Official picture PBIM 2009

Kesakitan hanya sementara..kejayaan buat selama-lamanya..:)

Thank you Allah for your grace

As humans it is just natural for us to not be satisfied for what we have. It is so easy to complain and grouch for things that we don't have or can't get ; rather than being thankful and appreciate for things that we have. It is more convenient to look at the little bad things instead of the bigger good things granted to us by god.

‘Sesungguhnya manusia diciptakan bersifat gelisah. Apabila bahaya mendatangani dia keluh kesah. Dan apabila mendapat kebaikan amatlah kikir. (Al-Maarij, ayat 19-21)

Seeing the parents of the unfortunate congenital heart disease babies and children in IJN was a revelation for me. They have with them, their own flesh and blood; literally gasping for breath of life ever since their inception. I cannot imagine the stress these parents have ; constantly worried about the future of their children. Few had to give up their career in life to sacrifice for the sake of their loved one.To make it worse, the majority comes from the lower income social strata. The ones in IJN are the fortunate ones by lottery and i know there are more of the unlucky ones out there..unreached.
To know the poor prognosis of such babies and children, that certain procedures done are purely palliative and not curative can cause so much hurt to the doctor who was given the responsibility to councel them. But of course, these parents hold their hopes high on you.. to whatever you do is hope regardless the risk and real outcome. It is that small bit of hope which carry them to their current state. During my premed rounds seeing the parents for consent, I had to hold back my tears.. and let it go once I am alone in the treatment room while completing my clerking for the hospital computer system. I spend quite some time doing the premed because it is humane to sit, talk and importantly listen to their stories.. most of them sad and disheartening. This may explain why i go back home almost everyday.

I thank Allah for his blessings and for giving me three beautiful offsprings who are healthy. I've enjoyed watching them grow so fast that sometimes you wanna pause and press the rewind button to enjoy the moment. I cannot imagine being in the shoes of the parents I met in IJN.. I guess, the only way I can contribute would be to ensure my very best to help alleviate their pain.. as well as being thankful and reminding not just myself of how lucky we are to have the life that we are living now...

C'mon la.. theuniverse does not orbit around you..

Respect should be earned. Respect cannot be forced upon to. One should treat others the way one wants to be treated. Easy enough as a simple logic isn't it?
Apparently.. there are certain narrow minded arrogant people who reckons that they can say whatever they want and whenever they want it. Period.. and as if nothing is wrong with them at all??!! Where's the common sense la?
A simple rule: How do you expect one to respect another when he is not shown the courtesy of one? I mean.. i do not tolerate people who refuse or arrogantly disrespect another..regardless. I mean, you want another person to hear you or require your help but you disrespect them in the most blatant manner.. you expect the person to blindly oblige to that? Hello? Wake up? where is one's sense of simple manners? Nak kata kurang ajar bapak ada..mak ada..
I guess the most ideal world for somebody like this if they are the only living creature on earth..

Convincing your words are,
that one is worthless,
a hideous individual.
Resembling a serpent,
your insults lead one to death,
yet another a victim of abuse.

p/s post luahan perasaan.. hahahahaha

Penang compressed weekend

I was in Penang during the weekend, my second ever trip to the famous island of Malaysia. I was there for 2 reasons:
1) A dear friend and former IMU classmate Quah Boon Leong's wedding ( he's a muslim now..donning the name Johan!!)
2) Penang Bridge International Marathon.. i ran the 21k
As usual the active gang of Mafiz, Azad and Kamal were my compatriots! We were off from KL by Saturday noon and being on board the 5 series was a riding pleasure! I wish I am able to have one of it in the future..hahahaha
Leong's reception was held in E&O hotel, a prestigious and exclusive hotel and I was glad i brought my suit with me as it was definitely strictly black tie! Everybody was well dressed and i did not feel out of place at all! It was a really enjoyable wedding as I met a number of my old buddies from Univ and we had great fun sitting on the same table!

Unfortunately, I could not stay long as I had to have a bit of rest before the Penang 21K. Iwish I had because I know with the gang in the house, it would have been reallyfun!
Honestly, i felt it was ridiculous to start running at 3am in the morning from Queensbay area.but looking at Kamal's 42K starting time..2am, ok la..not too bad i guess! PBIM was a definite success as it attracted more than ten thousand runners.Initially I was a bit sceptical about the number thinking it was a publicit stunt but when I was on the bridge..Oh my god..you can see a swarm of runners in front and behind you..and it was a moment of its own!

