Monday, December 29, 2008

Smile if you can !



Post call internet surfing....

New Year resolutions

Its a tradition on my blog now. Every year , I will review my new year resolutions and from there evaluate and formulate a new one. Here goes..

2008 resolutions
1. Always my number 1 priority every year ; Weight loss with an appropriate BMI with an excellent fitness :)
It came true this year ! I guess my overactive activities this year helped ! I don't huff and puff anymore for my 10K runs ! I am much fitter now and I've gone down 10 kg !! Maintaining it will be a challenge.
2.Project Baby Genius III .. heheheh..
Insya Allah in February I will be expecting my 3rd baby :)
3.Moving into our new home with cool inhouse decor.. ( which will make me go bankrupt ! )
I've moved into our BJ home partially with no furnitures and definitely a miser now !
4.To climb G7 mountains in Malaysia
I haven't climbed all but I am happy with my Trusmadi Tambuyokon achivement !
5.Achieving a milestone in other interests ( must start now.. )
Somehow I could not recall what I was thinking about when making this resolution.. hahaha kalau salah interprete bahaya ni..
6.Settle my research and aim to publish in 2009
Not settled yet.. but there is progess.
7. JAdi lagi kaya... dan kaya !! Hahahaha ( Money is everything you know... )
The opposite happened though this year ! I've never seen my bank account so small in numbers :P
8. To seek happiness for my innerself.. :)
Alhamdulillah , I do feel happier now and closer to Allah.

Now for the 2009 resolutions !
1.To be fitter as an Ironman and more weight loss !! ( down to 70kg maybe ? )
2.Finish a marathon within the stipulated time and uninjured.(KLIM09 here i come ! )
3.Settle my research project and make a my presence felt in the International Conference ( macam real je... )
4.Get the Big5 and G7. ( mountain climbing lingua )
5.Publish more articles on the mainstream media and getting my own paper column :)
6.Get 1000 friends on my facebook ! ( add me eh.. )

Have a good year everyone.. :)

New Year Hijrah 1430

Wahai Tuhan, Engkaulah yang kekal abadi, yang qadim. yang awal dan ke atas kelebihanMu yang besar dan kemurahanMu yang melimpah dan ini adalah tahun baru yang telah muncul di hadapan kami. Kami memohon pemeliharaan dariMu di sepanjang tahun ini dari syaitan dan pembantu-pembantunya dan tentera-tenteranya dan juga pertolongan terhadap diri yang diperintahkan melakukan kejahatan dan usaha yang mendekatkanku kepadaMu Wahai Tuhan Yang Maha Agung dan Maha Mulia.
Wahai Tuhan Yang Maha pengasih dari mereka yang mengasihi dan Allah berselawat ke atas penghulu kami Muhammad. Nabi yang ummi dan ke atas ahli keluarga dan sahabat-sahabatnya dan kesejahteraan ke atas mereka.


And I am on call on both Hijrah 1430 and Gregorian 2009 New Year eve !!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Malakoff Taman Rimba 12k


We completed our group activity this year with this run in TTDI. Being home ground , it is a must and not to be missed. We were dissapointed though upon collecting our numbers , we were informed that the route had changed. We were not allowed to go on to the SPRINT highway and into PENCHALA LINK for the 12k. Instead , we were to do 2 laps from TAman RImba to the Sime Darby COnvention Centre ; to and fro.There were lots of inclining road but because we were going back through the same route , it balanced out. I've been training in Kiara hills so the climb was not that bad. I was not panting.I guess , I did press hard this time for a good timing which i will only know afte the results are published sometime this week.It was certainly impressive to see the Kenyan runners sprinting all the way when we came across them on the other side !
It was certainly fun and to start off , Azad had to wear Mafiz's crocs because he left his shoes at home ! What a way to end the year's run. It was also interesting because there was a challenge up , Ruslan aiming to finish in front of Azad this time !! Hahahaha I will not tell you the outcome and let you read their blogs instead to find out !!
Thank you guys for the great runs we had this year.. and will continue in 2009 ! Azam !!

they say i look leaner now.. hehe

Short trip to PD


We went to PD on Friday afternoon. Wifey had her half day and she was really fatigued. The idea came spontaneously and since I've never been to Mak's place in Cocobay , it would be a good idea to have a try and stay overnight !
Watching the kids at its element was the reward of the week. Its so much fun to be at their age and discover the fun things that you can do with nature. ( eventhough the water quality is still of suspect ! )


nice...

