One Week

I'm in P.J.!! this means..

• free food (Mama's great cooking) for a week
• Astro for a week *not so important..tapi sebab kat Ipoh takde..heh*
  
• gaduh ngn my sisters for a week
• listen to Tok's endless nags for a week*i miss this the most*
• layan Baba's lame jokes for a week

Hoorah!!!

hehe...soz soz..I'm just excited since I have not had any holiday since 4 months ago and I'm so in need of a break...away from books and Ipoh and take-out foods..

Ok..I'm off to OU with Farah(younger sis) and will be meeting Dalia later to catch a movie at Cineleisure =) wheeee

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Another mind boggler

This Chris Angel guy creeped me out the other night with his disturbing street magic. Watch this vid and you'll understand.
Huhu...enjoy! =)



Scary isn't it?
Here's another one..


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TGI Friday!

Yay! It's the weekend!! wohoooo!!!
I don't have any plans lined up..I'm just glad that I have 2 days off..no classes, no bedside teachings, no seminars, no ward work. YAYYY!! I guess I'll be catching up with my much needed sleep for the next 48 hours..
Went out with a bunch of friends from my college (Isma, Ruz, Bavani, Sanjeev, Amrit, Khai Yin, Su Tein, Ramesh & Alvin) on the eve of Sultan Perak's birthday (ok, 2 nights ago..hehe) and we went to this popular new hang out in Tambun called Rum Jungle..konon "the" place to be seen at lah kat Ipoh ni..=p It was fun just hanging out and have a good laugh, unwind after hours and hours of standing, sitting, and running around in the surgical wards..the place was kinda nice (I'd give 6/10 for the interior) but too bad..the music they were playing sucks...and the crowd consists of people between the age of 25-40..bleah~ Sanj, if you're reading this, yes, I had fun..but can we go somewhere niceeeer next time? hehe..

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Weighty issue

"Look at that fat girl eating a whole bar of Sneakers."
"She's so fat! She better do something if she wants to get married later."

I heard this conversation between two women while waiting for the lift at the hospital..then it occurred to me, why is it OK to discriminate fat people and it's not OK to discriminate others about skin colour, races and religions? We have been taught that discrimination is not OK.
Period.
Weight discrimination is everywhere and we use the word "fat" ever so freely without realizing how much it might hurt those on the heavy side. Fine, so FAT is not a four-letter-word, it's an adjective, just like short, tall, thin and blonde. But society has given it a derogatory meaning, it is used to casting off the shame we have been taught to feel about our bodies. Large sized people suffer from discrimination in all areas of life.
We see stick thin people in magazines and televisions everyday and the media has defined beauty so narrowly that is is unattainable by most people. Stereotypes are always degrading, they destroy people's individuality and emphasize only the negative qualities. People who are larger have to live with stereotypes on daily basis. Fat actors on sitcoms are usually shown eating constantly, and are portrayed as lazy and stupid. The one that causes most distress, is the fact that they show on TV that fat people don't mind when people make fun of them. It is as though they are giving the society a loud and clear message: accept fat people if they allow you to humiliate and make fun of them. It's just wrong. Out there, in the real world, people come in all shapes and sizes, and people are attracted to people of all shapes and sizes..tall, short, thin, fat, voluptuous, you name it.
This standard of beauty makes extreme thinness is the only acceptable body type. Hence, leads to other medical and psychological problems, especially among women, suffer from anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and depression. The result of the media's constant reinforcement of this standard is the world obsessed with dieting and weight loss.
Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Twiggy may have seemed the right size in the sixties, but in the fifties, they preferred Marilyn Monroe's fuller figure, which would be considered as "overweight" today. It changes from time to time, and of course, the usual culprit for these changes, again, the media.
I don't want to be a hypocrite. I admit, I am guilty too. I sometimes caught myself staring at a person just because he or she is on the larger side and I criticize people/actors/actresses/singers on TV if they don't have the "right" body size. But I have experienced the feeling of discrimination when I was 60kg (a few years back) and trust me, it was a painful experience, especially when people say it to my face or mock me if I eat anything. I lost weight because I got sick and not because of weight-obsessed-related problems. I'm comfortable with my body even though I'm not as thin and scrawny as Mischa Barton or Paris Hilton.
Discrimination against fat people has got to stop.

0 is NOT the new 2.