I thought with no training at all( wih the busy IJN posting as well as the rainy season) I would have just died on the first 100m! hahahaha However to my surprise, the pace was good and I felt really good that i just ran..and ran..and ran... and ehh.. ok la pulak !!
Of course, my mental block at 19km came into reality causing me to limp and walk for a bit. I took my power gel before the mark but the pain confidently appeared as I reach the taboo mark! I knew I was on a good time.. and I just pushed myself really hard..
"Sakit itu hanya perasaannn..."
"Kesakitan hanya sementara..kejayaan buat selama-lamanya!!"
with these 2 phrases i really pushed myself to the finish line which was not as near as one would reckon even at the 20km mark.. hahahaha
Alhamdulillah, I clocked my personal best ever( who would have thought with absolutely no run after the Genting trailblazer!!) and i am really proud of it..seriously!! Checked the official time and its 2hr 31 min 39 secs... cool.. oklah tu!
It was a definite hectic weekend, tiring.. mind torturing.. but PRICELESS!!

Anak-anakku Satu Anugerah.. 15/11/09

Cahayamataku,

Sesungguhnya kehadiranmu dalam hidupku

Membuka satu lembaran bahagia,

Setelah sekian lama menanti dengan seribu harapan,

Disebalik kekecewaan dugaan tuhan,

Yang berkali-kali datang

Menggoncang ketaqwaan dan menguji keimanan

Wahai anakku,

Tiada yang lebih berharga,

Mendengar tangisanmu buat kali pertama,

Kelahiran yang kesakitannya terus tiada,

Tatkala umi dapat memeluk dan mendakapmu,

Dalam laungan azan iqamah syahdu walidmu itu..

Sumber ilhamku,

Kami sesungguhnya bersyukur kepada yang esa,

Kurniaan zuriat yang selama ini dicari,

Sudah dikecapi, telah dimilikki,

Kegembiraan kami yang kiranya dikala duka,

Terubat sahaya nista purnama,

Melihatkan telatah dan gayamu,

Karenah kenakalanmu,Bisikan manjamu,

Bisa mengangkat iltizam semangatku..

Sayangku,

Penganugerahanmu sebenarnya cabaran amanah,

Untuk membentuk dan mencorakkanmu,

Agar lahir taqwa dan tawadda’,

Bakal memimpin dan menjulang syariat,

Bangga dilahirkan islam,

Yakin akan islam itu ad-din..

Wahai anak-anakku,

Tiada yang kupinta ,

Selain agar bersama disisiku,

bersyahadah bertasbih dan bertahmid,

Disaat-saat datangnya sakaratul maut,

Dan jinjingan jasadku dalam pemergian,

Menuju ke hadrat ilahi

Anak-anakku Satu Anugerah....

.

p/s I'm dead sure the TASKA will be banning me from joining the competition again after the 2 wins in succession.. hahaha

Happy birthday Myftzal Dzaeffran Qayyum!!

We celebrated Dzaeff's birthday in the usual small scale manner. It was a proud day for me and wifey after Dzaef's peformance earlier in the morning during his TASKA concert!
He was very excited about celebrating his birthday and he smiled all the way from seeingthe specially made Ben10 cake for him until he went to sleep..
And just like wifey said, 4 years ago.. we didn't even know if he was able to be live after a stormy pregnancy and delivery.. Alhamdulillah

Code Blue.. bllurrgghhh....

Number for Code Blue: 8899 in IJN.
( to be less jargonic: somebody collapsed in the hospital and requiring immediate attention by the oncall people)
The announcement came at about 330am.. I was not really sleeping as phone calls kept coming in from ICU and CCU to inform me about this and that..
" CODE BLUE... and it just went blurrish... alamak.. which ward la? Quickly i went out of my room and went to the ICU B counter and immediately on seeing me they told me its DAHLIA.. and ok.. Dahlia.. where is it again? ( my orientation in IJN is still semi-clear as my stint here is mainly in the OT and ICL)

I ran up the stairs and yup.. the CTS registrar was already there with CPR already been started and my job here now... airway protection! Immediately after my arrival all the other registrars arrive and as per ACLS, one of them became the team leader. The intubation was fairly difficult.. but i managed to secure it ASAP and the whole chain of survival process began.. even in IJN; situations like this it can be a bit kelam kabut but I must say it is definitely more organized than the resuscitation efforts I've done before in my life. Everybody knew their role and there was no conflict of command. the different thing about here was : "vasopressin 40 units was available.. whooaahh.. i became jakun a bit to see it..
We revived her rhythm back after 30 minutes of CPR with 2 shocks in between when the rhythm just went VF. Seeing this i reckon, with proper training and supervision; it is possible to achieve a comprehensive CPR upon patients who can be revived at that time; this minus the survival rate anyway..
And what can be more of an experience when you are called to give anaesthesia at 2am for a Day 2 TOF corrrection who was very unstable with all the inotropes ( includes vasopressin and levosimendan which I;ve never seen in my life before!!) that we had to reopen his chest in PICU? simply priceless...

