Breast Cancer: What can we do?

This post is dedicted to Allahyarhamah Siti Marlina Zainal (1976 - 2009) , my junior Srikandi thoroughbred 89-93. She passed on last Monday, 6th July 2009 after a brave fight against cancer. Do read her "My Surviving Years" blog. I was so touched and saddened by her heartfelt posts. She was also featured as a Winner in "My Story -Ceritaku" competition in conjunction with National Cancer Awareness & International Breast Cancer Awareness months. Read it here: I lost my breast but not everything else!

Al-Fatihah.

********

Just about everybody knows that the most common type of cancer in women is the breast cancer. Everyone would know at least one person within their circle that had passed on due to the deadly disease. The statistics are gruesome:

• Breast cancer afflicts an estimated figure of more than ONE MILLION women in the world each year and it is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, second to lung cancer.
• For new cases of female breast cancer reported in Malaysia in 2003, 64% of these cases were women between the ages of 40 to 60 years old.
• Early detection and getting the appropriate medical attention can help save lives. It is so unfortunate that in Malaysia, nearly 40% of new cases identified each year were already in the very advanced stages of the disease.

(Taken from: Pride.org.my - Statistics)

What I can say is that Early detection is key. We need to be aware of the Do's. Don't just wear the pink ribbon, you need to know what to do.

So, what do we need to do? From Breast Self Examination (BSE):

Every woman from the age of 20-39 years old should:

• carry out BSE once a month, between the 7-10 day from the start of your period (Truth be told, I have NEVER done this in my life. I know about it,sure. I feel embarrassed when approached by the lady with the pink ribbons, that I just quickly get the DIY manual on BSE and hurried along)
• do Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) once every three years, though there are also other recommendations to do it once yearly when you reach 30. (I am guilty too , I have NEVER done this ever!)

For ladies aged 40 and above:

• carry out BSE once a month. For women who have reached menopause, do it on a specific date of the month
• do CBE and mammogram once a year

We need to be breast aware - i.e. know how your breasts actually look and feel. Look for changes in breast size and shape, any pains and lumps, changes on your skin and nipple.

On another note, I feel that we would also need to participate in breast cancer awareness campaigns. I found a local community program called Passionately.You - " a woman driven campaign dedicated to women's health and to celebrate all cervical and breast cancer victims and survivors' fighting spirit. The Passionately You Duck represents HOPE for those battling cervical & breast cancer."

They organized a 2 months campaign last year called "Passionately Pink" in which pink rubber ducks , a commonly used symbol to fight breast cancer, were given a make-over by Malaysian celebrities and then auctioned off. The objective was to raise RM100,000 to fund the Breast Cancer Community Treatment Programme at Assunta Hospital.

The Passionately You roadshows aimed at telling women about breast cancer prevention and and HPV immunization campaign for young women to protect them against cervical cancer. The next roadshow would be at TESCO EXTRA Selayang on 16 - 17 July and TESCO Setia Alam, Shah Alam on 18-19 July 2009.

There's other exciting activities in store, including "All Things Women" shopping weekend scheduled sometime in August whereby a percentage of sales from designer clothing, footware and accessories will beused for women's cancer treatment. There will also be fashion shows and music entertainment in the agenda.

Another interesting activity is the Passionately YOU Quacky Run of 25km and 5km Family Fun run on October 11,2009. For more information call 603-77839509. (You could run or volunteer, either way, do call the number) Make that call and start practicing for the marathon with benefits - this would go well with my "Muffin Top" eradication program.

