Wine as a symbol of joy, celebration and abundance
In the teachings of Jesus, wine is often used as a symbol of joy, celebration, and abundance. In the New Testament, Jesus is recorded as turning water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana, demonstrating his ability to perform miracles and his desire to bring joy and celebration to people's lives.
Wine as a symbol of Jesus blood
Additionally, in the Last Supper, Jesus used wine as a symbol of his blood, which was shed for the forgiveness of sins. This act of drinking wine together became the basis of the Christian practice of Communion or the Eucharist.
New wine as new and revolutionary teaching
Jesus used the metaphor of new wine to describe the new and revolutionary nature of his teachings and mission. In the Gospels, Jesus says, "No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins." (Mark 2:22, NIV).
In this metaphor, the new wine represents the radical nature of Jesus' teachings and the transformative power of his message. Just as new wine cannot be contained in old wineskins, Jesus' teachings cannot be contained within the old religious systems and traditions of his time. His teachings emphasized love, mercy, and compassion, and challenged the religious and social norms of his time. He invited people to embrace a new way of living, one that focused on a personal relationship with God and caring for others.
Did Jesus drink wine?
It is worth noting that wine was a common beverage in Jesus' time, and it was often consumed in moderation as a part of everyday life. While the Bible does not provide a definitive answer on whether Jesus drank wine, it is possible that he did, in moderation and in the context of cultural practices of his time.
My clinic has a corridor of only 15 meters. Need to find out the most appropriate walk test to evaluate the functional capacity of a person. This is what I found out.
The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the shuttle walk test (SWT) are both exercise tests that can be used to measure an individual's exercise tolerance and functional capacity. However, there are some key differences between the two tests.
Test protocol: The 6MWT involves walking as far as possible for 6 minutes along a flat, straight, and unobstructed corridor, usually 30 meters long. In contrast, the SWT involves walking back and forth along a shorter distance, usually 10-15 meters, for a set period of time, such as 1-3 minutes.
Turnarounds: In the 6MWT, the participant turns around at the end of the 30-meter corridor and continues walking in the opposite direction. In the SWT, the participant turns around at the end of the shorter distance and walks back in the opposite direction.
Pace: In the 6MWT, the participant can choose their own pace and may slow down or stop if needed, while in the SWT, the pace is set by a pre-recorded audio signal that gradually increases the speed of walking.
Performance measures: The primary outcome measure in the 6MWT is the total distance walked in meters in 6 minutes. In the SWT, the primary outcome measure is the number of shuttles completed in the set time period.
Clinical use: The 6MWT is commonly used in clinical settings to assess exercise tolerance and functional capacity in individuals with chronic lung diseases, heart failure, and other conditions that affect exercise capacity. The SWT is commonly used to evaluate exercise capacity in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and peripheral artery disease.
In summary, both the 6MWT and the SWT can be used to assess exercise tolerance and functional capacity, but they have different test protocols, primary outcome measures, and clinical uses. It's important to use the appropriate test for the individual and condition being evaluated.
More details on how to perform the SWT:
The Shuttle Walk Test (SWT) is a modified version of the 6-minute walk test, which involves walking back and forth between two markers that are set at a shorter distance. Here are the general steps to perform the Shuttle Walk Test:
Set up the test area: The test area should be a flat and unobstructed corridor or hallway that is 10-15 meters long. Two markers should be set at each end of the corridor, spaced 9-10 meters apart.
Measure vital signs: Measure the participant's vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation, before the test.
Warm-up: The participant should warm up by walking at an easy pace for a few minutes.
Test instructions: Explain the test instructions and demonstrate the walking pattern to the participant.
Audio signal: Start the audio signal or use a stopwatch to keep track of the time. The audio signal should gradually increase the walking speed every minute or every 2 minutes.
Walking pattern: The participant should start walking from one marker to the other marker and back, and should touch the marker or turn around at each end. The walking speed should be set by the audio signal, and the participant should try to keep up with the speed as long as possible.
Test completion: The test is completed when the participant can no longer keep up with the audio signal or when they have completed the required number of shuttles. Record the number of shuttles completed and the time taken to complete the test.
