Movie: Zootopia

From the largest elephant to the smallest shrew, the city of Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various animals live and thrive. When Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, she quickly learns how tough it is to enforce the law. Determined to prove herself, Judy jumps at the opportunity to solve a mysterious case. Unfortunately, that means working with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a wily fox who makes her job even harder.

Directors: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush

Running time: 1h 48m

Story by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush

Production companies: Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures

Cerita ni memang best!  CWR bagi 5 bintang!!!  Sapa yang pi tengok jangan lupa snap gambar kat photobooth and tag #visitzootopia and #visitzootopiamy, to win prizes!

Anak belanda ni pun kemain nak bergambar.

Kisahnya begini:

In a world populated by various anthropomorphic animal species, Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is an idealistic rabbit from Bunnyburrow who fulfills her dream of joining the police force of the mammal metropolis of Zootopia. She passes her difficult training and, ten years later, is introduced to the city as Zootopia Police Department's latest recruit by Mayor Leodore Lionheart (J.K. Simmons) and assigned to the ZPD's 1st Precinct. Unfortunately, Judy is relegated by Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) to parking duty. Although she operates zealously to prove herself, she is manipulated and humiliated by Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a small time fox con artist.

The next day, Judy impulsively joins the chase of Duke Wealseton (Alan Tudyk), which takes her through Little Rodentia where she successfully captures the criminal. However, Captain Bogo reprimands her for overstepping her authority and public endangerment in order to capture a thief with plant bulbs. Furthermore, when a distraught Mrs. Otterton (Octavia Spencer) pleads for help finding her husband, one of many recent disappearances in the city, Judy's impulsively insubordinate offer to help her nearly gets her terminated by Bogo except for the timely support of Deputy Mayor Dawn Bellweather (Jenny Slate).

Agreeing that she would resign if she does not solve the case within 48 hours, Judy tracks down her only lead, Nick, and coerces him to help lest he be charged with tax evasion. Nick sullenly assists her while passively resisting to frustratingly prolong the investigation. However, Judy is able to manipulate him to investigate an enclosed compound with probable cause. However, the needed vehicle they find is the property of the crime boss Mr. Big (Maurice LaMarche) and his polar bear enforcers promptly capture them while they are in Tundratown. Judy and Nick are nearly killed for trespassing, but are saved by Mr. Big's daughter Fru Fru (Leah Latham) who was rescued earlier by Judy during the chase of Duke. Mr. Big explains that Mr. Otterton is his florist who urgently requested to speak with him. However, when his chauffeur Manchas (Jesse Corti) went to deliver him, Mr. Otterton apparently went savage en route (His personality reverted to the basic non-sapient animal instincts of his species). At that incident, Mr. Otterton went missing and Manchas was traumatized.

Hopps and Wilde go to interview Manchas at his home, but the only information they get is the term "Night Howlers," before Manchas turns savage. Pursued by the panther, the pair are barely able to handcuff him and escape being killed in the incident. Unfortunately, when ZPD backup arrives, Manchas is nowhere to be found. Chief Bogo orders Hopps to surrender her badge for this apparent false alarm, but Nick Wilde successfully stands up to him with the observation that Hopps still has 10 hours remaining to solve the case in a wager that was unreasonable to impose in the first place.

Accepting Hopps' thanks, Wilde explains he recognized her situation from his own troubled youth where he was mercilessly bullied for being a fox by prey animals and resolved to live out the stereotype as defiance. Inspired by the idea of checking traffic surveillance footage, they consult Deputy Mayor Bellwether who helps identify Manchas' abductors, uniformed wolves, which Hopps concludes are the Night Howlers that Mr. Otterton was referring to.

The pair trace the location to a laboratory where all the people reported missing are being held and all of whom have turned savage. As they investigate, they spy Mayor Lionheart consulting with a doctor about the captives' condition and barely escape to take their evidence to the ZPD. Mayor Lionheart is thus arrested and the missing furries are detained, but Hopps' triumph is marred when, under the pressure of a media conference, she describes the situation as predators reverting to their natural instincts. Wilde is deeply offended by that generalization, which results in an argument that inadvertently seems to confirm Hopps' bigotry against him. Ashamed both at insulting Wilde and causing a wave of a species-based fear of the city's predator minority, Hopps resigns over the protests of Deputy Mayor Bellwether and Chief Bogo.