-dillz blogging out-

Kependekan Itu

Notice how we, Malaysians, have the tendency to give an acronym to any group of words that form an organization / thingy-ma-bobs . The recent hoo.haa. about PPSMI? The acronym that actually stands for Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam bahasa Inggeris. (Did you know that?) KLCC is Kuala Lumpur City Centre. SKMM is Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia, and so on and so forth. I guess, people are just too damn lazy to say the loooong names out loud and most prefer to keep it short and sweet. Thing is, if the acronym had been used for sooo long, the real meaning pun nobody remembers, kan? :)~~

I am also fascinated by how these groups of words are put together to make a short-form of the meaning, if you will. We haven't had quite that many in recent years. I have always had the idea that these special words were "invented" during the P.Ramlee years. Weird, eh? But, that's how I've always imagined it. For example, we have:

KuGiRan = Kumpulan Gitar Rancak

PaWaGam = Panggung Wayang Gambar

Sounds so P.Ramlee-ish, right?

I guess, our neighbours across the Selat Melaka also share the same passion. In fact, I think they have taken it up , one notch higher!

MoNas = Monumen Nasional

Almost everything telah dipendekkan. I am sure, you would have a list of your own. :)

*Updated: 2:30pm

From KucingOrenGemuk's comments - I think this is what it means:

PisGor = Pisang Goreng

WarTel = Warung Telefon

BaLiTa = Bawah Lima Tahun

MuntaBer = Muntah Berak *KOG, gross lah..*

--------*

The next batch of examples would be those that you'd find in you year-end autograph book. You know those ones everybody would sign , especially so if that is your final year in the school. Among my favourites were:

I.T.A.L.Y =

I

Trust

And

Love

You

F.R.A.N.CE =

Friendship

Remains

And

Never

Can

End

And I kept the best for last:

B.U.K.U=

Baca

Untuk

Ke

Universiti

hahahahaha.... Kalau tak baca, tak boleh pergi universiti, ya adik-adik... ;)

p/s: Wanted to keep this posting light, seeing that it's Friday! Yeay!!!! Saya dah penat, almost time to rest before I start my report marathon in the weekends pulak.

-dillz blogging out-

Remembering MJ

Was up last night ramping up my report. Coincidentally, "Remembering MJ" was also on on E! It was the live telecast of the memorial service for the great legend, Micheal Jackson in Staples Center. Loads of celebrities were present for the public service and apparently, some millions of fans applied to be there in the flesh but only 11,000 was allowed entry into the centre with another 6,500 more watching via video streaming in the opposite Nokia Theatre.

There were loads of singing - not in a hoo-hoo.haa-haa kind of way, the ambiance was very sombre and tensed. I especially liked the rendition by Jermaine Jackson singing MJ's favourite song, Smile by Charlie Chaplin. Usher's "Gone Too Soon" also struck a chord with me. Mimi's intro song, "I'll Be There" was a bit off, I thought; maybe she was feeling too sad to sing nice.

There were also friends giving their last respects, like Brooke Shields and Queen Latifah. The son and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. were there too. But most of all, I thought the most moving was when Paris, Micheal's only daughter voiced her heart out to share with all the world. She said, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him. Sooo much " Then she cried some more as her aunt Janet hugged her tight and then whisked her off the stage. Here's a snippet off youtube:

I couldn't help but shed a tear. It was just so sad and so touching. Can't imagine a child that young losing her father. And to think that their identities have been so protected with the masks and what not. Here she is baring her heart..

Read the full story on NBC's Poignant service says goodbye to Jackson

Rest well, MJ. I got my sleep at 4am this morning.

(Picture credit: here , here )

Oh, by the way, if you didn't catch it this morning, 8TV will be showing the repeat tonight.

-dillz blogging out-

8 Days To Go

Only 8 more days left until the 15th of July. What's on the 15th of July, you say? My sister, Ema, will be back from London and we promised her a swell time at Kotak Merah. As preparation, I have been practising my Katy Perrys. :) I love Katy Perry; from her sense of stylo dressing, her songs and the way she sings. I have never been the "mendayu" type of songstress. *songstress konon*Never liked to sing to the Siti Nurhalizas, the Rossas and the Nings. I see myself as an alternative type of singer. My lagu cari makan is of The Cranberries variety. Zombie and Ode to My Family jangan kacaulah - it's mine. :) Dido and Alanis, me love too.