IJN cardiac anaesthesia posting

I survived my first Sunday IJN call and Alhamdulillah, it was ice cool as my PPUM calls. Beginners luck i reckon! However the premedication rounds for today's list was overwhelming!! Banyak wooo nak kena tengok!! and I finished seeing my patients shortly before 9pm ( starting at 2pm!) Luckily I'm quite familiar with the Phillips system they are implementing for total paperless network system so it was fairly alright for me to double chart my pre med findings..

I could not find time to blog about my initial experience in IJN , mainly because I was too tired to do so. The working hours in IJN is long ; out from my house at 615am and for the whole of last week except Friday, I arrived home at 10pm! One of the nights, I just went straight to bed without changing!
This long awaited delayed posting( other univs send their candidates when they are in their initial 3rd year) is in a way something i look forward to. Working ( eventhough we are only known as attachment doctors) in Malaysia's most internationally recognized institute is an honour. To be a part of the team (the lowest rank la.. hahaha) is a priviledge and I hope to learn as much as I can here. The workaholic culture is amazing because everybod is very dedicated to their work and the long hours are taken as a norm and not something being loath at.

I was in the new wing OT, OT A for the whole of last week.Therefore, it was until Friday that i get to see other faces in the B OT. Due to shortage of junior attachment trainees I was paired with a Consultant Anaesthetist every day.It was initially a worrying because of course we want to perform our best to them.. hahaha pressure tu!! It was a delight to be working under 5 different consultants last week. I must say their skills are superly superior to mine..hahaha( baru setahun jagung dah nak mengaku anaesthetist) and indeed it was an eye opener to have these masterful sifus as my temporary teachers. I still have a lot to learn really.. and my experience here so far humbled me.
The cases that we do everyday is a variation of cardiothoracic cases and to see how cool the consultants manage it is something to be learnt. Macam takde apa je.. the things that we get paranoid in our usual practice! Hahahaha
The staff; staff nurses and OT techs( Anaes assistants) are very helpful and I learnt from them as well. The family feel is there and i must say IJN is a nice place to work at!!
And one more thing, the food.... they really take care of what we eat! So far.. everything is very nice and if I am not careful, I might gain instead of lose weight during this posting!!!

Menggapai Puncak Murud - Kosmo & November 2009

Menggapai puncak Murud

Oleh ROHANA MAN
rohana.man@kosmo.com.my

Keseluruhan perjalanan hari terakhir memakan masa 10 jam 15 minit dengan menempuh bukit-bukau, berperang dengan pacat dan menempuh trek balak yang membosankan.

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DUA tahun berhenti mendaki gara-gara memberi tumpuan pada aktiviti pacuan empat roda (4WD), mungkin memberi sedikit kesan kepada prestasi saya dalam ekspedisi mendaki Gunung Murud di Sarawak baru-baru ini.

Membayangkan tidak mahu menjejaskan kelancaran ekspedisi, buat pertama kalinya dalam sejarah pendakian saya yang bermula pada tahun 1996, saya mengupah seorang pengangkut barang (porter) untuk memikul beg galas saya yang membawa isian kira-kira 15 hingga 20 kilogram. Alhamdulillah, percaturan itu membuahkan hasil apabila saya dapat mendaki dalam keadaan yang lebih selesa. Berikut catatan Eksplorasi Murud-Bario 2009 yang disertai 11 pendaki dan diketuai oleh Zainudin Lot (Deeno) pada 25 Oktober sehingga 31 Oktober lalu.

MENAIKI Twin Otter dari Miri ke Ba'Kelalan.

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Hari pertama: Kami tiba di Miri dengan menaiki pesawat tambang murah AirAsia. Menginap semalaman di Apple Lodge memberi peluang kepada kami untuk berkenalan. Ini kerana kebanyakan daripada kami tidak mengenali antara satu sama lain.

