Blood test

Free - in Scotland because I am a student :)

Medicine with prescription is free of charge too! This encourages me to visit the GP more than going straight to a pharmacist, eventhough I might just be having a minor ailment.

Insomnia

MY sleeping pattern is such a blunder right now. I can say I only recall one day in Glasgow where I slept like a baby for 8 hours at a decent time too! Other than that day, I sometimes sleep at 12am, 3am, 4am... and wake up by 8am regardless of how late I slept...... Then sometimes during the day I get sleepy.. but there are plenty of things to do so I hardly nap, I do my stuff and then its midnight again......

This means that I am having insufficient sleep till I am tempted to get some drowsy cough mixture to make me sleep.

Maybe its jet lag syndrome??? I mean, when its 12am in Glasgow, it is 7am in Malaysia...... I am so awake at 12am!

Some people might think I am still in Malaysia........

The Times They Are A Changin'

I'm on a complete high.  Despite predictions of a narrow victory, Barack Obama seems to have swept back to power.  The latest results I have is that he won the popular vote by 59,298,913 votes to Romney's 56,801,964.  If Florida does go to Obama, as looks almost certain currently, the President will have 322 electoral college votes to 206.  It is what I think they technically call a landslide.

There is another big story of interest to me here though, apart from the general rejection of right-wing, conservative philosophy.   There are six US states where same-sex marriage is permitted, but marriage equality was achieved either through law suits or by lawmakers, rather than as a result of direct votes by the population.

Last night, the State of Maine became the first US state to introduce marriage equality.  It has been joined by the State of Maryland and (subject to finally counting) by the State of Washington.  In Mid-West Minnesota, a ballot to introduce a ban on same sex marriage into the constitution was defeated by voters.  These smiling young smiling young faces of discrimination who voted yesterday to enshrine prejudice won't be too happy this morning.

This is massive.  LGBT people are in the minority everywhere, but voters have shown that they do care about issues outside their own personal interests.  Social issues and equality do matter to them. 

There will now be 9 US states where same-sex marriage is legal.  Federal appeal courts have repeatedly struck down the "Defence of Marriage Act"* and it is likely to end in the US Supreme Court.  The President himself took the principled, risky and politically unnecessary step of declaring that he was in favour of marriage equality during the campaign.

Meanwhile, closer to home, yesterday the highest court in Spain declared that same sex marriage is legal and constitutional.  This was in the face of an aggressive challenge by the country's conservative party and the Catholic hierarchy.  Although mired in arguments, the majority of the population in France supports same-sex marriage and its government is drawing up plans to introduce it there.  This will bring to 12 the number of countries with full marriage equality.

Back in May I saw the above tweet.  Its words have really stuck with me.   The fight isn't over yet, but we will get there.  The times, they are a changin'.  They are changing faster than I would ever have thought even two years ago.  An acceptance that lesbians, gays and bisexuals should have equal rights rather than be classed as inferior is rapidly becoming a reality.  The forces of reaction, discrimination and social conservatism are losing.

I don't want to pretend the discrimination I face is anything like that faced by people who have suffered in the past.  It isn't, by a million miles.  However, this picture sums up beautifully how widely accepted societal norms can change in a very short space of time and how we look back on it with genuine incomprehension now.

Thank you America.  Thank you voters in Maine, Maryland, Washington and Minnesota.  Thank you Spanish Constitutional judges.  History is on our side.  Equality is right, it is just, and it is coming.



* Correction: thanks for the comment below. DOMA was penned by Republican Representative Bob Barr and was passed by the Republican dominated Congress.  Every Republican but one, in both houses, voted in favour of it.  A White House spokesman described it as "gay baiting" but President Clinton, not President Bush, signed it into law.

Sperm cooked

If you are a guy, and you and your wife are having difficulties making a baby, it could be because:
- You are a chef ie: the heat from the stove affects the sperms
- You use your laptop on your lap

I read it here: Daily Mail

Hmm maybe thats why guys were not meant to cook lol

Santorini, Greece

Amazing sunset

Anger measurement

So, you are not man enough if you get angry over tiny matters.

I am in Glasgow..