Friday, December 19, 2008

Goal shot down..


"Takkan lari gunung dikejar... pelan2 kayuh !! " Deeno OGKL

Well , i guess the saying is right. I;ve been looking into crossing the Titiwangsa 2009 .Its the toughest mountain trail /expedition and I am ready for it !More to it , Its V2 Reverse ! If I manage to complete the expedition , then I've completed my G7 ( mountains of more than 4000 ft high ! ) .I was eagerly awaiting the dates from OGKL as they've mentioned about it a few times during our meetings and trips last year.
Unfortunately , With TT i have no rezeki. LAst year for the Chamah Ulu Sepat , I was not granted leave by my department. This year , it will be Mutee's reception !! arrgghhh... Family comes first and of course , the famous malay saying.. takkan lari gunung dikejar.. :) I guess the time will come when I am allowed to do so :) Maybe not in January but later in 2009 ?Mulu & Pinnacles ? tu still onnn in March.. hehehe

TRANS TITIWANGSA REVERSE VERSION 2 pic
Tahukah anda???
- Route v2 ini merupakan antara route pendakian paling ekstreme berbanding route-route pendakian yang lain di Malaysia?? (Transtt v1.0, Gn Tahan etc.)
- Route v2 ini melibatkan banyak puncak gunung serta terdapat 4buah gunung melebihi ketinggian 7000kaki?? (Yong Belar, Korbu, Gayong, Yong Yap)
- Route v2 ini mengambil masa 7-8hari untuk dihabiskan?? (namun bergantung juga kepada keadaan peserta - ada yang tak fit lebih dari 7-8 hari..;))
- Route v2 ini membolehkan ada merentasi 3buah negeri dalam seminggu?? (Perak, Kelantan, Pahang)
- Route Reverse v2 merupakan salah satu dari beberapa route yang membolehkan pendaki mendaki untuk 4buah gunung G7?? (samada naik melalui Ipoh, Gua Musang atau pun Kuala Mu)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Day off post call for houseman... hurray !!

I would like to applaud the Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai directive for giving the house officers ( trainee doctors ) day off post call which takes effect immediately. It is a bold move to protect the sanity of junior doctors from the stress of overworking. It is news which all current junior and future doctors to be are waiting for. Those misery hours of “slavery” is now non existent ! It took a Nutritionist ( not Pharmacist ) to tell all the Senior doctors in helm that humans are not robots !

I would however be utterly disappointed if this decision made had spontaneity origin or “knee jerk” response which has always been a trademark by politicians. Populist motives create more havoc and disarray in the organization then making things better. I believe this news is not expected on the ground level of the healthcare setup itself. MMA and SCHOMOS for years has been proposing methods and ways to protect the training of housemanship . However , it was never taken to put into action by the Ministry of Health.

The whole structure of healthcare organization in the Public Healthcare system is in a mess. There is no specific KPI which doctors should adhere to or any regulations which is labour law compliant.We do ward work , rounds and clinic as how it was told to us verbally by our predecessors. It should be taken into consideration that doctors working in the rural areas themselves are overworked with high clinical and administrative responsibilities. The welfare plight of these doctors who have gone through the “old” system should be looked into before making decisions such as this which could cripple the hospital set up !

Therefore , I would suggest that all doctors post call should have their day off formally as how the house officers are. To make it realistic , I would urge that the Ministry of Health to thoroughly revamp the working strata of all public medical personnels . The current system is ancient and we should evolve with the rest of the world.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Anak jantan kedua

After Jibrail Ali , Its Timor Abdullah now.. :) What else would you expect ?
I told a friend that Timor must be named after a warrior somewhere in time and not referring to the direction East. He had other speculations though .All in all , the mother and baby is well ; Alhamdulillah.
Congratulations bro for the new addition in the family.. Dunno if Mukhriz wanna name his Barat and Khir Toyo Utara and Selatan to complete the circle.. hehehehe