Hari kedua: Selepas mendaftar keluar, kami bergegas menaiki teksi menuju ke lapangan terbang Miri untuk menaiki pesawat Twin Otter (Mas Wing) ke Ba'Kelalan. Pesawat yang hanya memuatkan 18 penumpang itu singgah di Lawas untuk mengambil penumpang termasuk 'penumpang' istimewa iaitu beberapa kotak ayam hidup. Di Ba'Kelalan, kami singgah di Apple Lodge milik Pak Tagal yang terkenal sebagai penanam epal. Setelah segala urusan selesai, kami menaiki dua buah 4WD menuju ke Lepo Bunga. Perjalanan meredah laluan off-road yang berbukit bukau mengambil masa 1 jam 55 minit. Tepat pukul 3.15 petang, kami memulakan pendakian ke Kem Gereja dengan meredah trek hutan selama hampir empat jam. Pendakian tidaklah sukar kerana cerun bukit tidak begitu tinggi. Kami berjalan tanpa henti sehingga tiba di pelantar papan (plank). Menurut penunjuk arah (guide), Baru Labo, 50, (Pak Baru), plank itu dibina untuk memudahkan penduduk Kristian Lun Bawang berjalan menuju ke Kem Gereja untuk melakukan upacara keagamaan setahun sekali iaitu pada bulan Julai. Namun begitu, sebahagian besar plank sudah reput, membuatkan kami begitu berhati-hati mengatur langkah. Menempuh plank memakan masa kira-kira dua jam dan sebaik tiba di hujungnya, waktu menunjukkan tepat pukul 6.10 petang. Dalam kegelapan malam dan bertemankan lampu suluh, kami meredah semula trek hutan dan 35 minit kemudian, kami tiba di Kem Gereja. Kegelapan malam mengehadkan jarak penglihatan. Hanya keesokan pagi, barulah kami dapat melihat kawasan sekitar yang dipenuhi dengan rumah-rumah kosong. Saya difahamkan, setiap penduduk Ba'Kelalan memiliki rumah di situ.

MENINGGALKAN Long Repung pada 28 Oktober 2009 pukul 8.50 pagi .

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Hari ketiga: Matlamat kami hari ini adalah menggapai puncak Murud di ketinggian 2,423 meter (7,946 kaki) dari aras laut. Selepas menikmati sarapan roti canai, kami memulakan langkah pada pukul 7.55 pagi. Awal pendakian memaksa kami meredah trek berair yang membasahkan kasut dan stokin. Kesemua itu kami tidak peduli dan perjalanan naik dan turun bukit yang tidak begitu tinggi agak santai. Dalam perjalanan itu, tapak kasut Suzana Jamil (Seri), 37, hampir tertanggal. Nasib baik Ayieen Carlos Ng Ismail, 40, membawa peralatan menjahit kasut. Hampir 20 minit dihabiskan untuk 'menyelamatkan' kasut Seri. Sementara menunggu, kami berehat di sebatang sungai yang jernih dan dingin airnya sambil mengunyah 'jajan' yang dibawa. Pendakian diteruskan sehingga tiba di Kebun Batu. Kami berehat agak lama di situ sehinggakan Pak Baru terpaksa 'menipu' kami untuk menyuruh kami menamatkan waktu rehat yang panjang. "Jauh lagi puncak...ada dua jam lagi berjalan," kata Pak Baru. Hampir patah semangat saya mendengar kata-kata itu. Anehnya, setelah berjalan selama kira-kira setengah jam, kami terdengar suara riuh rendah di hadapan yang melaungkan perkataan puncak. "Pak Baru...sudah sampai ke," jerit saya. "Ya...sudah sampai. Itu puncaknya," jawab Pak Baru sambil menuding jari ke arah satu poin yang paling tinggi di situ. "Hahh...tadi kata dua jam baru sampai," soal saya kehairanan. Namun, soalan saya tidak berjawab. Saya tiba di puncak pada pukul 12.08 tengah hari dan tanpa berlengah, sesi bergambar pun bermula. Dalam ekspedisi ini, Seri berjaya menamatkan G12 iaitu menakluk sebanyak 12 puncak gunung tertinggi di Malaysia. Dr. Mafeitzeral Mamat (Dr. M), 33, dan Appaduria a/l Kuppusamy, (Uncle Appa), 62, pula berjaya menamatkan G5 iaitu lima puncak tertinggi di Borneo. Untuk sesi bergambar, kami meminta Pak Baru merakamkan gambar kami. Aksi bersahaja Pak Baru memetik kamera membuatkan kami ketawa besar. "One...two...try...," kata Pak Baru selamba sambil menghalakan lensa kamera ke arah kami. Ayat lain yang tidak akan kami lupa adalah

'Satu...dua...ketawa sikit'. Hampir sejam berada di puncak, kami kemudiannya memulakan pendakian turun dan tiba semula di Kem Gereja pada pukul 4.10 petang. Hari yang masih awal membolehkan kami berehat lebih lama.

