Thursday, January 28, 2010

Gunung yang tak lari tahun ni kena kejar..

After years of hoohaa.. tomorrow nite will be the start of my quest of G7-G12. Starting with Korbu Gayong is good enough as I may not have the luxury of spending a week in the woods to achieve this. I know exams is just around the corner but 3 days would not hurt would it? I mean..seriously, I need this climb to help push myself. The satisfaction is out of this world despite the pain and agony of being true to nature!!
Itu yang kita cari... bukan? Wish me luck eih... :)


Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Getting it on..

My finals will be starting on the 5th of May. Thats like less than 3 months from today.
Revision is ongoing but its not easy; being middle aged, family of 5 and of course lots of other excuses.. hahaha
Honestly, its so easy to deviate my attention to other things and activities which has always been my "core" of life. I've always been a part time student, full time activities type of guy which nearl brought me down to my knees in the past. I survived that and now I am back in it. I hope I don't fall into that trap but being older ( not sure about the wiser part still.. haha) makes one more mature in handling multi tasks.
I am still going for my aim this year.. to finish a marathon and of course mountain climbing activities which gives me the different type of satisfaction.
I guess.. all this to compensate Liverpool's woeful season.. hahaha

Monday, January 18, 2010

New Balance 30K


I decided to upgrade my running this year.. well, not full super running all the way though ( hahaha.. nak jadi superman la ni) I needed the extra challenge since I'm fairly comfortable with 21k. Not to say my timing is very superb but doing a 2h30min ish is fairly ok for me. How much faster can i go? Below 2 hrs perhaps but i won't be winning any prizes as the ultimate challenge would be to LAST the distance..and the final frontier: which is the marathon.
I registered for the full 30K in this year's edition.( It was known as GE's before now it is NB). Initally Kamal registered for the same category eventhough we've been begging him to just go for the shorter one after seeing him suffer in the last few runs.. but i guess, its the extra challenge to yourself.. to go on when you are totally knackered, to say that you can finish eventhough your physique is giving you signs about damage.. Azad was still on with his 20K ; training for the Korbu Gayong trip later this month!

(thanx Jewelz for the photo!!)
I arrived at the Bukit Aman parking area at about 5am..gosh.. dah ramai orang dah time ni..managed to find a parking for myself and there I was walking alone to the starting area. Azad was running the 20 so no way for me to see him as yet. I thought Kamal was already thee but he texted me atthe very last minute saying he is unwell.. There I was , starting line up.. many familiar faces; mostly triathletes and ironmans I've came across in other races with time. Saw Luvis too and it was his maiden 30K as well! Francis Yeng ( My paeds lecturer in IMU) was beside me before we start!
And off we went !!!! Of course, the Padang Merbuk course will start with the hill and then around to Bank Negara. This early double hill run has always been famous for its punishing course.. and I must say that I was punished!!! The route took us from Padang Merbuk, Bukit Tunku and towards Hartamas and back again. I managed to sneak Subuh prayers after passing Masjid KL along the way!
Honestly, up to 20K I was fairly comfortable and thought ehh..not bad! I was just passing 2 hr mark and hey..another 10K for under 3hrs.. not bad..not bad!!! The training run going up Bukit Cinta of UM certainly paid off as the inclinations were similar but multiple times more effort!!!
Then..after 22K .. my thighs began to twitch.. the pain started here..i thought ok.. slowly la kot.. then the other thigh twitched... Ok i said.. slow lagi..so i decided to brisk walk.. hmm... seems better.. and took my kurma to sort of boost me up. Then when i thought I was OK i ran again ..but it lasted 10 steps before both my thighs and calves hardened. Maakk aiii... painful!! The cramp was getting to me as I started walking and it did not stop there.. hahaha..I was practically limping... alamak..takkan sini je kot. I've not felt cramps like this for a very long time!!
The pain never went away! Wow... pain is pleasure!! hahahaha sakit giler!! but the mantra of:
Kesakitan hanya sementara.. Kejayaan buat selama-lamanya!! became my motivation factor.
It was painful though.. as I tried my best to run-walk-run. Of course, when you thought you are there.. the turning to Bukit Merbuk was for the 20k..for the 30K runners.. more torture!! Around to Bank Negara..up..up.. and then back to Padang Merbuk.. hahahahahaha That was not funny!!!