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Nightmare


Last night was the first time I did UMMC's locum in consultation aka Green Zone. I am usually placed at the resus area ( red zone) which was where I was more comfortable managing. I could have changed my placement but i had the thought of having a go of what was said to be the most challenging job in the hospital. Pure 9 hours of medical consultation ; non-stop !It must have been a bad night because the usual suspects were stressed with the number of patient that kept coming in. I was at the verge of collapsing when the clock stroke 8 this morning. MAk aaaiii.... Its very similar to the outpatient department in other hospitals. Its the same all around the country and my god , i dunno how people can survive this ordeal !
What did i learn from last night's experience ?
1.Salute and tabik spring to the ED green zone doctors. Its tough to keep up with the literally free flow of patients which kept coming in .its not easy I can tell you !
2.Unless you are really really desperate for money , then it is a good option. But the energy and zest it took away blew my mind away !
3.Bawak baju spare , you'll never know when your patient can vomit on you !
4.If its not super urgent , then don't bother to go to the emergency department ; the waiting time can be hell as we doctors try our best to fascilitate everybody thoroughly.
5.It reminded me of my housemanship years.
6.I can be a "mata duitan" without me realizing it !

A total nightmare and I am zombied....

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Passion

Have you heard him singing live ? Wuuh.. dahsyat bro.. He is different. He has that extra edge with his jantan vocals and I guess different from all the rest. I like his passion and everytime he sings , memang wow.. I came across his ;atest Muzik2 youtube just now . And as how i remembered him from last year's competition ; he belted this year's entry well. I guess if it was not for his controversial act , he would have been on the winner's list ; a strong contender for best performer.
My bet for this year's Juara Lagu.. Faizal Tahir...
p.s bule try pakai celak mcm dia.. hahaha

coba kau dengar , coba kau coba
diam bila ku coba
tuk berbicara dengan kamu

pernahkah kau ada , bila ku perlu
tuk meluahkan rasa hati

dan bila kau bersuara , setia ku mendengar
agar tenang kau merasa

siapa
sebenarnya aku padamu
mungkin sama dengan teman lain
yang bisa kau buat begitu
dan bila
tiada lagi teman bermain
kau pulang tuk dapatkan aku
itulah aku...padamu

coba kau lihat , coba kau coba
renung ke mata aku
bila ku kaku melihatmu

pernahkah kau ada , bila ku perlu
tuk menyatakan rasa sakit , dalam diri

dan bila kau perlu , setia ku menunggu
agar senang kau merasa

siapa . sebenarnya aku padamu
mungkin sama dengan teman lain
yang bisa kau buat begitu
dan bila
tiada lagi teman bermain
kau pulang tuk dapatkan aku
itulah aku...padamu

maafkan kerana aku tak pernah
terlintas tuk menulis pada mu
salahkan ku
tak mungkin lagi aku meminta
untuk kau mendengar..
untuk kau melihat ke mataku

siapa
sebenarnya aku padamu
mungkin sama dengan teman lain
yang bisa kau buat begitu
dan bila
tiada lagi teman bermain
kau pulang tuk dapatkan aku
itulah aku...padamu

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Moments


Palpitations..

The best Papa picture ever..

Ultraman sesat

The pic taken better be Pullitzer material.

All in the family xcept Doya..

Congratulations Mutee and Suzarene !


We've never been the best of brothers.I've always been the big brother and him the younger. We were then separated when Mama went to UK for her PhD.That means he grew up without a big brother physically by his side after he became 11. When he came back , I was in UK . Our communication was always semi-formal ; not the big brother relationship we always view in television.
We grew apart. I was always the loner while my other 4 siblings went through lots of things together. There were times when we disagree very strongly on certain principles. I;ve always been stern but maybe at times too much that i forgot what compassion means.Somehow I never knew how to reconnect the bond . We were strangers and isolated.

However an event that happened few years ago brought me back to him. The recollection of the event went across my mind again and again yesterday ; as the akad was about to begin.
" Allahu laila hailla huwal hayyul qayyum..."
We recited this together then and what seemed bleak became clear. I've never talked to him like how I did before. I was exasperated , I didn't know what to do but I just did what a big brother should do. I realized that I am his big brother after all and we are strongly related. I apologized for not playing that role as we grow up but I guess it was the circumstances around us.