It feels like I have been in Glasgow forever already. Being back to Glasgow this time round did not feel as exhilirating like the first time. I knew where to get the bus to campus from the airport. I knew when to press the button for the bus driver to drop me off. I knew where I was lugging my luggage to. I was mentally and physically prepared to WALK and CARRY my almost 30kg worth of goods up the four flights of stairs, if I were to get the highest floor to stay... Which I did! Basically, not feeling clueless or not being a noob in this city practically makes Glasgow feel like home.

My housemate: Funny how we never spoke to each other for three years and now we speak to each other everyday!

The only huge difference compared to KL is that I do not have the luxury of sitting in a car to get from A to B... BUT I have the luxury of using my legs to walk to get from A to B. Heh it is a 'luxury' because in KL, the chances of me having to drag my heavy luggage for a 20 minute walk is slim. In KL, once I arrive at the airport, I collect my luggage and get a trolley and someone who loves me will have a car waiting.... :)The flight to Glasgow was bearable. I was always the kind of person that gets pretty comfortable in an airplane. I can sleep the entire journey, without meds. As usual, I requested for a window seat so I get to see whatever awesome view there is outside. Its not everytime I get to see views from up above. So, why not grab the opportunity when given :)

Emirates served awesome food! It was also pretty filling that I had to save the bun for another time. The list of in-flight movies were abundant. I managed to watch the movies I wanted to, but never got the chance to watch when in KL. I watched the Katy Perry's Part Of Me movie. It was so good, I loved it.

Then, I watched A Little Bit Of Heaven, a romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson. Damn that movie made me cry a river during the flight. I had to constantly cover my face with the pillow because I did not want others to see me cry. It was such a heart warming movie. Then, while I was watching another movie, I saw the person sitting next to me watching A Little Bit Of Heaven. She was a Japanese lady. I was looking at her to see if she was crying or not..... At first no emotions from her, so I thought I was the crazy sensitive one. But, eventually I saw her take a tissue and dab her eyes... Now, thats how good the movie was:):)

What is currently happening to me in Glasgow? The weather is so dry that when I eat m&m's with peanut my pimples start popping out like nobody's business. I tried so many times to call to make an appointment to see a doctor at the Infirmary but they dont bloody pick up the phoen. So, I have been delaying my doctor's visit since my arrival.I should really do it soon before the snow falls and ice comes and then I will have to wait till spring to see the doc *yes, I am exaggerating* Temperatures in Glasgow are single digits already.It is cloudy mostly.

There are days when it get sunny and everyone falls in love with the sun when we are in Glasgow. Such a rare sight! THe sunlight does not burn like the one in KL

To try to cure my pimples, I bought vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and carrots.... I left it in the shelf till some became mouldy. So, in one day I had to cook all the good looking vege and spent the entire week finishing it. That is why I hate buying vegetables. I procrastinate when it comes to cooking vegetables. Feels like too much effort to cut, wash and peel off the skin. And then have to stand in front of the stove and boil it which then makes my shirt stink. But for a better pimpleless face, I need to cultivate the habit of eating those greens. Heh, my apples were in the fridge for a month before I ate it :P

My hand itches when I am back in Glasgow to try to experiment new ways of making things in the kitchen. Basically, its making a meal with whatever things I have in my fridge.Heres one: Bread topped with garlic, butter, smoked salmon, mozzarella cheese and McDonalds chilli sauce! Its a pizza la. Absolutely fatty but satisfyin to my tastebuds.

People ask me if there was anything new in Glasgow. I found out there was a Morrisons nearby.

My brother's injured leg because he twisted it while playing basketball!

I am trying a more healthier approach to my food intake. So, to start off, I change my choice of breakfast. At first it was chocolate milk or mot milo. Now, because I can make yoghurt thanks to Easiyo, strawberry homemade yoghurt with berries cornflakes has been my daily breakfast staple.

My pancakes

Lamb beriyani

Snack

Two of my other housemates are Indian, so they were using these sauces which I have never heard of. Balti, Jalfrezi, Masala.... so on. I had the urge to eat lamb beriyani, so I googled and they said to use Balti curry paste. Its actually so easy to find these sauces in the supermarket. I ended up using the Balti sauce to mix with my cabbage, carrots and potatoes. It tasted like dahl. Jalfrezi is good to make curry chicken. I found beriyani sauce in Aldi selling for 99p. I made Lamb Beriyani with it and it turned out really well and spicy too :)thats all for now.....