Did You See Me Coming?

Ok, this is not about Pet Shop Boy's latest single!

I have been reading some proxy statements from SEC filings and something suddenly cropped up.


Fact 1:
The world’s second largest yacht shown here is owned by the world's ninth richest man in the world - Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of Oracle.



Fact 2:
Larry is worth around $18 billion, so he can easily afford to have a boat of this magnitude, which costs over $13 million each year to just maintain her (about 30 metres longer than a soccer field).

Fact 3:
Speaking of boats and this has been known for years, Larry’s yacht is called “Rising Sun.”

Fact 4:
Oracle acquired Sun 2 months ago...

Did anyone not see this coming years ago?

Medical Jargons

Why the heck do doctors use freaking weird jargons?

Example: Take the word "megakaryocytes".
What does this mean to you? Sound like some sort of Transformer? Megatron perhaps?



This word actually has nothing to do with Transformers. Megakaryocytes are actually the cells in the bone marrow that are responsible for creating platelets.

Why don't they just call them the "platelet-making-cells"? Sure, it's a little longer but only a by a little. They could well shorten it even more by making it one word: plateletmakingcells.

Megakaryocytes vs plateletmakingcells. Hmmm...the latter isn't that bad, is it?
They could very easily use simple English words that make total sense.

Using normal words would save every medical student from learning all these nifty little words that - no one in the normal population uses.

But then, after they completed that doctorate degree and then worked in the medical field for a while, you will then find that you no longer have diarrhea, you now have gastroenteritis....Did someone came in with a cracked collar bone? No no no, they came in with a fractured clavicle! Neuroblastoma Carcinoma - why can't it simply be referred to cancer in the adrenal glands for crying out loud.

Standing Still

I found during a time of shock or pain or grief, it's often difficult to concentrate on anything for any length of time.

If you’ve ever googled cancer poems, you should have come across this:

What Cancer Can Not Do
by Anonymous

Cancer is so limited…
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship(s)
It cannot suppress memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot steal eternal life
It cannot conquer the spirit.

To me, there's some truth in it, but it really depends on which state you are in. If you are a newcomer when your world is at a stand-still, telling you all these would be a load of crap and you'd think it's absolute bullshit when you are still comprehending what just happened.

May be down the line, after some denials, some acceptance and some actual battleships, these so called chicken-soup for the soul will begin to sink in a little.

To B&B,

I came to know that depths of grief which bereavement brings. But I also learnt that faith and hope and that it is possible to come out safely on the other side, changed but also strengthened.
I wish you all well.

Auntie Audrey

Severe Sweet Tooth

OK, it's been 2 years since my last dental visit and I admit it has been longer than it should.

I have always pride myself with a good track record orally, so when my dentist told me 2 cavities and some early sign of decay were found, it got me thinking.

I am blaming the severe sweet tooth that got worse in the last 2 years.

Time to cut out the habit of prolonged chewing of gums, no more intake of coffee (hard to let go but yes, no more) and start flossing!

The Final Break?

Saw the extra 2-hour movie version of the Prison Break: The Final Break on Fox last week.

Michael and Sara got married and then no surprise, it was Sara's turn to be locked in Fox River for the murder of Christina Scofield.

We had who else but the experienced gang of prison breakers, Linc, Sucre and Mahone who helped break her out. Michael died not because of his brain tumour, but sacrificed himself in the ordeal.

They made it look so darn easy to break a fool-proved prison and that bit was rather ridiculous. The last 2 minutes of the movie was really touching though and not to be missed.

I read somewhere that they are thinking of a Season 5… but how on earth they do that when Schofield's dead now?!

I will sure miss Prison Break if that's the end of it all.