Back at her family's farm in Bunnyburrow, Hopps learns that night howlers are actually flowers that have a severe psychotropic effect on furries. With this revelation, Hopps returns to Zootopia and apologizes to Wilde for her thoughtlessness, for which Wilde gladly forgives her. Together, they learn from Duke Weasleton that he was collecting night howlers for a laboratory. They find the lab and learn that the plants are being used by certain sheep to create a serum that is then deliberately injected into select predators through dart guns. The pair attempt to get their evidence to the Zootopia Police Department, but are destructively pursued by the rams until they meet Deputy Mayor Bellwether just short of Police headquarters.

Bellwether demands the evidence, but the pair realize that she is the mastermind of the conspiracy and flee. They are eventually captured and are thrown into a pit where Wilde is darted by Bellwether to make him turn savage and kill Hopps for refusing to cooperate in her species-supremacist scheme to dominate the city, while Bellwether summons the police to ensure Wilde would be subsequently captured to further stoke species-based fear in the city. However, when Bellwether openly admits that plan to the pair, the pair end their pretense and reveal they changed the ammunition of Deputy Mayor Bellwhether's dart gun for a harmless blueberry to maneuver her into a confession. When Bellwether defiantly threatens to frame them like she did to Mayor Lionheart, the pair reveal their audio recording of her words, just as the summoned police arrive. With Deputy Mayor Bellwether's guilt exposed, she is swiftly arrested by the Zootopia Police Department.

Months later with Hopps reinstated into the ZPD, Bellwether and her minions imprisoned and the missing furries successfully treated of their poisonings, Chief Bogo is pleased to espouse her tempered ideals for a graduating class of police cadets. That class includes Wilde, inspired by his friend's faith in him to become the ZPD's first fox officer and Judy's new partner.

Sumber: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zootopia

Health: Full health screening and food to lower cholesterol level

When was the last time you did full health screening? If you have to take more than 10 seconds to answer this, please call your GP now and set an appointment!  I had my screening 2 weeks ago at Oasis Clinic, Ara Damansara with my favourite doctor, Dr Parimala.  They have promotion of full health screening at RM140 only.  On top of that I added chest x-ray and ECG for only RM40 each.  Aku takut sangat buat health screening sebenarnya.  Takut terjumpa penyakit2 yang tak terjangka dan tak diingini (ada ke panyakit yang diingini??).  Chest x-ray and ECG results dapat serta merta.  Chest x-ray was good.  Unfortunately, ECG found out an irregular heartbeat.  Tak terkejut pun sebab every time buat ECG mmg dpt result mcm tu.  But this time, because of age factor, I agree with Dr Pari to do thorough check-up with cardiologist. 

I had my follow up at HUKM. I did an echocardiogram, stress test and holter monitor.  Echocardiogram (echo) is an ultrasound test that uses high-pitched waves that are sent through transducer.  Transducer picks up echoes of the sound waves as they bounce off the different parts of your heart.  Dalam bahasa laymen nya, mcm orang pregnant buat ultrasound nak check baby tapi yang ni scan kat jantung.  Stress test pula ialah test yang dibuat determine the amount of stress that your heart can manage before developing either an abnormal rhythm or evidence of ischemia (tak cukup aliran darah ke hati).  The most commonly performed stress test is the exercise stress test.  A holter monitor is a continuous tape recording of a patient’s EKG for 24 hours.  It can be worn during the patient’s regular daily activities and it helps the physician correlate symptoms of dizziness, palpitations or black outs.  Jadi, holter ni dipasang pada dada aku (macam ECG tapi ada recorder) selama 24 jam!  Dah rasa macam FBI, « I am wired ! ».  Masa menulis ni, aku belum dapat holter result lagi.  

Tadi aku pi jumpa Dr Pari semula untuk blood test result review.  Alhamdulillah semuanya ok kecuali sugar level dalam darah macam sudah menghampiri paras tak bagus.  Susah gak ni sebab aku mmg hantu desserts!  Cholesterol level is very high!  Dr Pari pesan kena rajin2 exercise lah lepas ni……hmmm

Balik dari klinik, aku cargas google makanan yang membantu menurunkan cholesterol level dalam badan. Maka ini lah hasilnya:

1. Oat
2. Red wine
3. Salmon and fatty fish
4. Nuts
5. Tea
6. Beans
7. Chocolate
8. Margarine
9. Garlic
10. Olive oil
11. Spinach
12. Avocado

Sapa dok area Subang and Ara Damansara, boleh lah pi jumpa Dr Pari at Klinik Oasis and ask for full health screening promotion.  Their address is:

Klinik Oasis (24-hour)

Address: A-G-03,Block A,No.2, Oasis Square, Jalan PJU 1A/7A, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Phone:+60 3-7734 2424

Health: What is fibroids?