I told myself I will finish this run no matter what. The cramps were really pulling me down but I tried my best to push it off with the mantra..
Of course, coming down the short hill I had to do a bit of running. Mak aii.. it was not beautiful, but seeing the finishing line there i nfront of your eyes brushes away the pain for me to achieve my goal.. and Alhamdulillah..i crossed the finsih line safely!!!
I did a 3hr 45ish ( based on Kooky Kash's time as she passed me on the way to the finishing line.) I am happy with my time as this is my first 30K ever!! Waah.. ni baru 30K, lagi 12 camana ek?

the finisher's T-shirt( courtesy of runningandsome blog)
p/s Hari ni memang ROBOT sket.. hahahaha

Friday, January 15, 2010

Favourite picture of all time..


Certainly the picture i will see again and again... memang best tengok sendiri.. hahaha
Hikayat budak Hitam... sampai mana akhirnya?

When you thought you're done...


I was so groggy this morning!! Finished off the long plastic breast reconstruction at midnite; patient under GA for 16 hours at least. She was young and relatively ok ; we warmed her up throughout the operation well and theoperation went well with very minimal blood lost.
I managed to extubate the patient.. and she was fine. Her pain relief was adequate and everything looks good. The oncall team was supposed to take over me by 10pm but it was very chaotic. I thought it was fair for me to stay on was I reckon it would be more justified for me ( the owner of the patient to extubate rather than the oncall team).When I brought my patient out to the recovery area; there was already one patient ventilated and managed as per PASCA and Lai's patient( also plastic-uro) was already there. Meng Li was stil actively managing.. talking and moving around in that small area.. Waahh...
I settled my patient and then quickly to the changing room for me to get back home..It was already late 1 am. However when I arrived at my car ( which is parked like thousand miles away!!) I could not find my car keys !! DAAAMMMNNNNN... Mana pergi? I was frantically looking for them and i honestly could nto remember where or when was the last time I saw my keys!!! I was too tired to think... And since I was running the morning ENT list... I guess I had to find a place to sleep stat! it was already 2am!! Wifey ( being an excellent planner and executer) can manage the kids in the morning i am sure..
The oncall team was all-girls team and there was no way I can bunk in.. nak mampus?? hahaha Of course, the only possible place was.... DANAU!!!! my study area.. hahaha I went there, and luckily my small plastic mat was still there , and of course the moment I lied down.. i was so fast asleep... TOO TIRED!!
When I woke up just before Subuh... thefirst thing that came to mind was.. MY KEYS!! So after prayers.. slowly I tried to track back where it could have gone.. and Subhanallah... I found the keys 10 meters away from my car! Imust have dropped it earlier yesterday and Alhamdulillah... Kereta semua selamat.. :) Luckily the monkeys were not smart enough to go away with my car!!! And that ladies and gentleman.. what happened to me last night.. ;)

The show must go on..

Empty spaces... what are we looking for..
Abandon places.. I guess we knew the score..
On and on..
Does anybody know what we are looking for..

Another hero.. another mindless crime..
Behind the curtain - in the pantomine
Hold the line..
Does anybody want to take it anymore..

The show must go on..
The show must go on..
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up maybe flaking
But my smile still stays on...

**all time favourite...

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Postgraduate seminar UiTM 2010


The venue for our postgraduate workshop was impressive. The new state of the art medical school was really something. I had a crap time initially trying to find my way to the campus; with no maps and just the typical Malaysian way of giving directions..:

" Its just next to Selayang Hospital.."
" Buat u-turn bila nampak Hospital Selayang.. then pusing kiri.."
" Jalan straight.. then turn left yet.. and turn after that.."


