Finally from Priscilla

Meeting Mr. Right, the man of my dreams
The one who shows me true love or at least it seems
With brown cocoa skin and curly black hair
It's just the way he looks at me that gentle loving stare
Finally you've come along
The way I feel about you, it just can't be wrong
If you only knew the way I feel about you
I just can't describe it, oh no, no
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
My feelings can't describe it
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
And I just cannot hide it
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
My feelings can't describe it
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
And I just cannot hide it
I seems so many times you seemed to be the one
But all he ever wanted was to have a little fun
But now you've come along and brightened up my world
In my heart I feel it, I'm that special kinda girl
Finally you've come along
The way I feel about you, it just can't be wrong
If you only knew the way I feel about you
I just can't describe it, oh no, no
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
My feelings can't describe it
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
And I just cannot hide it
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
My feelings can't describe it
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
And I just cannot hide it
Finally, oh finally, yeah, Oh oh
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
My feelings can't describe it
Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face
And I just cannot hide it
Finally Oh Yeah...
Finally Oh Yeah.

Australia, the movie

The movie Australia came out in 2008 and I just saw it recently when I borrowed the DVD from the library.  Since it was free to borrow this DVD, I thought I should see it.  Big names the like of Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman were in it so I expected it to be decent.  It it proved itself to be an above average movie.  The location shoot was definitely very representative of the beautiful north countries of Australia.  Plus it helped that real Australian actors beside Nicole and Hugh were cast.  That made the accent very realistic indeed.  It was a pleasant surprise to see another Australian actor David Wenham in it.  I did like him in Van Helsing and LOTR movies (Two Towers and Return of the King).  The story was inspiring and moving but kinda long.  I thought the story would end when one conflict was resolved but lo and behold, the movie went on to resolve another conflict.  It was 2 hours and 31 minutes long!  So it felt like it dragged on and on.

This is an entertaining enough movie but not worth a room in my collection.  I would give it 2.75 stars out of 5.

Who controls our healthcare? Part 2

I already gave one example on how Insurance company or Insurance Coverage directs the kind of healthcare we get.  Now let me give you another example from my own experience as a Physical Therapist.

I currently have been working on a Nursing Home.  I have learned that Medicare people have 100 days coverage for inpatient nursing home rehab therapy (PT, OT, ST).  This coverage also differs on the needs of each patient as determined by their RUG levels.  The higher rehab therapy needs means more reimbursement from Medicare to the Nursing Home.  Higher RUG levels also means more rehab coverage in every 7 day period.  Highest RUG level requires that the patient must complete 720 minutes of skilled rehab therapy.  The number of minutes lower to 500 then to 320 to 150 and to 45 minutes at the lowest level.  Although ideally the rehab professionals determine which RUG level each patient falls under, almost always the Nursing Home administration pressures the rehab professionals to put all patient on the highest RUG level for better reimbursement even though they are not appropriate or unable to tolerate or participate in therapy that will insure that they complete 720 minutes of therapy in 7 days.  Not only are the rehab professional pressured to put every patient at the highest RUG level, often the rehab therapist are also pressured to continue to give each patient therapy till their 100 days of Medicare coverage are used up even though the patient can be discharge before that.  This clearly illustrate that the factor from which how much therapy a patient gets depends on the reimbursement their insurance is able to pay.

It should be also mentioned that a patient who have used up his/her 100 days of Medicare coverage can be reinstated for another 100 days after they have been hospitalized for 3 nights or more.  So it is SOP in the Nursing home that every Medicare patient who qualifies for another 100 days gets to have therapy again even though they are not appropriate.  While those therapy appropriate patients who does not have Medicare coverage does not get therapy.

So often about 25% of our patient loads in the Nursing Homes are not appropriate for therapy and about 30% are not at the appropriate RUG level.  

Who controls our healthcare?

Here in America, pretty much the Insurance company dictates the kind of healthcare you get.  In an ideal world, the healthcare professional makes that decision but reality is far from ideal.