Hari keempat: Perjalanan ke Long Repung bermula pada pukul 8.50 pagi. "Dah lewat ni...cepat siap," kata Deeno yang risau melihat kami masih berlengah untuk memulakan perjalanan. 'Kesibukan' mencari senduk kayu yang hilang membuatkan kami leka. Namun, melihat jarum jam menghampiri angka sembilan, kami bergegas mengatur langkah menuju ke Batu Linanit. Kami boleh terus ke Long Repung tanpa perlu singgah di situ. Memikirkan rugi jika tidak ke bukit itu, kami teruskan juga perjalanan ke sana. Selesai bergambar, kami meneruskan perjalanan ke Long Repung. Kami menempuh semula plank sehingga pertengahan jalan, sebelum membelok ke kanan memasuki trek hutan. Dari situ, perjalanan semakin mencabar dengan keadaan muka bumi yang pelbagai termasuk menuruni jurang yang tegak hampir 85 darjah. Kami berhenti makan tengah hari di tapak perkhemahan Pa' Balaban yang terletak di tepi Sungai Balaban. Seboleh-bolehnya, kami tidak mahu berjalan malam dan kami berjaya melakukannya apabila tiba di Long Repung pada pukul 5.10 petang.

PENULIS (kiri depan) bergambar bersama rakan-rakan pendaki di puncak gunung tertinggi di Sarawak, Gunung Murud.

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Hari kelima: Perjalanan bermula pada pukul 9 pagi dan paling jauh dalam ekspedisi ini. Kami perlu menempuh bukit bukau yang tinggi dan panjang, berperang dengan pacat dan lintah, menempuh trek balak yang membosankan dan laluan kereta kerbau yang licin dan berselut. Sebagai persediaan, awal-awal lagi saya sudah menyapu kasut dan stokin dengan air tembakau. Ternyata usaha saya berjaya mengelak gigitan pacat yang banyak. Hujan yang sejak pagi tidak reda menambah kesukaran perjalanan. Selesai mendaki sebuah bukit yang tinggi dan panjang, kami terpaksa pula menempuh beberapa bukit lagi. "Pak Baru...ada berapa bukit lagi?" saya mula menyoal petunjuk arah kami yang berwajah selamba. "Ada lagi...dua atau tiga," jawabnya bersahaja. "Nanti bukit akhir, di bawahnya paya...hati-hati, jangan sampai terjatuh," kata Pak Baru lagi. Akhirnya, kami tiba di kawasan paya yang di dalamnya ada lintah. "Pijak kayu ini...jangan tersalah pijak...nanti terjatuh,'' nasihat Pak Baru. Melepasi halangan paya memberi kelegaan kepada kami yang selamat tiba di Pa' Lungan pada pukul 1.15 petang. Kami berehat agak lama di situ. Melihat panorama indah perkampungan yang dikelilingi bukit bukau dan sawah menghijau membuatkan kami berasa begitu kagum dengan alam ciptaan Tuhan. Di sini, Deeno bertemu semula dengan kenalannya, Walter Paran yang juga seorang guide. Sekitar pukul 2.45 petang, kami memulakan langkah terakhir ke Bario. Di pertengahan jalan, hujan lebat mencurah sekali gus memberikan cabaran getir kepada kami yang semakin kesejukan. Perjalanan jauh hampir mematahkan semangat. Sebaik tiba di Pa' Ukat, hati berasa sedikit lega. Ini kerana dari situ, kami hanya perlu berjalan sekitar satu jam lagi untuk sampai ke Bario. Saya bersama Ayieen, Ju dan Zian tiba di Mustafa Lodge pada pukul 7.05 malam. Ini bermakna kami telah berjalan selama 10 jam 15 minit dari Long Repung ke Bario!

PAK BARU (kiri) bersama empat orang pengangkut barang berehat di padang yang menghijau di Pa'Lungan.

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Hari keenam: Aktiviti bebas di Bario dipenuhi dengan lawatan ke rumah panjang dan ronda-ronda di keliling kampung. Sebelum itu, kami menikmati sarapan cucur bilis yang dibuat daripada dua kilogram tepung gandum. "Ini siapa punya kerja...bancuh tepung sampai dua kilo," tanya saya kepada Seri. "Deeno yang bancuh...katanya malas nak bawa balik," jawab Seri. Mahu tak mahu, terpaksalah kami menggoreng cucur yang banyak.