I tried to hold back my feelings but it was futile. I became emotional as the moment came by. He recited his akad well( sekali jer ! mamat sorang lagi after him pressure sampai 3x hahahah ) and tears could not stop flowing.I tried so hard but it was overwhelming. I was so happy for this moment. COming back from what happened a few years ago to this very moment and time. I was speechless and I was crying.. not because I was sad but I was so happy. As he was about to perform his post ijab qabul prayers , I went to him. For the first time in my life , I became speechless. I could not whisper what I wanted smoothly. I just cried and wished him well. We hugged and it was timely. I remembered the time we hugged and each time then , it became more emotional. I guess he understand my feelings and it became a moment not to be forgotten.

So Mutee... I wish you the best. Of course , I will always pray for your happiness and I do hope that you will feel grateful for what Allah has granted you so far.. Syukur.. Syukur Alhamdulillah..

Friday, December 12, 2008

MANA DZAEFFRAN during the family day out ?

Hi..its me again Dzaeffran !! I thought blogging was not for me after the earlier entry( i could not eat my rice with my fingers as they were so sore !! ) , but I had to explain regarding the newspaper report about the Nuffnang-Friso Family Day Out event! I was not in the picture with Walid ( this is what i call my dad ) and Qaisya !!

Atuk , Maktuk , Nenek , Pak Long , Mak Long , Cik Cun , Auntie Elly , Uncle Mutee and Uncle Meng asked me the same question repeatedly ..
" MANA DZAEFFRAN ?? "

I tried to explain that i was caged by Walid because of my uncontrolled genius behaviour !! Hahahaha Everybody knew it was a fib even before i tried to put it into a sentence. Well , to be honest , I don't know myself !! Hmmmm.. Let me retrace where i could be on that fine Saturday.

We were in a place called Kidsportz & Gym early in the morning. Umi was not with us because she had to work ( again !! ) so Walid was kind enough to bring both Qaisya and me to the event. I was excited because I know it would be of so much fun and joy ! Millions of balloons greeted us at the entry point and I was so thrilled ! However I don't understand why Walid wanted me and Qaisya to change as we were already on our best clothes ! I refused to wear it initially but resistance is futile.... :( Qaisya looked funny with the oversized t-shirt but i guess it did not look that bad after all !! It was a huge turnout and i could see lots of people with their children eagerly waiting to enter the area.
After everybody assembled , there were two adults talking which was not to my interest. My eyes were glued to the play area which had a pool of balls as well as a huge slide which was the tallest and largest that I've ever seen in my life !! Wooohhhhoooo.... When everybody clapped i thought it was time for me to jump in joy ! However , Walid took me and Qaisya with a group of other kids to one of the activity room.

Initially it was fun !! I enjoyed the dance and the obstacle course. I left Qaisya and took the lead! All other kids were happy as well climbing , crawling , rolling and jumping along the specially designed track. I guess , this must be the reason why Walid loves to go hiking and mountain climbing. However , I still cannot forget the play area which was why when nobody was looking...

I tried to run and head for the door !!! Victory !! However as I was leaving the room ; i saw bubbles... plenty of bubbles roaming in the air !! I cannot leave this area. It was too much fun!! Huuraaaayyyy !!! Bubble fight !! Lets pop off everything !!! Huurraaayyyy!!!!! I jumped and all the kids were in the "RAVE" mood... ( hehehe as if i know what that means... )

Qaisya and I were so happy after that. I can see all the kids in my gym room smiling from ear to ear . We then had a break and shortly after a good sip of cold chocolate drink ; I saw crayons , colour pencils and drawing sheet on the ground !! I whispered to Qaisya , " MUSKA MUSKA !! " and within a second we were on the ground starting out our project. Apparently it was a colouring competition and we were "under-age" to be a part! With my good charms , i managed to convince and persuade them that i will guide Qaisya well and we will behave. Walid was however having his sceptical look.. hehehe


Alas... our masterpiece ! It was themed after Picasso's classism and surrealism. I totally loved the collaboration of art but to my dissapointment , it was not appreciated as such by the judges. Well , we were underaged to start off with but then that is not a hindrance ! Maybe in another 50 years people will realize and see for what its worth.

It was lunch time !! And my oh my.. I was really full. The snacks were fulfilling and I cannot ask for a better food :) I managed to munch of everything which was for me and had a little peak at Qaisyas ! She was furious and throwed tantrums to Walid's disapprovement. Sorry Qaisya , I was using so much physical and brain energy and i need to replenish !!

