Archive | February, 2012

Homeland – Intensely Gripping Television!

Now it’s been a fair while since I wrote about what TV Series I’ve been watching, and well I still think Breaking Bad – The New BEST TV Series EVAR!! – is still the best, even more so after the latest season!

Of course Entourage has ended after 8 seasons (us fans are looking forwards to the film of course) – and there are various other shows I’ve tried out, many of which were recommended in the comments here and here.Intensley

A couple of years back there was a show that caught my interest, it was kinda quirky and pretty entertaining, it was called Life and starred Damian Lewis – an extremely striking red head chap.

Life (2007-2009)

Honestly, it was a good show – but by no means great. Rather directionless, gripping at times, funny at times – but in the end..a little too gimmicky. Anyway, no surprise it got cancelled in the second season. It was too weird the the US audience and had no great draw to get the ratings.

It was sad though as I thought Damian Lewis was REALLY good and I wanted to see where he was going to take the character of Charlie Crews. I also enjoyed it greatly because Christina Hendricks was in it…but that is besides the point!

You might remember him as Maj. Richard D. Winters from Band of Brothers – but that’s probably about it. Yah he obviously suits the police/military kind of role very well.

Anyway notice the plot summary from Life:

A former police officer returns to the force after having been wrongly imprisoned for years.

Now replace police officer with US marine, the force with his life and wrongly imprison with held captive and what do you get:

A former US Marine returns to his life after having been held captive for years.

Yah, you get the storyline for Homeland – pretty similar eh? The main difference being, Homeland is spectacular television with a truly gripping plot arc.

Homeland TV Show

Centers on Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody, who returns home eight years after going missing in Iraq, and Carrie Mathison, a driven (and possibly unstable) CIA officer who suspects he might be plotting an attack on America.

It’s really intense TV, really really intense. The lead roles played by Damian Lewis and Claire Danes are both extreme characters and the way the plot intertwines is just masterful.

Plus for once, all the supporting characters are really strong in their own rights (Saul, the wife, the sister, the kids, Mike, David etc).

Claire Danes though blows it out of the water, she’s spectacular – truly.

Claire Danes - Homeland

She’s been pretty quiet since Stardust, with her married guy scandals and all that – but she came back in Homeland and kicked some serious arse.

I seriously can’t wait for the second season to air! I HIGHLY recommend you watch it if you haven’t yet.

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Skrillex – Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites (Live Cover by Pinn Panelle)

I guess you probably already know I’m a fan of Dubstep, but really this blew me away man seriously, this is so awesome – it’s actually beyond words..

If you’re not familiar with the original, check it out here:

It sounds kinda harsh and rough after hearing the smooth Pinn Panelle cover.

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Getting A Thorough Health Check With BP Healthcare Head2Toe In Malaysia

Well I’m not getting any younger, and I’ve been meaning to have annual health checks – or at least blood tests. I’ve been very bad, the last real health test I had was in 2004 for the company insurance, I haven’t had any health screening since then.

I finally got my arse off the couch and got around to getting myself and Kim a proper, comprehensive, top to bottom health test. I had a look around and the test that attracted me was the BP Healthcare Head2Toe Health Screening as it really seems to cover everything that concerned me and even some things I didn’t know were available (DEXA bone density scanning and Ultrasound for example).

I’ll say up front, this kind of testing is not cheap – they are using state of the art equipment though and they cover everything you can think of. It’ll set you back well over RM1000 per person, if you’re looking for something cheaper though I believe they have basic blood screening on so on starting from RM100+ and they have comprehensive allergy tests too.

All you have to do to prepare is don’t eat anything 8 hours before the test – so basically schedule your appointment in the morning and don’t eat anything when you get up, also don’t drink anything but water and you’ll be fine.

We chose to do the tests at their HQ in Glenmarie, there’s ample parking and it’s an easy to spot building.

BP Healthcare Glenmarie

I was actually surprised how pleasantly modern it was inside, it was also shiny and clean – a big difference from previous experiences I’ve had with health screenings.

BP Healthcare Reception

The whole process started off with us getting registered and then taking some basic measurements like resting blood pressure, height, weight and so on.

Taking Blood Pressure

The final part of the registration was the worst part, getting a big needle stuck in your arm to take your blood. It doesn’t hurt too bad, but still..

Blood Test

After that, you need to go pee in a cup and leave it in the bathroom to be collected – then the real tests begin. The order differs depending on which equipment is available and they have a ticketing system with something to guide you through.

There’s stuff like the DEXA scan for bone density – I have super awesome bone density, which is nice to know 🙂

DEXA Bone Density Scan

Then the chest x-ray which is fairly standard in most medical exams – the advantage nowadays is instead of hulking round the huge exposure everything is digitized and given to you on a DVD!

Chest X-ray

The ultrasound procedure is an interesting one, you have to make sure your bladder is full to do a good bladder health ultrasound. For the guys, be prepared – you’re gonna have that ice cold gel on your nutsack..so yah.

Ultrasound

There were various other tests too like the Spirometry test measuring lung function, heart health where you do a stress test and a treadmill ECG (the treadmill speeds up and increases the incline incrementally) – it got me sweating that’s for sure.

Treadmill ECG

They also have an Audiology Test is a hearing test to gauge hearing loss, which is very common but often undiagnosed leading to depression or frustration due to poor communication abilities at work and with loved ones. This test is available at BP Diagnostic Centers.

And it ends with a medical consultation to explain your results and let you know if there’s anything you should keep an eye on.

Medical Consultation

The doctor will explain all the results, let you know any areas you need to be aware of and any changes you need to make in your lifestyle or medicine you might need to take.

Health-wise I’m fairly ok, I just need to make some lifestyle changes as I have above average cholesterol and a slightly fatty liver. I need to drink less (boohoo) and exercise more, it’s as I expected pretty much (hence me wanting to go on a diet etc).

One interesting thing I did learn from the lab work on my blood is that my Hepatitis vaccine has expired and I need to get a booster jab.

You can find out more about the Comprehensive Health Screening vs Head2Toe Health Screening here:

https://www.bphealthcare.com/BPDC/DCseries.asp

The BP Pharmacy is also having some promotions at the moment (for the BP Glucometer, BP Glucometer STrips, BP Blood Pressure Meter and BP 30th Anniversary Promo), you can find out more here:

https://www.bppharmacy.com/

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Holy Ship! & Miami Ultra Music Festival

I so want to go..

https://holyship.com/

https://www.ultramusicfestival.com/

Someone sponsor me please! UMF is around my birthday time anyway…

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RIP Whitney Houston – You Will Be Missed

Sad news over the weekend that Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub in a hotel, I’m glad to say I did manage to see her live on her comeback tour at Live and Loud in 2007.

She was one of the greatest singers of all time in my humble opinion, I mean during her heyday before the drugs and her voice went to shit.

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Today

I feel like this.

That’s all.

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Continue Reading · 2 Comments · General Nonsense