Thing is, it's getting old. Needed to get the variety going in there and I needed some new and fresh lagu cari makans. Tried Taylor Swift's Love Story the other day and it went okay. But the Katy Perrys? Well, that needed more work. Hence, the extra homework I had perscribed myself. I bought me her (not-so) new album over in Damas the other day and imported them into my iTunes. Got the three songs on my "Current Favourite" playlist - Hot and Cold, I Kissed a Girl and Thinking of You. Had a little bonus in the CD too - the three songs' videoclips! I wanted to upload the Hot & Cold video here, but it is taking way too long! :( So, I am making do with this version I got of her performing live on youtube!

But, as usual, the lyrics to my 3 favourite songs follow!

Hot & Cold - Katy Perry

You change your mind

Like a girl changes clothes

Yeah you PMS

Like a bitch, I would know

And you overthink

Always speak cryptically

I should know

That you're not good for me

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

You! You don't really want to stay, no

You! But you don't really want to go-o

You're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

We used to be

Just like twins so in sync

The same energy

Now's a dead battery

Used to laugh 'bout nothing

Now you're plain boring

I should you know that you're not gonna change

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

You! You don't really want to stay, no

You! But you don't really want to go-o

You're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

Someone call the doctor

Got a case of a love bi-polar

Stuck on a roller coaster

Can't get off this ride

You change your mind

Like a girl changes clothes

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

'Cause you're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right

It's black and it's white

We fight, we break up

We kiss, we make up

You! You don't really want to stay, no

You! But you don't really want to go-o

You're hot then you're cold

You're yes then you're no

You're in then you're out

You're up then you're down

I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

This was never the way I planned

Not my intention

I got so brave, drink in hand

Lost my discretion

It's not what, I'm used to

Just wanna try you on

I'm curious for you

Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

No, I don't even know your name

It doesn't matter

You're my experimental game

Just human nature

It's not what
Good girls do

Not how they should behave

My head gets so confused

Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

Us girls we are so magical

Soft skin, red lips, so kissable

Hard to resist so touchable

Too good to deny it

Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

Thinking of You - Katy Perry

Comparisons are easily done

Once you've had a taste of perfection

Like an apple hanging from a tree

I picked the ripest one, I still got the seed

You said move on, where do I go?

I guess second best is all I will know

'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you

(Thinking of you, thinking of you)

Thinking of you, what you would do

If you were the one who was spending the night

(Spending the night, spending the night)

Oh, I wish that I was looking into your eyes

You're like an Indian summer in the middle of a winter

Like a hard candy with a surprise center

How do I get better once I've had the best?

You said there's tons of fish in the water, so the waters I will test

He kissed my lips, I taste your mouth, oh!

(Taste your mouth)

He pulled me in, I was disgusted with myself

'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you

(Thinking of you, thinking of you)

Thinking of you, what you would do

If you were the one who was spending the night

(Spending the night, spending the night)

Oh, I wish that I was looking into

You're the best, and yes, I do regret

How I could let myself let you go

Now, now the lesson's learned

I touched it, I was burned

Oh, I think you should know!

'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you

(Thinking of you, thinking of you)

Thinking of you, what you would do

If you were the one who was spending the night

(Spending the night, spending the night)

Oh, I wish that I was looking into your, your eyes

Looking into your eyes, looking into your eyes

Oh, won't you walk through?

And bust in the door and take me away?

Oh, no more mistakes

'Cause in your eyes I'd like to stay, stay

-dillz blogging out-

Gimme Toys Toys Toys!

*Updated 9 July 2009

More toys for the Hospital! Ziezi donated this row of oversized stuffed stuffs for the kids. A Big Bird, a Powerpuff Girl (Buttercup, menurut kata Adeeb), a Pink Panther and a Pooh! Yeay! Thanks, sis.