In January 2015, a visit to my GP confirmed that I had multiple fibroids. It is not a life-death findings but it is annoying enough knowing that there’s something growing in my body that wasn’t supposed to be there.  Before I tell you about what happened after January 2015, that has changed my life all together, let’s talk about fibroids.  Apa itu fibroids? Apa menyebabkan fibroids? Cara merawat fibroids – sebelum, semasa dan selepas.

Fibroids are considered the most common pelvic tumor affect one in five women usually over the age of 30.  Up to 70 percent of all women are likely to get them in their life.  You may also have an increased risk of fibroids if you have never been pregnant, are severely overweight, or have a family member who has fibroids. Fibroids can be very tiny that you need a microscope to see them but they are also known to have grown larger than a grapefruit. Fibroid can grow in single form or multiple forms.  

However, scientists still don’t know what causes them. Current research leans towards the impact of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, since tumors rarely appear before a women’s first period and decrease after menopause. Stress, diet, and environmental factors may also play a role in fibroid development. Good news is that fibroids are benign and non-cancerous tumors.  If a woman with fibroids has no related symptoms, it may be unnecessary to recommend treatment beyond clinical observation over time, says Dr Antonio Pizarro. 

According to Fibroidrelief.org, the most common symptoms listed for fibroids are:

Menstrual discomfort – Periods may be abnormally heavy and last more than a week. Some women are concerned about socially embarrassing bleeding and hesitate to engage in their normal activities. Bleeding may be severe enough to cause anemia.

Bleeding between periods – Submucosal fibroids are most likely to cause abnormal bleeding, but any bleeding between periods should be checked by a physician.

Leg, back, or pelvic pain or pressure – A fibroid increases the size of the uterus, sometimes to the size of a 4 or 5 month pregnancy. The enlarged uterus is often “lumpy” and presses on nearby structures such as the bladder and lower intestine, causing constipation or frequent urination.

Difficulty conceiving or miscarriage – Most women with fibroids do not have fertility problems, but sometimes fibroids make it more difficult to become pregnant by natural methods. Fibroids large enough to significantly change the shape of the uterine cavity can be associated with miscarriage, premature labor, and complications of labor.

Treatments for fibroids are depending on the seriousness of the problem. Your GP may refer you for an ultrasound scan of your uterus to determine this. Small fibroids can often be removed using a telescope passed through the cervix. This is called a hysteroscopy. If your fibroids are numerous and you still want to have children, your doctor may opt for a myomectomy, where the fibroids are removed leaving the uterus intact. If it is a severe case and you have completed your family, you may consider a hysterectomy.  Anti-estrogen hormone treatments can shrink fibroids but can only be given for short periods because of their side effects.  According to Dr Peter Kelley of NYU, the medical treatments readily available for fibroids can range from mild to severe, leaving women of childbearing age unable to have children.  The effects of fibroids have been known to cause infertility and miscarriages in women, resulting in both physical and emotional distress (Kelley, 2011).  Specifically, fibroids are rare before puberty, enlarge during pregnancy, stop growing at menopause, and shrink with administration of medications that decrease estrogen levels (Evans, 2008).

Fibroids may require treatment in the following circumstances:

1.    Fibroids are growing large enough to cause pressure on other organs such as bladder

2.    Fibroids are growing rapidly

3.    Fibroids are causing abnormal bleeding

4.    Fibroids are causing problems with fertility

However, a hysterectomy isn’t the only option anymore.  There are now a number of medical therapies that can be used to shrink or slow the growth of fibroids, including hormone treatments, ultrasound therapy, or a myomectomy, which removes the fibroids while leaving the uterus in tact. If the fibroids don’t require removal, there are other treatments that can help you deal with symptoms such as ibuprofen, birth control pills, or ablation (a procedure using radiofrequency energy to destroy tissue).

I think that’s enough basic information in laymen terms about fibroids.  There are many sources you may get more information from.  In my next post, I’ll tell you my own experience dealing with fibroids and endometriosis at the age of 38, while doing my MBA and raising 3 kids. It’s absolutely not the end of the world.  Instead, it was the beginning of a better life!