Soon after there was a magic show on and everybody gathered around the master magician. He was good and I thought it was David Blaine's brother !! However , i do fail to comprehend why he called himself BANANA when he is not yellow at all ?? He does not even look like one. Sometimes I don't understand why adults like to behave this way... ? But wait , I saw Walid engrossed with Banana's show and Yes.. it is time.. it is time ... for me to pursue my dream and goal !!!!

YEEAAAAAAAHHHH !!!!! I was swimming.. and swimming with joy among the balls ! The pool was cool and definitely not for fools !!! Qaisya and I were so happy to dive and roll across the pool. Wow.. I wish we had this at home and maybe its not a bad idea to ask Umi or Walid to get one of these.

And i reached NIRVANA after sliding down the TALLEST ever SLIDE in the world !! I was afraid in the beginning but I braved myself to just close my eyes and let myself go.. It was pure adrenaline sliding down ! And i did it again... again....and again.....


Qaisya saw me and wanted to join the fun. As a big brother , i know my responsibilities. She is too young for this and I must take care of her. I tried to stop her but she was determined and stubborn. Oh no.. she maybe in danger! Quickly i shouted for Walid. Only then Walid realized where we were... and ofcourse he was not happy ! I had to sacrifice my fun and joy for my sister.. and both of us were demoted to the UNDER-3 play area... Nevertheless , safety first :) I was happy anyway ...

The event ended at 2pm and Walid had won himself RM100 voucher from MPH ; thanx to Nuffnang and Friso ! We did not win the Grand Prize to see Mickey and Minnie , but i guess i may not be able to learn cantonese in time anyway. Congratulations www.sawanila.com.
Overall I enjoyed and had maximal fun during the Nuffnang - Friso family day out ! Thank you so much for the event from me and Qaisya. I guess it will be quite sometime before we can have as much fun as this but i hope that it will be soon...

P/S Ohhh... now i remember why I was not there when the picture was taken... I was looking and admiring the most handsome and smart looking boy during the Nuffnang-Friso family day out !!!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

For non NST readers.. ( including me.. haha )


The interview during the Nuffnang day out came out in the papers today! Dzaeffran ran away when they were interviewing us thus the reason why he is not in the family pic ! Hahahah glamour akhir tahun..

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Last challenge of the year


The Malakoff 12k run in our homeground in TTDI will be the closing event of a very active year for the STAMINAX gang this year. Training bang.. training !!

Young does not equal no risk


I arrived in resus early this morning and Juli was about to pass over to me the cases from the night shift when I heard my name called.. I looked towards the voice and it was from patient in bay 1. I asked Juli who he was and quickly glanced at the folder. And my oh my , I do recognize the name !! It was a senior of mine from school!
I asked Juli why was he in resus and she mentioned to me that he was having chest pain. I went by his side and greeted him. Of course , he knew me and i could see that he was a bit glad. He was still in pain but i guess , having somebody you know around during this hour of fear is helpful. I consoled him and ask him to relax ; asked about the onset of his symptoms . I remembered meeting him in Kiara Park a few months ago after my run ; he was walking with his wife. I could remember that the conversation then did revolve on his deteriorating health.
I repeated his ECG because I was not happy with his persistent chest pain. Yups.. it was evolving and certainly evidence tht he is having an ongoing myocardial infarction ( heart attack ) . I gave a generous amount of morphine and we did the appropriate management accordingly. He was luckily stable and it is now about damage control than anything ; to minimize morbidity and stabilize .
Seeing him fragile in bay one made me realize ; how god can take away the strength and confidence in one just like that. He may have always been overweight all his life , but I've never seen so much fear in his eyes ; fear of death which was very possible. He was a heavy smoker and i could smell tobacco on him when i approached him. Risk factors such as this is very real and i urge those who are actively involved to stray away from this habit. Not being 40 therefore no risk is absolute bullocks as the age cap has lowered down so much. We are all at risk and this serves as a reminder to those who forget ( I am in that category ) .
He was later sent to the cardiac ward with PCI in mind.My prayers for his recovery of health..

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

groggy.. again..