They are already at the office now. En route to the final destination.. There's still time.. The closing date is 10th of July 2009!

*Updated 7 July 2009

Got some queries on where to deposit their old toys. As mentioned earlier, the drive is by TM staff , so the collection points are mainly in main TM offices around KL. Here are the details:

1- Surau Al-Hidayah, Tingkat 9, TM Annexe 1 ( Hj Abu Hasan Abd. Rashid 013-397 1669 )

2- Surau Al-Amin, Tingkat 19, TM Annexe 2 ( Mejar (B) Azmi Mohd 013-395 2700 )

3- Ruang Legar berdekatan Gelanggang sqausy Menara TM berhampiran Surau Menara ( Zulkafli Othman 013-368 1918 )

4- Surau An-Nur, Tingkat Bawah, TM Bukit Mahkamah, Jln. Raja Chulan ( Sida Kamis 013-332 2004 )

5- Surau TMTC (Hj. Muhamad Azahar Hj Saidan Ahmad ( 2020 1330 )

Hope that helps! They'll be collecting until the 10th of July 2009. Thanks for your contributions, guys. We might make some sick kid's day! ;)

*Original post 6 July 2009

Had a plight from our resident Badan Kebajikan Islam TM on a drive to collect toys for the Peadiatric Ward in Hospital Kuala Lumpur:

Dimaklumkan bahawa BAKIT KL dengan kerjasama Jabatan Pengimejan Diagnostik ( X-Ray ), Institut Pediatrik, HKL berhasrat untuk mendapatkan sumbangan permainan kanak-kanak terpakai.

Untuk makluman semua, barang-barang permainan tersebut diberikan secara sementara kepada kanak-kanak yang datang membuat pemeriksaan. Kanak-kanak yang datang terdiri dari pelbagai bangsa dan peringkat umur. Perasaan resah dan gelisah, bosan sehingga ada yang menangis sementara menunggu giliran. Jadi, untuk mengelakkan pelbagai perkara yang tidak diingini berlaku, perlunya barang-barang permainan sebagai penawar dan memujuk hati kanak-kanak tersebut.

Walaupun pada awalnya terdapat banyak barang-barang permainan, tetapi bagi memujuk hati anak-anak, barang permainan terpaksalah diberikan terus kepada mereka. Sehingga kini, hanya terdapat beberapa barang permainan yang amat lusuh dan tidak sempurna. Oleh itu kerjasama dari ahli-ahli untuk memberikan sumbangan amatlah diharapkan dan dihargai.

Tarikh tutup adalah pada 10 Julai 2009 ( Jumaat ).

I always thought the kids had way too much toys for their own good anyways. So, we went through the toys and decided upon those that could be given away.

We managed to collect 2 big bags full of toys for the cause and I am mighty pleased. There were many baby toys, since all my three kids have outgrown them. There were also toys that has not had any play time for quite a while now. So, those ones had to go too.

But, I also decided that it was time for me to part with some of my soft toys. Special mention to Baba Lele - that big camel that I got from Trocadero, London and Oluwa Se-un, my adorable brown bear. They have been with me since my A-Level years, so that makes it , what? About 15 years since.. Fare-thee-well dear friends, hope you'll be happy in your new home..

-dillz blogging out-

Aktiviti Hujung Minggu

Got activities lined up the whole weekend. From the karaoke outing with friends from a so-called "secret society" on Friday night all the way to a breakfast meet-up with old friends at Village Park, Uptown. (The nasi lemak there is heavenly, seriously!)

Promised the kids that we would Raju's this Saturday morning, then off we went to The Gardens to fulfill another promise - this time to Khadra as we needed to get her a Hannah Montana school bag since Khaleeq got a Transformers bag last week. Khaleeda, she was just happy to be included in the outing, as usual...