Take my friend Jasmine's situation.  Jasmine had a strong family history of colon cancer so her doctor strongly advised that she gets a colonoscopy at the age of 43.  But her insurance company would not pay for it since 50 and older is the "approved" age for an insurance covered preventative colonoscopy.  A year later she developed some lower GI symptoms so her doctor ordered a colonoscopy.  It was discovered that her colon was almost entirely blocked by a big tumor that turned out to be malignant.  It was surgically removed 3 days later but the cancer has already metastasized to the liver and lungs.  Even with aggressive Chemo and Radiation therapy post surgery, the cancer on the liver and lungs did not respond.  2 years later since the initial discovery of the colon cancer, Jasmine passed away from respiratory arrest.  The metastasized cancer on her lungs just occupied much of her lungs that she could not breath properly.  She went to bed one night and was comatose the next morning.  She died later that noon.

The sad thing about Jasmine's story was she got a colonoscopy too late.  Had she gotten the colonoscopy a year before the discovery of the cancer, she could have gotten the cancer removed earlier before it metastasized to her liver and lungs.  It could have very likely saved her life.

Freshmen Magazine boys?

I like Men over Boys but these "boys" are more young men than boys.

Break up songs

The is my list of break up songs in no particular order. A sampling of the lyrics should convince you. 

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE. by Kelly Clarkson
But Since you've Been Gone
I can breathe for the first time
I'm so moving on Yeah, yeah
Thanks to you
Now I get
What I want
Since you've Been Gone


LEARNED FROM THE BEST. by Whitney Houston 
So when all you've got are sleepless nights
When those tears are clouding up your eyes
Just remember it was you who said goodbye
Who said goodbye.


IRREPLACEABLE? By Beyonce
You must not know 'bout me
I can have another you in a minute
Matter fact, he'll be here in a minute
You must not know 'bout me
I will have another you by tomorrow
So don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'
You're irreplaceable?


FORGET YOU! By Cee Lo Green
I see you driving 'round town
With the girl I love and I'm like,
Forget you! Oo, oo, ooo
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn't enough I'm like,
Forget you!


I WILL SURVIVE. By Gloria Gaynor
Go on now go walk out the door
Just turn around now 'cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
Did you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive


HUNG UP. By Madonna
I can't keep on waiting for you
I know that you're still hesitating
Don't cry for me 'cause I'll find my way
you'll wake up one day but it'll be too late


IT'S NOT RIGHT BUT IT'S OK. By Whitney Houston
It's not right but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Pack your bags up and leave
And don't you dare come
Running back to me
It's not right,but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Close the door behind you
Leave your key
I'd rather be alone than unhappy


SURVIVOR. by Destiny's Child
You thought that I'd be broke without you
But I'm richer
You thought that I'd be sad without you
I laugh harder
You thought I wouldn't grow without you
Now I'm wiser
Thought that I'd be helpless without you
But I'm smarter
You thought that I'd be stressed without you
But I'm chillin'

American Horror Story: The name game

I find this show American Horror Story season 2 to be fascinating.  Lots of story lines about different subject matter that is horrible indeed.  In a rare twist, they featured a music video of one of the hallucinations of an "insane" character.  It was the Name Game and I thought it was cute.

Grindr cuties to the 5th.

恭喜發財 or 新年快樂?

"恭喜發財" is the traditional Chinese greeting during Chinese Lunar New Year.  But translated to English this literally means "congratulations fortune".  So it probably was meant to say "congratulations and good fortune" or "congratulations on your fortune"?   I will have to ask my Chinese cousin in law who was born and raised in China.

"新年快樂" on the other hand is translated to English as "happy new year".  

I am always not sure what to say to people during Chinese New Year.   Perhaps to the Chinese I use the traditional greeting and to non chinese I use the more literal greeting of Happy new year.

Pork Ampalaya

Ingredients:

2 ampalaya (bitter melon) sliced
baby carrots
garlic (1 table spoon when minced)
one onion (sliced or minced)
one tomato (sliced)
2 table spoon pine nuts
1 bag of ground pork
2 table spoon cooking oil
soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, ground pepper, tumeric powder


Procedure:

Heat cooking oil then add garlic for 1 minute.  Then add onion and tomato for another minute.  Add pine nuts for 2 minutes.  Constantly stir the mixture.  Add defrosted pork and stir for about 4-5 minutes.  then add ampalaya and carrots.  Flavor to taste with salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, tumeric and pepper.  Stir for another 3 minutes.