Like whhhaatt??? hahaha I ended up exploring Selayang this morning and I'm sure I won't get lost the next time I am here!what a way to start the morning!
I've always looked forard for this event every year as this is the place where I'll meet and find out who mu juniors are ; with the big intake and setup that we have it is impossible to notice them in UM!! Besides that, mingling with old buddies and the feeling of being young again.. hahaha
THe intro slide by Norizal was cool as ever; seeing our ID card faces on the screen to introduce who we are.. of course, we all looked very different now!! We had the usual inspirational introduction by Prof KY and I must say, he has not lost is zest to upgrade the faculty. Listening to him can be inspiring and one has to follow his trail of thoughts well to appreciate his vision for our young university.
I was invited to be a panelist for the forum which was designed specially for us but unfortunately.. becuase Prof KY took a bit too much of our time slot.. we had to ultimately postpone the session..hahaha tak sempat nak cakap pun..hahahaha

VC came to solemnize the event and it was very refreshing to see the new VC so enthusiastic and full of spirit! I guess we need people like this to lift us up and be proud of our institution. Cool..:)
Overall, the time management by the organizing committee was poor ; perhaps being in the new place for the first time maybe a factor but it should not be something that we can be proud about.. First class fascilities must come with first class act and mentality :) In a way, I look forward to be part of the faculty and directly involve in the University's mission and vision soon..:)

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Sub-standard operating theatres – wasting tax payer’s money and compromising patient safety?



**UPDATE***
letters to the editor the star 7/1/10.. Patient safety should not be compromised...

***************************

I am appalled by the revelation in the front page news of the Star (6/1/10) (Government surgical facilities in Terengganu out of action). Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have heard about it in Malaysia. It is a shame because the delay of healthcare service delivery lie at the basic infrastructure issues which should be non existence. Million ringgits of tax payer’s money had been wasted awarding contracts to unqualified and unaccredited contractors who knows nothing about building a healthcare facility. I am sure the specifications by the PWD and Ministry of Health is of international standard but unfortunately the lack of knowledge and awareness topped up by poor commissioning is such an embarrassment.

Surgery is one of the most complex health interventions to deliver. More than 100 million people in the world receive surgical treatment every year for various reasons. Problems associated with surgical and anaesthetic safety in developed countries account for half of the avoidable adverse events that result in morbidity and mortality.

Building a surgical facility is not about building an office like structure and crossing your fingers hoping that it will become an OT! There are a lot of factors that needs to be considered in tandem while designing an OT complex. These factors are inter-dependable namely the medical gas supply system, electrical safety, ventilation and air distribution, humidity and temperature control, scavenging and waste management, standard monitoring devices, optimum anaesthetic and surgical equipments. If one component is faulty then there is no way the OT facility can function optimally.

If the OTs in Terengganu services are halted because of basic infrastructure problems like leaks and shabby workmanship; what more will be the finite details? Patient safety is at stake here and I’m sure we don’t want to be famous worldwide by having an on OT table death caused by the roof which fell on him?

I urge the PWD, Ministry of Health and the involved bodies to seek local expertise for opinion and reference in rectifying this issue. Commissioning OTs for use should be aimed at ensuring patient safety in tandem with the modern infrastructure plans. Please learn from the past mistakes and move forward towards being recognized by specific international accreditation standards eg JCI. It will be ridiculous if after the physical repair was done the OTs will still cannot be commissioned for use because of patient safety compromise!!!

It’s family day out for the bloggers

It’s family day out for the bloggers

Wednesday January 6, 2010

It’s family day out for the bloggers

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN
Photos by SAM THAM


THE number of bloggers has been increasing over the years and some of them got to meet one another at the Nuffnang Friso Gold Family Day Out event at Kizsports and Gym 1 Utama.

The theme of the event was “Curious Kids Need To Be Tough Inside”.

“Most of the parents here today are new bloggers. This event is a good opportunity for them to have a good time with their children as well as meet others in the blogging community,” said Mira Abu Bakar or better known as Red Mummy.

Her children aged between nine and six had enjoyed the activities organised during the first family day event held in November 2008.

Having a ball: Mafeitzeral with his wife, Haniza Abd Jalil, 33, a radiologist, and their three children (from left) Myftzal Dzaeffran Qayyum, 4, Myra Durratun Qaisya, 2, and Marissa Daania Qystiena, 10 months, enjoying some quality family time at Kizsports and Gym during the Nuffnang Friso Gold’s Family Day Out.

She said her five-year-old blog enjoyed more than 4,000 hits in a day and a lot of people visited her blog to find out more about her children who were enrolled in Chinese schools.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua who was also at the event with his wife and two children, aged five years and eight months, said this was the first time he heard about the event.

“It’s a great event for children to have fun. My eldest she enjoys the Playland,” Pua said.

Mafeitzeral Mamat, 33, an anaesthetist, had been looking forward to the event ever since he attended the first in November 2008.

