accident and emergency patients are frequently sent to the wrong wards to meet waiting-time targets. As a result some needing specialist attention are not seen by the right healthcare personnel. Good examples include patients needing cardiac monitoring being sent to rehabilitation or surgical wards. What treatment will you expect to be received? Others are at times "shifted from ward to ward". A survey of 500 A&E nurses by the Royal College of Nursing also found nine out of ten felt unduly pressured to see patients within the four hours demanded. Targets should not be allowed to put patients at risk.

On the other hand, as a nurse working in NHS there are factors that may cause the long wait or delay in treatment at Accident and emergency (A&E). Firstly, I feel that a lot of people don't understand what the A&E is for! There are doctors clinics for the less urgent cases. If you only have cough or colds don't expect to be seen immediately at Accident and emergency. Spare it to the patients who genuinely need help. Secondly, the staffing level of the hospital. The extent of the NHS nursing shortage is getting worse. The government may not admit but it is happening now big time. Nurses are becoming more dissatisfied with their work environment. The nurse-to-patient ratio is scandalous! How can you give proper treatment immediately if there are 20 patients waiting for a single nurse (or one doctor for that matter)? After few days of hardwork, there will come a time that this poor nurse will soon be sick too because of over fatigue. The more patients are at risks. It's just a cycle. Now NHS, wise up!

..look at the poor nurse!