Hari ketujuh: Sepatutnya, saya, Kak Kay dan Uncle Burn 'terbang' dahulu meninggalkan Bario menuju ke Miri pada pukul 9 pagi. Namun cuaca buruk memaksa penerbangan Twin Otter ditangguhkan sehingga pukul 2.45 petang. Lapan rakan saya yang lain pula dapat balik lebih awal apabila penjadualan semula dilakukan. Sungguhpun begitu, kami bersatu semula di lapangan terbang Miri untuk upacara penutup yang ringkas. Kami juga sempat membeli-belah di Miri sebelum berlepas pulang dengan pesawat AK 5187 ke LCCT pada pukul 8.45 malam. Ya...kami mungkin berpisah di sini, namun segala kenangan sepanjang ekspedisi tujuh hari akan dikenang buat selamanya. Insyaallah, saya berazam untuk menamatkan G12 di puncak Gunung Mulu, Sarawak pada tahun hadapan.

Xtreme week.

I'm very knackered at the moment and tomorrow I have to wake up early for my November IJN posting.It was a really busy extreme week , wet n wild!! I guess I will only write about it later. I will definitely write about both events soon...

26-30 October Bkalalan-Murud-Bario


Genting Trailblazer 1 Nov 2009

Another year wiser.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME... Hahahahaha
And I'm off to Murud Bario tomorrow.. pray for my safety:)

A legend unknown.

Read reviews about this movie on the paper. What made me interested was not about who was in this film but about the legend itself. Its very close to where I came from and I've never heard of this before. To make the story simple, it is about a man called awang who in fulfilling his custom by going away before marrying his true love, betrayed and when he came back ran amuk and killed 99 people during his ex fiance's wedding. There is always some truth in every legend and I guess , the unfortunate 99 killed were true and maybe the spear's magic could have been exagerrated as how legends are.
Its not the first time a johorean is associated with amuk. Remember Laksmana Seri Bentan who killed Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang? or the famous legend of Kiyai Salleh Selempang Merah who slashed the communists during chaotic 14 days of terror.
I wonder( those who know me may have witness this trait) my sudden burst trait is an inheritance? If that is so.. jangan main-main oooo.. hahaha

Why why oh Liverpool...

The 1-0 loss to Sunderland last night was an agony to watch. After a 3 match streak of lost, I am totally dissapointed and depressed with the current situation. To top it off, Liverpool is not playing well at all total and utter crapness!! Hahahaha I really thought this season I was going to watch a different and classier Liverpool considering last year's achievement. I know the manager is at his greatest pressure in his career to hold on to his job and we'd never know, while I'm writing this he's already being sacked!! Rafa...Rafa....
MAfeitz Mamat

Raya dah nak habis..

Syawal will be over very soon. It had been a good celebration by Malaysians despite the uncertainty of economy by the number of invitations I received for open house. In a way it spoilt me because I've been eating, eating and eating... gained weight and my running traning programme .. hancus !! hahaha
I am keen to organize my own open house ; inviting family, neighbours and friends for a good food and meet up after a long hiatus. Facebook reunited me with lots of old friends and how nice it would be to see them again. This is especially since we've moved to the new place.
However, my intention was shot down to the grown and buried 7 feet under.. hahahaha with statements like..
"Rumah belum habis pindah nak fikir open house"
"You always think about enjoying yourself and I have to do the shit work.."
WTF? Which i felt there was no point arguing with wifey when crappy negative statements like that were produced. I refused to be drawn into purposeless and stupid argument and if I do, I'll be the stupid one!!
I guess I have to wait till the time she comes out of her antisocial mode.. Patut pun tak ramai kawan..

National Anaesthesia Day - Day2-3

After the hectic first day, day 2 and 3 was just a breeze. Day 2 was about Prof YK continuing her Acute Care Workshop. I've always enjoyed Nawar's session on Losing Control. A true life experience of hypoxia and death with videos to depict it will always be the highlight of this workshop. His invaluable experience in the Top 10- Astronaut selection is priceless and only those who had been there can share it well with all the audience.

Day 3- Friday was the MSA CPD ( Continuous Professional Development) lectures where we had our own Profs namely YK Chan, MArzida and Patrick to share their knowledge and we had Dr Sharidan from UKM as well with us. The topics were interesting but I guess being on a working Friday, only those who were really free would be able to join us.

Overall, I reckon the committee had their share of fun and stress while officially skiving from the usual normal routine! I must congratulate Meng Li, Lai, Carolyn and of course the backbone staff of Susanty, Sham , Zahu and Khairil for without their upmost commitment behind the scenes, we could have embarrassed the department.... BIG TIME... I salute Prof Marzida for her persistence and calmness on managing crisis situations which I reckon if I was in her shoes ..dah lama meletup!! Hahaha And of course, to Prof YK Chan for her vision on her pet "Acute Care".I wished that we had the VC himself on the opening ceremony to see how we manage to organize it well, thus i do hope that the DVC who came on his behalf would be kind enough to mention it. However, as one of the insignificant events that can be unlikely!