Measure vital signs: Measure the participant's vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation, after the test.
Cool-down: The participant should cool down by walking at an easy pace for a few minutes.
To run an Alpha Course effectively, consider the following tips:
Create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere: The environment you create should be warm, open and supportive. Encourage participants to ask questions, share their thoughts and engage in discussions.
Make the content accessible and relevant: The course should be designed in a way that is easy to understand, engaging and relevant to the participants’ lives. Consider incorporating personal stories, interactive exercises, and group discussions.
Foster a sense of community: Alpha is not just about imparting knowledge, it's also about building relationships. Encourage participants to get to know one another, build relationships, and form a supportive community.
Choose experienced leaders: The leaders of the course should be knowledgeable, experienced, and passionate about helping others understand the Christian faith. They should be able to facilitate discussions and answer questions in an approachable and compassionate manner.
Promote a safe and respectful environment: Everyone should feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions without fear of judgment. Encourage participants to listen to one another and respect different viewpoints.
Offer opportunities for follow-up and growth: The Alpha Course should not end with the last session. Offer participants opportunities to continue growing in their faith and connecting with others, such as a small group or regular events.
Remember, the goal of the Alpha Course is to create a space where people can explore the Christian faith in a non-threatening and supportive environment. By following these tips, you can help create an effective and meaningful experience for all participants.
May consider posting the videos online for review on demand. Perhaps a system to track users. There are several ways you can post the videos for an Alpha Course:
Online Video Platforms: You can use online video platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo or Wistia to upload and host your videos. This option is free and accessible, allowing you to easily share the videos with your participants.
Course Websites: If you have a website for your Alpha Course, you can upload the videos directly to the site. This allows you to create a centralized location for all course materials and keep everything organized.
Social Media: You can use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to share the videos with your participants. This option is a great way to reach a wider audience and engage with participants outside of the course.
Video Conferencing Platforms: If you're unable to meet in person, you can use video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams to host live sessions and share the videos.
Normal airways produce mucous. The mucous lines the airway’s surface to trap air borne particles, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. This trapped material, within a small amount of mucous, will be transported up the airways by the cilia, to be swallowed. The mucous also keeps the airways hydrated.
Diseases of the lungs produce abnormal looking mucous which is called sputum or phlegm.
Describing accurately your sputum will help your doctor come to an accurate diagnosis of your lung condition.
It is a good practice to take a photo of the sputum which you have coughed out to show to your doctor. A picture of the sputum is worth a thousand words.
Note the volume of the sputum. It can be a little, or copious, like half a cupful. Some patients with extensive bronchiectasis produce a large volume of sputum every day.
Note the viscosity of the sputum. Sputum which is fluid or watery can be coughed out easily. Sputum which is viscid or thick can be difficult to cough out. A bout of severe cough can worsen breathlessness and may cause a person to faint. Mucolytics can be taken orally to reduce the viscosity of the sputum making it more fluid to be coughed out.
Next note the colour of the sputum.
Healthy airways produce mucous which is fluid and clear.
Whitish sputum is somewhat thicker and cloudier. A viral infection may cause the sputum to be white in colour.
Yellow coloured sputum contains white blood cells, particularly neutrophils and eosinophils. These cells are present at the site of inflammation, like in asthma, or in bacterial infection.
Green coloured sputum has a higher concentration of white blood cells which are involved in fighting an infection caused by bacteria.
During an active infection, there is activation of the host defence mechanism which results in neutrophil recruitment in the airways, to kill the bacteria. This neutrophil influx is associated with a change in nature of the airway secretions from mucoid to purulent looking.
The release of myeloperoxidase from the neutrophils, during the killing of the bacteria, is what makes the sputum green. When the bacterial load is reduced or eliminated with antibiotic therapy, there is resolution of the secondary host defence response, and the colour of the sputum will return back to normal or white in colour.
Red coloured sputum denotes the presence of blood. During active airway bleeding, the colour of the sputum freshly coughed out is bright red. When the airway bleeding has stopped, the sputum will contain stale blood which is dark red in colour.