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The list

Here it is.
I'm revealing my list of things to do before I reach that big, ancient age of 35. I have this list for quite some time now, and the list just keeps on getting longer and longer that I had to extend the age limit to 35. Keeping it rational and do-able is the hard part of it, finding free time is the harder part (bare in mind that I'll be working in a place that requires me to work 36 hours straight with 24 days of holiday per year and also I'll be married and prolly with kids by then!) and of course, the usual issue,*ka-ching!*

1. Go to every single F1 race for the whole season
2. Go to the Olympic games (and Winter Olympic) , including the opening and closing ceremony
3. Get married
4. And then, have kids
5. Tour the whole of Asia, buy fridge magnets from the places I've been to
6. And then, the whole of Europe and buy snow globes and fridge magnets too
7. Be one of the best and renown Pediatrician and publish my journals and books
8. Open a really good clinic
9. Have my own Jimmy Choo's and a Birkin Bag
10. Learn how to cook like Bree(Desperate Housewives) and open a cafe/restaurant
11. Go to Greece
12. Sleep in a beautiful park under millions of twinkling stars and see meteor shower, or at least one falling star.
13. Go bungee jumping
14. Go sky diving
15. Learn scuba diving
16. Go skiing and surfing
17. Have RM500,000 in my bank account ("earn 1mil" is in my b4 40 list..hehe)
18. Swim with dolphins or sharks if I feel dangerously berani
19. Follow Mercy Malaysia (am a member) to a disaster site
20. Build a hi-tech walk-in closet with endless clothes, shoes, handbags, and accessories..huhu
21. Have a walk or a cuppa with Tun Mahathir and have an intelligent conversation with him
22. Re-learn my rusty Tajwid so that I'll be able to read the Quran flawlessly
23. And just like what Cinta told me, to be happy and successful

Irrational and impractical, u think?
It's what keeps me going. I believe that we need goal(s) in our lives and as cliche as it might sound, we need to live our lives to its fullest and then, die as a happy and contented man.

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Sunday morning

It's a Sunday morning and I'm already up and about.
It's a Sunday morning and I'm going to the hospital in a few minutes to clerk cases for tomorrow's class.

It's a Sunday morning.

This is absurd.
I think I'm loosing my life slowly but surely.
*Tsk tsk*

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Sweet love

Again...my Cinta surprised me. He sent me gorgeous flowers..for no apparent reason at all.
Sgt sweet la kan.
Told you he's the most amazing guy on earth. Hehe.

Other than that, nothing really interesting happened today...or this week for that matter...it has been an embarrassingly boring week *yawn*
Owhhh...I finally clean up my dusty dusty room...wohooo...it's an achievement, really. Just ask my housemates..=p

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I am a believer

I have never been a fan of magic shows; especially the ones with big stage, pretty girls in skimpy outfits, chopping people off in half and make planes disappear, things like that.
But that's not the deal for David Blaine.
Who does not know who David Blaine is. The one with the on-the-spot magic tricks...and recently, the one in-the-water-tank-for-a-week. I was channel surfing the other day and there was this show called (surprise, surprise) "David Blaine: Street Magic"...he took magic tricks to a whole new level I tell ya. With no strings attached to him, he floated...phowarrrr...the people tried to check for any strings that might just lifted him up but there werent any. Hmph..mind boggling.
There was also this slot where he asked the people watching at home to think of a card. Whichever card from the deck. Choose any type of card and think hard and look straight into his eyes...and guess what, freakingly enough, he guessed it right! I freaked out for a little while but continued watching the show. There was a second segment which was similar to the one before. He asked the viewers to think of a number...just any 2 digits odd numbers and think hard and again, look into his eyes...and yes, he guessed it right again! I was sooo creeped out I actually switched off the TV. No more freakiness for the night, please.
*the vid below is different. another trick*
Maybe he's practicing some kind of black magic to read people's mind. Or if not, he's from another planet. Haha..those are the only explanations I can think of. Leo DiCaprio (the host of the show) asked him how in the world he does that trick..the one that can read people's mind...Blaine said that it's just his intuition. Hmmm...yeah...how come all of us don't have that kind of intuition? Might come in handy especially during exams..hehe..

I can't help but to notice that he seemed weirdly calm and kinda doped up.
Street magic is way better than those on big stage with illusion tricks.
It's more believable.

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Next..

Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Primary Care Medicine

Yay! Did the exam this morning. Well...weren't the best papers I've ever sit for...=( but never mind..the important thing is that I'm finished with these two..and I'm in PJ now..enjoying myself..hehe

Next up, surgery...where all the lumps and bumps are.

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When doctors rant

I was blog hopping and I came across this really interesting entry from a doctor's blog (Stand Up!). From what I've heard from other senior doctors I've met, they basically told me the same stuff and I personally have seen it first hand during my O&G posting on my on-call nights. The HOs, junior MOs, MOs, and even specialist work their a$$ off. I just hope that by the time I graduate, things will be different. Hope it'll be different for the better that is. Here's the entry which I find interesting..

Malaysian Govt Doctors Criteria

Criterias for becoming a Malaysian Govt Doctor. Theres no need for an aptitude test. Students should consider these requirements:

1. No life outside medicine; this includes dating, sports, clubbing, chores for your parents and visiting the toilet

2. Not to live with your parents. Move out ASAP as they will never understand the ludicrous working hours that u go through. Furthermore, chores are not suitable for u as to rule No. 1.