Aidiladha was celebrated in a modest manner yesterday. I guess , being a Johor-bred as well as a town boy , aidiladha celebrations were never as galant as Aidilfitri.Mak and adik came over to cook the traditional delicacies on raya eve ; with Azam with his family came to join us later. It was the first time that our SS2 home lit up with food and people during raya ! I guess , a best way to say goodbye to the house before we move. I prayed raya in the nearby mosque in SS2 ; breaking my yearly tradition of praying in TTDI. As expected , there were more foreign workers in my qariah compared to the locals ; hence Shah Rukh Khan lookalikes roam freely around SS2 !! Hahahahaha I did not participate in this year's qurban ; usually I wll have a part in the SMTTDI qurban. Since it's the school holidays there was none done.
**************************************************
I had to work from 10pm to 8am yesterday. I was hoping for a cool shift as how it was before , but RESUS last night was damn busy. Of course , it was the medical field day with APOs coming left right and centre.I was on my feet for the whole 8 hours ; and am very groggy now. TASKA is closed till thursday and the kids were "freely" watching the TV as i slept most of the morning and early afternoon !!

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Tragedy beckoning


I was on my way to work this morning when Shakti gave me a ring. He was the first person to inform me about the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy ; he was at ground zero very early in the morning. Well , he lived next door in Taman Melawati ! He disclosed me his disgust about the whole tragedy..something that those who has gone through that area ; wondering when will it happen again.
I was in charge of resus ; therefore when I arrived i quickly approached the ER team whether there was any DISASTER switch on .. I guess, HKL and Ampang were the nearest to the scene of tragedy ; thus making them the automoatic choice as the first responder. I waited anxiously because if things were to get worse , then UMMC will be part of the DISASTER Management team.. and I am in charge of RESUS for the day... jeng..jeng..
My condolonces to the family members who've lost their family member in this tragedy ( one of them is related to wifey... ) Its sad when things like this happen. You just wanna say .. I TOLD YOU SO.. but its not the right time to say it. I've been through that area numerous times , and seeing the houses which were built on the hillside were outrageous. TO make it worse , there were few other projects going on !! Honestly, its not the first time of its kind ; ever since the Highland Towers tragedy in 1993 , there were few close calls but this is the worst so far since then. Its scary thinking if you are one of those trapped ; unable to get out of the area which has totally been cut off due to the massive landslide. No eletricity , no water supply... wooohh.. that is truly scary being in such decivilized..
However , i do reckon its SILLY and SOOO STUPID to make statements like ...
NO MORE PERMITS FOR HILLSIDE PROJECTS..
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... STOP HILLSIDE PROJECTS..
WTF lah ???? totally knee jerk statements which i reckon is inappropriate !! You don't say this things now ! Its a bit TOO late isn't it ?
And of course , the next episode... lets play the BLAME-GAME ...

p/s and on the other side of the country , a nearby mamak worker lookalike with baju melayu during Syawal and Aidiladha prayers in the local mosque received his datukship !

Friday, December 05, 2008

New nest

I've been running up and down to Bukit Jelutong this week ; foreseeing the final jobs to the house ; something wifey has been doing for the past 2 months ! Its a lot of hassle but i should not complain much as wifey had managed single handedly most of the problems ! I must say that i am impressed with her "keeno"ness to ready the house. She's heavily pregnant but her energy is tremendous ! Since i'm very daft at these things , i try not to interfere so much of her choices and desires. However , she does have that extra talent on being really pushy and stern to the contractors ! Her taste is also commendable and a lot of class. We do get into "friendly" banters which in the end .. I'd better shut up then continue arguing !! Hahahahaha

It can be really stressful when the works we expect did not fulfill our expectations. Worse so when the person who was suppose to come and do the repairs and did not turn up! I had to wait in that empty house for them to just say.. "oh ya.. solli aahh... " WTF ????? Wifey can be really edgy when things don't go her way and I cannot imagine the sarcastic side in her giving her piece of mind to the other party ! Hahahahaha
Apa-apa pun , it drains your energy and of course most importantly , that MOST IMPORTANT thingy called MONEY !!!