Travel: Frozen in Japan

My travel addiction started!!  First destination this year is Japan! Why Japan? Why not! Maybe I was hoping to see Ultraman and Doraemon.  I have set a new travel target for 2016.  If last year, my travel target was to visit libraries when travelling.  Mission accomplished! I've been to libraries in Australia, Thailand, Myanmar.  This year I would like to visit mosques!

Sizuka is waiting for ANA flight.  ANA or All Nippon Airways is fairly new for Malaysians as they have just started flying from KLIA in November 2015.  I bought the tickets online on 23 Jan to fly on 25 Jan, guess what! I paid only RM1,200.00 for return! (Comparable to AA @ RM1,500 and JAL @ RM1,900).  It is a full board flight with meals and baggage allowance (plus extra allowance for winter season!).  Departed KLIA at 8am for a 7-hour flight. 

The first night in Tokyo, I stayed at MyStays Asakusa.  Small hotel but very clean and very nice staff.  Below the hotel is an Indian Restaurant, Doli.  They serve super yummy food! Must try!

The next day I moved to Shin-Yokohama by shinkansen aka bullet train.  Quite expensive but for just for the experience of it. In Shin-Yokohama, I stayed at Daiwa Roynet Hotel.  The best thing I like about Japan so far is all toilets are equipped with bidet!  When I got home, I forgot how to clean up without bidet hahaha.  OK this is the view from my room in Daiwa Roynet.  And......the walking starts!

Shin-Yokohama Hospital

Tiba2 tapak boots Sizuka terkopak!  Operasi menampal kasut.

Few days in Shin-Yokohama, walked around the town. Went to Sakuragicho (looks like Singapore) and Yokohama.  One thing I will never forget, Japanese people are super nice! Very helpful.  Every time I open my map, someone will surely come forward and asked if I needed help.

My version of Olaf named Seri!

If you want to catch the best view of Mt Fuji, wake up super early!!  This is the view from in front of my hotel - Koe House , a very nice japanese style guesthouse owned by a nice guy Mr Koe.  He provided free shuttle to Hot Spring Onsen,  They serve nice meals too.

There are two routes of tour bus - red line and green line.  It is a must do at kawaguchiko!  You can also find some halal restaurants in the city.  Alternatively, buy onagiri from 7-11 or family mart at the price of 100+ yen.  Aku panggil nasi kepal. Amik yang salmon or tuna or vege, confirm halal. Mengenyangkan dan sedap!  Omg I miss onagiri!

My travel mission for 2016 - visit the mosques!  Travel mission 2015 accomplished - visit the libraries!

Sizuka agak jakun sebab first time jumpa the real snow!!!  This pose is called Kajol nak Kojol pose!

Kau mampu main snow pakai sport shoes?? Aku mampu!

oh! my! gad! this is stunning and i'd love to go again!

I took local train from Shin-Yokohama to Kawaguchiko. But return, I took express bus from Kawaguchiko to Shinjuku.  Why? Because of the experience and nasib baik gak tak naik train sebab kabor nye some landasan tutup pasai salji tebal.  I didn't book any accommodation in Shinjuku konon nak adventure la kan. I planed to pick the first budget hotel I found in Shinjuku.  So the hunting started once arrived at the middle of super busy Shinjuku area.  I found a small yet very nice small hotel hidden behind a building under construction but exactly at the busy traffic light.  With a French design concept - Hotel Young Inn (couldn't find its link) is a great choice and good bargain for Shinjuku area (eh Shinjuku tu kira macam KLCC standard ok!). Next to the hotel is a halal restaurant with super yummy bread!

The owner of the restaurant gave me direction to the mosque (musollah) which is located at a muslim area full of halal restaurants etc.  Very interesting area! After solat, it's shopping time! Spend a lot of time and money at Shinjuku Uniqlo sebab byk sangat choices and ada sales.  Byk design yang takde kat Malaysia ok!

Ok nah Sizuka belanja gambar jalan2 Shinjuku waktu malam yang sejuk...

Jalan2 cari surau

Nampak tu dia tulis masjid?

Traffic light yg sangat busy tapi ajaib sangat takde sapa kena langgar.  Mmg terer lah dorang ni.  Confirm darah otomen!

Dah penat, dah kenyang, dah sengkek....balik ke bilik nak tido dan packing.  Esok balik ke pangkuan keluarga, flight pukul 5pm.  Sayonara!!  Arigato gozaimas!

I want to come back to Japan in summer to climb Mt Fuji!