“This is something we look forward to and I kept looking out for announcements since November last year.

“I’m also looking rward to finding out more updates on children’s health from the talks scheduled today,” Mafeitzeral said, adding that this time his wife was with him and it made it easier to take care of the children.

Energetic tots: In this game organised for them during the Family Day, the children were required to dance and stop with the music.

Parenting author and columnist Ruth Liew, who is also Friso Gold’s nutritionist, delivered a talk on children’s immunity at the event.

About 200 children, parents and parents-to-be attended the event.

Nuffnang Malaysia country manager Nicholas Chay said the first family day, attended by about 250 people, was a resounding success.

“This year’s theme is children’s immunity because we want to stress on the importance of keeping illnesses at bay with a healthy immune system,” Chay said.

The event was organised by Nuffnang Malaysia and Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad and was by invitation only.

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Caring for the ill


1Malaysia+UN team..hahaha

Looking back, i just realized that I did not blog about my ICU posting for December. I'm not sure whether it was because I lost the enthusiasm to blog last month or ICU was just a turn off for me to blog. After the one month stint in IJN, I was certainly looking forward for last month's posting.
A lot of colleagues are not keen to be placed in ICU especially during this last 5 months before our finals. That somehow I do not understand. Its busy in ICU but it has its rewards too. I guess the thought of trying to think what is best for the patient may not suit anaesthetists who likes things to be done and no after thoughts.
Somehow if one cares enough there is a sense of attachment. I do call my colleagues at work during my off days enquiring updates of certain patients. I really don't know why we practiced this last month! Hahahaha Dedication you may call it but at times it is not healthy!
I must say, i had an enjoyable time with my team : Kit Yin, Yan Wei, Shakti and Sama as each of us bonded in a way.. hahahaha Thak you guys for making the posting something to be looked back. I guess when we were left like headless chicken( no lecturers posted in December!) we came together and somehow tried our best to help whoever came through us(transit back to ward or higher above).
Now.. I have 5 months before I take my finals.. and forthe last 2 months it was certainly an evaluation of my purpose in being an anaesthetist. IJN was abut getting me to be humble again with role models of who i wanna be..and ICU was the reinforcing moment for me to pick up my skills before I "neglect" them in these coming months..

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Fun day out in Kidz Gym 2/1/10

We had a good time during the event today.. it was a hectic day for the kids as both Dzaeff and Qaisya were runing all around for the whole day!! Kudos Nuffnang for organizing the day out again successfully but this time around i did not win anything... hehehe baru nak berangan pergi Disneyland.. hahaha


HELLO 2010!!!

Yup.. end of the new millenium first decade! Time flies so fast eih? Lets see how my 2009 resolutions went.
1.To be fitter as an Ironman and more weight loss !! ( down to 70kg maybe ? )
Weight loss.. takde sangat la.. I'm still stuck at 78-80 but the physique is different compared to the old 80.. hehehe
2.Finish a marathon within the stipulated time and uninjured.(KLIM09 here i come ! )
Haven't done a marathon yet..only 21Ks and I'm happy with that.. KLIM tak pergi because I went to Riau.. but Putrajaya Marathon..here i come!
3.Settle my research project and make a my presence felt in the International Conference ( macam real je... )
presented in Sabah..and then went to Salzburg, Austria..woohoo...
4.Get the Big5 and G7. ( mountain climbing lingua )
Big5 in Murud... alhamdulillah...:)
5.Publish more articles on the mainstream media and getting my own paper column :)
I was on paper few times.. but had less time to write last year..:( no column laa...)
6.Get 1000 friends on my facebook ! ( add me eh.. )
HAHAHAHA i totally forgot about this... and now, >1200 aahh...tak sangka.. hehehe

Ad now for 2010:
1) Maintain my fitness.. complete my marathons this year! Putrajaya thefirst and KLIM 2010 definitely.. and maybe straight for Singapore!
2) Pass my Master exams in May .. need to press in the hard work!

honestly.. no 2 is my main priority this year and others can wait i guess. Thats why I can't really think of any other big resolution to write. It will be my biggest exam academically so far and I better do it well to redeem and justify everything I did till now. Come May; more things will be generated in my mind to do( a definite track record to prove it..hahaha)