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Unforced desire


I am on leave this month ; not that i really plan or want it but forced to. I love working.. hahahah.. honestly ! I do enjoy it very much eventhough it can be disheartening sometimes. It all began last month when the department announced that we can't bring over our current leave to the next academic year. For years it had not been a problem for us ; but i guess the recent conjoint collaboration between UM , UKM and USM altered the usual practice.
Guess what.. I have 30 days left over from previous years! That really shows that I seldom take leave and of course , trying to be smart piling my leaves for future study leave before my finals ! Too smart i guess and it became a dilemna last month. We were told to finish our leaves in stages or it will burn into ashes if we don't . I was in ICU last month and it was quite impossible to serve the short notice. I've confronted my boss and she was alright for me to take long leaves in December as it is not an exam month and staffing should be adequate.
However , being at home can be a bit boring for me. I do plan to study as I plan to take a foreign exam soon..very soon that I am not so sure whether it is wise to do so !! Hahahaha.. therefore I've registered myself to be available to the emergency department for locum work ! Locum in UMMC is not bad at all because you are paid RM80 per hour ..very lucrative ! Each shift you work for 8 hours or 10 hours ! ( Calculate ..and you'll see what i mean !! $$$ ) Compared to the workload I reckon its reasonable ! To my delight , I'm scheduled for quite a few slots and definitely..$$$$$$ woohooo... dahlah mcm nak bankrupt ni because of BJ house !!
And here I am , waiting for my shift to be over with on my first overnight locum in UMMC Emergency Department. I'm sure I will have lots of experience and story to tell this December. At the same time , its good to be back in resus "unofficial ED posting" after a long hiatus ; which will help with my exam's knowledge too :)
Code Blue ..... Activated... :)

Monday, December 01, 2008

Playing tok mudim !

I've always been interested to be a part of the charity mass circumcision event. However , Ive always been busy , oncall etc to be free to join them. However this year , an old colleague of mine from Manchester days ( he was my Nakib.. hehe ) got in touch and asked for my help ! He is a part of an NGO called Ikatan Muslimin |Malaysia ; ISMA who loves doing charity work such as this. Of course , how could i refuse ??!!! Thank you for facebook !!I joined them in Taman Medan last week ; and it sort of became my learning curve.

I did learn how to do it from my locum boss in Sentul but never had the opportunity to perform it. Nowadays , we have modern easy to use device ; and smartclamp was the choice of the group. I was a bit worried after reading the news this week regarding a small boy who had complications from a certain device ! However it was not this product but from Sunatron.( tak boleh cerita banyak2.. nanti tokey dia marah !! Yahudi.. hahahaha )

Last Sunday , I was invited again to join them for a JAWI organized mass circumcision in Manjalara. It was held in Manjalara main mosque with the participation of more than 130 kids from around Segambut area. The children targeted were the ones under urban poverty status ; with about 20 kids from a nearby orphanage. This was my first time being involved and I must say I am impressed with the organizers ! I truly liked the BOMBA's splash for the kids before the "main " event !!

After a short briefing by our team leader , Dr Mat Salleh ( surgeon from Ampang Hosp) we proceeded to our cubicles. There were 12 cubicles with 60% dominated by the Sunatron team and 5 by ours. Each table had 12 kids to handle and my oh my.. it was not easy all the way ! We had to handle lots of emotional expressions. One kid tried to run away but chased after his dad ! I'm glad my local anaesthetic technique did not fail me as all my children were comfortable. I had to tell the children on my table that my place is the only place where the children will not feel anything after the injection to avoid them screaming and moving !! Hahaha..it did not help when the cubicles around us had children screaming and a mass hysteria was created ! I brought Kamal with me and we had a blast ! It was new knowledge gained at the same time doing your bit for the under priviliged.

briefing..

cubicles..
I must say , being circumcised is the most traumatic experience any malay-muslim child will have to face. Some parents tend to do it for their child early so that they do not have any recollection of the event. Some would prefer to have their children in their primary school age so that they are more "mature" to go through this process. I had mine.. mmm... 2 weeks before my secondary school !! Hahahaha lambat giller...
Some would argue that this process is not good for the child's psychological state as the trauma can haunt the child his whole life. However , I do feel that it is a character building process ; its not easy to handle the stress and feeling very scared about the whole thing ! If they can get through this then it is a "wake up" for the challenges they will face in the future. It really brings out the child's personality and having this experience will certainly assist them growing up. The future challenges that our children will be facing is immence and they need to be resilient. Being brave and the ability to handle stress is vital to survive life. Hmmm.. I wonder when will i decide for dzaeffran's circumcision ?

the I station team.. :)
Now that I'm part of the "part time" team , if there is any future sunathon event ; I would like to invite you to join us !!!