However, I am a bit dissapointed that we did not have the full suppose-to-be support from the department. Who else should celebrate Anaesthesia Day if it is not us? The attendance from the department with the greatest human capital in the hospital was appauling to the max. I know my colleagues were all very happy to come for these events at least on the opening ceremony cum book launch day but they were tied up to do list in the OT. I don't know why it was not at all possible to have the OT list half day that day.. Are we just plain degraded slaves who do not have any rights at all? I cannot comprehend the level of communication we are at !
It was a good experience for me and I realize that in the future, I know what I want my department to be like.

National Anaesthesia Day 2009 - Day 1

Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Alex Delilkan the LEGEND.. always known as the full time cricket player and part time doctor.. :)

The first successful documented anaesthesia was given on the 16th of October 1846 by William TG Morton in Massachusetts; hence the beginning of a specialty in Medicine!!

The Anaesthesia day is celebrated with the intention of providing the public information regarding our job and career. By history, we were always the comic superheroes; men behind the mask who save lives but slowly that is changing! Its not about recognition per say but more of the medico-legal implications where when things go wrong, we are the obvious scapegoat!! hahahaha

UMMC after at least 4 years hiatus ( maybe longer.. no documentation available to check) held its own celebration from the 14th to 16th. I was roped into the committee because I volunteered to do it anyway.. hahaha My last involvement was in HKL before I left; and it was fun as we had our own "OT machines" in the lobby area for show. In UM it is a bit different, we are doing activities for these 3 days. Today was the launching and we were proud to have Prof Dr Hamzah , one of the TNCs to officiate. VC gave us his word earlier but I guess he had other priorities to fulfill on Wednesday afternoon. Our TNC launched 2 books as well, one by Prof Alex Delilkan and the other Prof YK. THe launching ceremony went well despite the earlier scare of nobody attending.( I have some issues on this but i don't want to mention it here..) It went smooth and we fulfilled TNC's KPI for us to settle it in 30 minutes. I guess the highlight of the day was VC's speech read by TNC when he mentioned about the 5 year masterplan.. :)

Of course, when the TNC was ushered to view the exhibition, I could not resist the temptation to play few short videos which I thought was interesting and fun to watch by the audience !! Hahahaha

I guess I must have inherited ( somehow) the cheekiness from Prof Delilkan as he is indeed a vey fun loving smart individual. His Prof Emeritus status is legendary as he was the first Prof from the medical fraternity to receive this award. He did inspire me in a way to do Aanesthesia when we had him for critical care teaching when I was undergraduate. To hear him speak in the afternoon about his passion on medical ethics was refreshing. Thanks Prof and I hope someday to follow your footsteps in achievements!!

That was day 1.. still 2 days more to go..

Looking for an airway?

It was a challenging ENT list today. I had fun in terror but it was definitely a good experience. What happened today showed how the important communication between ENT surgeon and anaesthetist is needed to ensure the success of the op planned. It was not easy but having a common interest( shared airway) prompted the 2 disciplines to collaborate!

We had a patient who had almost 100% obstruction above her trachytube; subglottic stenosis which was caused by ETT high cuff pressure during her ICU admission which caused necrosis and fibrosis. We did a Shian Lee which in the beginning i had no idea about! till our thorough discussion with the surgeon. It was interesting as I had to insert the J tube first before the start the Op! the stoma wassmall and i struggled initially to push it in! That was the easy part; the tricy part was when they hadto pull the Jtube out and go through and through with the Shian Lee stent.. hehehe suspen gak but it was m first time doing this and it was cool...:)

Then, i had a go at jet ventilation for another man with a similar problem but this time they were looking at trying once more to laser the stenosis to enlarge it. It was just not the airway but he had a bad heart; with a 35% ejection fraction!! hahahaha so imagine me & Alvin( the lecturer) threading very gently not to cause overshoot on either side. The jet part was a bit unsmooth in the beginning and i managed to get hold of the rhythm as we went by.. At this stage i have to be competent at this not only for my exams but for my future role as a specialist..kenalah pandai buat!!!

Thank you Mr ENT for the good coordination. Plan is certainly important and the execution was excellent i thought! A is always for airway right? :)

Watch my priority!!