Sputum with brown and black specs within, commonly come from smokers or mine workers.
It is very important for patients with chronic lung diseases to note their usual sputum colour, which may not be normal, even when their diseases are in a stable condition. Things to note are cough frequency, sputum characteristics, level of breathlessness during daily activities and other constitutional symptoms like fever, fatique, tiredness, appetite and sleep.
During an acute exacerbation of COPD, following a viral or bacterial infection, a patient will experience more cough, increasing sputum volume with change in sputum colour and increasing shortness of breath, perhaps with wheezing. Noticing these worsening symptoms, the patient should seek medical advice immediately.
Your doctor may ask for your sputum to be collected. At times, three consecutive specimens, on different days, maybe required.
The best time to collect your sputum is in the morning. Gargle and rinse your mouth with water before collecting the specimen. This helps to eliminate prior, accumulated cells and bacteria in your mouth that may interfere with test results.
You may wish to perform the huff manoeuvre to bring phlegm up to the upper airways to be coughed out and collected.
The sputum specimen, about 5 ml or more, must be put into a sterile container which are available from clinics or laboratories.
Please remember to collect sputum and not spittle, which contains mainly saliva.
The specimen is best sent to the lab within 2 hours of collection.
Mr Chin Yoong Kim was a geography and music teacher in ACS Ipoh. He was very passionate about teaching and taught geography with great enthusiasm. He would bring along those large foldable maps to class to illustrate the teaching points and to make his lessons interesting. His classes were usually very informal where questions would come from both sides, the teacher and his students.
His huge interest in geography and how local conditions affected peoples' livelihoods brought him to visit Leong Sin Nam Farm. He was interested to investigate how pomelos grew and how pigs were reared. During the visit several of us had great difficulty getting on the plastic covers over our shoes to prevent farm contamination. Fortunately, none of us slipped and fell into a pig stye!
I had the privilege of being his Form 4 Science A Class Monitor in 1972 with Wai Hoong as assistant. During a class photo shoot, I remembered him asking me why I was still in shorts rather than in longs. He wasn't angry as it was only a small matter and we laughed it off. But certainly the photo turned up okay as above without any details of hairy legs. Surely, all of us look younger and sportier in shorts!
As you can see in this photo above, we had in class some of the most mischievous people around in school. We were usually the noisy lot and Mr Yoong Kim would have this funny way of addressing us as "yooooou creatures"!
Mr Yoong Kim was such a friendly and approachable teacher. We always invited him to our class social functions. He would dance, laugh and joke with all of us. He was also such a gentleman whom all other teachers can easily associate and relate. These pictures were taken in 1975.
Mr Yoong Kim would invite all of us to his bungalow at Jalan Khong Kam Tak every Chinese New Year. We felt very much at home in his home and whatever goodies he had in his refrigerator were ours too.
Mr Yoong Kim had great passion for music and school stage plays. His favorite warm up songs were "Tiny Bubbles" and "Pearly Shells". I was not in the school choir nor in his musical productions, but did acquire some singing tips from him during school assemblies.
Here are some of his singing tips. Use abdominal breathing to get more air into the lungs. Relax the throat and tongue muscles and the voice must come out from at the vocal cord level. Let the musical notes vibrate in the oral cavity to create a natural unique sound.
After leaving ACS, I met Mr Yoong Kim on several occasions. We had some sharing during his Rotary Club meetings at the Royal Ipoh Club, when I was a guest speaker on several occasions. Mr Yoong Kim was once the President of the Rotary Club of Ipoh.
Below are two pictures of Mr Yoong Kim during the ACS Alumni Dinner in 1999. He was very involved in the ACS Ipoh Alumni Association and the Perak Society of Performing Arts. He was also once in-charge of the Canning Garden Methodist Church choir.
One can never forget his style of getting all the attendees jazzed up before the singing of the ACS School Song in every ACS Alumni Dinner.
Mr Yoong Kim had been a great teacher to many students. I must surely salute his humble demeanor and his willingness to help others.
Mr Chin passed away on Wednesday 16th November 2022. May the good Lord continue to bless him and keep him. Rest in peace dear Sir.