After a quick pit stop at home, we were off again in the evening for a Aisya's birthday party. Melt down pulak lah si Khaleeda tu for not being able to jump on the inflatables. Siap gigit mummy.. Wah... Sudah ada jiwa, nampaknya.. Malam, we went to Puchong for a sleepover and dropped by Mak Anjang's for a last meet with Pak Anjang before he ships off to Libya for the next 2 years.

All that socializing had to be balanced with several sessions of report writing retreats - inclusive of this special hideaway session right now. I am in my home tackling my report, yet again, accompanied by hubby. Kids are still at my parents' abode , lepaking with their cousins. Will pick them up once I've made good progress here.. ;)

Teringat pulak zaman buat MBA part-time dulu. Buat assignment last minute, overnight kat Fajaria , tinggal anak-anak with my parents and Bibik in Puchong. Macam deja vu, je.. :)~~ Thing is, did I ever learn my lesson? i.e. Buatlah kerja awal-awal, supaya tidak menyesal di kemudian hari? Taaaak, jugak.. Buaaaat jugak lagi and menyesaaaal jugak lagi. When you are a perfectioninst and a procrastinator, I guess it is never a good combination, eh? Nak ada grandmother storylah, nak ada So-whatlah.. Kalau jenis tak kisah kan senang. Hantar je. Crap pun, craplah.. Pandailah Boss nak jawab. hihihihihi..

Yang best tu, after this cycle is over, there'll be another assignment, another report. Another stressful period. Nasib baik tak team lead. Kalau tak sure stress habis.. hihihihi.. What to do? Dah nature kerja macam tu.... Maybe I need to start thinking of an exit strategy.

-dillz blogging out-

Muffin Top! Muffin Top!

Muffins.. Hmmm.. Hmmm.. Hmmm... Don't you love them? I do. Especially those filled with blueberry goodness and chocolate chips. Just yummy.. But not so much when they are of the excessive flesh hanging over your jeans variety.. Yes, ladies, I am talking about those muffin tops.

Picture credits: here , here , here and here

Sad to say that I have one of those.. :)~~~ No, I am not going to put up some pictorial evidence of it. Just believe you me, it's there..

Most days, I just slip on the knee length Crony Envy Long Drawer and the muffin top would go away for a few hours. (Itupun belum bayar kat ibu lagi. hihihihi.. Halal je la mommy, ok?) Once I take it off, there it is once again, just like a loyal dog waiting for its master. *sigh* Sometimes, I use these words of wisdoms to hide them: Tips to lose the muffin tops or 10 ways to stop muffin tops On days that I am not able to, I would have kind(?) friends / acquaintances / strangers ask me how far along am I in my pregnancy.

Picture credit: here

So, I guess it is high time that I did something about it..

Makan-wise:

• Breakfast is limited to cereals and milk - minimize the nasi gorengs, nasi lemaks and what nots. Success rate? Been having Post Breakfast Cereal since Tuesday with Adeeb. Slipped a little today when I had the cereal AND nasi lemak.
• No rice for lunch. Haven't had rice since Tuesday too. (Tapi, evening breaks dah makan burger on Tuesday and half a plate of nasi goreng on Wednesday. How, la?)
• Cut out the sugary stuff in drinks - Now, going with limau ais kosong, watermelon/pineapple/apple juice taknak gula and the lot. Air suam is better.
• The 30-minutes after makan drink ban is still on.
• Need to start fasting (can also ganti my 8 days) by next week.

Exercise-wise:

• Go up the stairs from Level 3 to Level 9 Menara TM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Success rate: Not too bad, did it on Monday! :)
• Try to jog / walk up and down and up and down Pantai Hillpark at least once a week. Success rate: Walked down - Ran up - Walked down - Ran 1/4 and walked 3/4 up on Thursday! Yeay!
• Squeeze one session at the swimming pool - min 20-short laps. Success rate: The week is not yet over, honey! *snap*snap*

Cukup la tu. Banyak-banyak kang tak terbuat pulak. You know me, the Queen of HHTA..

-dillz blogging out-