3. Not to be married until completion of all 4 years of Govt Compulsory service as u will be transferred left and right to some of the most remote Govt clinics in Malaysia. Having wife and kids to follow you to your new working area may increase high level of stress on all parties. Furthermore, if your spouse is a Govt Doctor, he/she will also be transferred away from u and no matter what appeal is made, KKM will put up a deaf ear (unless u have big cables or of a certain skin color).

4. If married, no to have children until u finish all 4 years of Govt Compulsory service, as to which u and your spouse will not have much time for your child/children or they end up not recognizing u and refer the Indonesian maid as their mother (change in language patterns commonly follow).

5. To obtain life insurance once your govt service begins as there is not many claims for accidents during work. Don't be fooled, Doctoring in Malaysia is hazardous.

6. Able to withstand 36 hours of non stop work and stress without mistakenly labeling Left for Right or uvula for vulva (or Volvo S40)

7. To buy a car with complete safety features (like I'm doing) which includes multiple airbags, ABS, EBD, side-front-rear-top-parallel and diagonal impact bars and seat belts to ensure survivability if u are involved in an accident because your driving resembled a drunkard maniac after working in the hospital for 40 hrs non stop.

8. Constant supply of coffee

9. Nicotine Patch as u will have the urge to start smoking due to overwhelming stress

10. Interest in watching medical sitcoms such as House MD, Scrubs, ER, Grays Anatomy and Chicago Hope to inspire u to continue your life as a doctor as the exciting things u see on TV does not resemble the real life of a Malaysian govt doctor.

11. Not to have any pets or plants (not even cactuses) as u will have no time to feed or care for them and eventually all will end up in your mortuary.

12. Able to endure the stench of your own sweat as to when 36 hours "on call" does not permit u time to bathe or freshen up.

13. Able to carry on working without food or water over 15 hours. ( I was in OT for 16 hrs without food, water or bathroom breaks). If during fasting month, able to break your fast with “water for injection” as u had no time to buy food.

14. Able to come to work with fever/cough/illness or physical disability (sprained ankle etc) as to which doctors do not deserve MCs. (My MO was on crutches during rounds)

15. Able to stand scolding, destructive criticism, kiss ass behaviors, racial bias, finger pointing, scape goating, and in competency from your superiors.

16. Able to withstand the jealousy when your friends call u up for some fun and ur stuck in the hospital during on call.

And here's another one which is interesting but really true. I've seen it first hand.

Only the dumb ones do it...(no disrespect, I'm doing it too)

As depicted by this poor, tired doctor, its quite clear how hectic and busy a Malaysian Govt Doctor's life is. May I add that in some M'sian govt Hospitals, doctors work 40Hrs in a stretch because those on call do not get their day off on the next. They are to continue till 5pm which eventually ends around 7pm. And these tired, worn out doctors are basically zombies after a very busy and hectic night. Mind u, doctors don't work sitting on their a$$. Our night involves running like lemmings here and there to pursue cases, results, set lines, attend to dying patients, face an angry relative or merely to sign an MC at 4o'clock in the morning. We sometimes run to obtain vital blood results, climb on beds to conduct CPR, sweat in thick gowns in 7 hour night long surgeries, prick our fingers while taking blood, get scolded by patients for not "smiling", write case summaries, beg with the blood bank MOs to get blood bags, and the list goes on..... There are times that the body works on its own without the direct control of the mind. And falling asleep during procedures or interviewing is almost a normal thing. And knowing that when u go home to enjoy your 12hr rest, the 36 hr on call will begin again when u wake up (Every Other Day - EOD).

Govt doctors in Malaysia work 36 hours non stop!! Thats the main message to get acrross. Theres no glamour here, theres no respect, theres no glory. When u save a life, its just a pat on the back, and when u fail, its your mistakes and faults. We go home after on call only wishing to sleep and prepare for the body for the next one. Imagine doing this for one year or more!! Saturday Sunday included!! No life definitely!! And for what? A mere RM 2185 per month and RM 150 per call. Most of us don't have the luxury to spend that money.

Keep in mind, govt Hospitals wish to seek ISO 9001 approvals. It makes u wonder, are they more concerned about facilities available or the service provided? If a tired doctor comes and sees u at 5am in the moring, ask them this very wonderful question, "Tak balik ke?"

Hehe...well..this doctor is just venting his anger and voicing out his disappointment and I guess he is just trying to survive in this cruel yet noble job. Cruel to the doctors that is.

And here I am..complaining about exams and postings..the 2 entries by Stand Up! are an eye opener for me...the kind of things I will be facing and vaguely gave me the idea how the real world will be like. I said vaguely cause I know that whatever I read is just 10% of it. I have to go through all that to really know what it's really like. But this is what I've chose, so those are the things I will be facing later and there's really no point complaining.

But I guess that will be in 2 years from now.
Still got time to ronggeng.
Ngeeee.
=p

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