I really don't know why i feel so tried nowadays.. I did not manage to fit in any runs during ramadhan and so far in syawal it is not any better. Luckily my Salzburg trip had lots of walking in it.. ada lah calories burnt..
I guess the big bulk reason pertaining to my dilemma at the moment would be my late nights, juggling studies, family, activities and interest..( saja tak nak tulis FB here.. hahahaha ) I'm involved in a lot of things and I reckon thati have to straighten up to set my priorities..

M Anaes Part II May 2010... guess, this is my MAIN priority atthe moment. I do realize that I have not pushed into the right gear towards it though. My seniors told me its common but then hey, I'm not that bright to start of with therefore shouldn't i start early? hahaha ( cakap sorang-sorang..)
Let me list down what i will be doing from now on till Dec la kot to explain why i feel i'm doing lots of other things..

1. 14 - 16 Oct National Anaesthesia Day celebration in UM.. I'm involved heavily in it..
2. 24 My birthday .. hahahaha don't think I'll be super busy here..
3. 26-31 Oct Murud-Bario expedition.. in my quest to complete BIG 5
4. 1 Nov- Genting Trailblazer- really need to train now for this.. but i guess imeediately after an expedition trip, should be ok kot.. hahaha
4. Whole of November.. in IJN.. busy all the way and its a bit too late to do this posting isn't it?
5.Whole of December - ICU..

Hehehehe.. i really can't stop doing this to myself eih? a virus i caught since my school days.. checkmate..

MEME: Save Yvonne's sight..

Dah lama gua tak main tag or kena tag or anything like that.. but this time , ok lah ; its for a genuine cause.. ( kena tag ngan Nor ni..)
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Twenty-two year old Yvone has a rare genetic disease – neurofibromatosis type 2 – that causes benign tumours to grow in her brain, spine and along her peripheral nerves – since she was 16. The disease is incurable.

Yvonne has survived several surgeries to remove tumours – one on her spine and the rest on her brain. She is now semi-paralysed on her face, deaf, partially blind, has poor balance and a stiff right leg. Right now she needs to undergo yet another surgery.

Yvonne, who runs a blog (www.yvonnefoong.com) is the author of I’m Not Sick, Just A Bit Unwell, (picture), has been raising money on her own to pay for her operations, is losing her eyesight. The operation is due in December and once again she needs to raise funds for it. The cost of the surgery is USD44,000 (RM154,770) and the cost of her hospital stay for two weeks is USD915 or RM3219.

She has already raised RM10,000 of this but obviously still has a long way to go. She’s hoping to raise the rest by republishing her book I’m Not Sick, Just A Little Bit Unwell in English and Chinese.The books are now available in Malaysian bookshops and from her website store. She is also selling T-shirts at bazaars and via her store. You can read about her surgery and donate to her fund here.

Yvonne Foong is in danger of losing her eyesight thanks to neurofibromatosis (NF). Please find out how you can help her by visiting her blog at http://www.yvonnefoong.com.

You can also help by sending on this meme. If you do, please follow these meme rules:

1. Create a blog entry titled “Meme: Save Yvonne’s Sight”

DAH BUAT...

2. List three things you love to see. Add in the picture of Yvonne’s book cover. The URL is http://www.yvonnefoong.com/images/banner/my-story.jpg

A) GUNUNG DAN BANJARAN DARI PUNCAK;SAUJANA MATA MEMANDANG..

B) MY CHILDREN LAUGHING..

C) LIVERPOOL WITH ALL 6 CUPS.. hehehe

3. End with the line, “Yvonne Foong is in danger of losing her eyesight thanks to neurofibromatosis (NF). Please find out how you can help her by visiting her blog at http://www.yvonnefoong.com.”

PTO.. hehehe

4. Tag 5 blog friends. Be sure to copy the rules, OK?

MAFIZ SURIANA TUN M KJ DR ZEK

5. If you have a Facebook account, please check out Ellen’s new invention, a “feme” pronounced FEEM, a meme designed for Facebook. And if you want to blog about NF, that would be great too!

YUP..DONE THAT..

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I came across Yvonne and her illness when i was surfing the net to look for info on neurofibromatosis. Qaisya had few cafe au lait spots at birth and that triggered my worry . I had t be prepared if she was at risk of NF; but so far Alhamdulillah.. she's ok but I kow Yvonne is not. I really do respect her ways of coping with her disease and of course, pray for her health to sustain health in enjoying life ( i know she is doing it to the max since her diagnosis!!)

Yvonne Foong is in danger of losing her eyesight thanks to neurofibromatosis (NF). Please find out how you can help her by visiting her blog at http://www.yvonnefoong.com.

Will we stay lucky forever?

I am truly sadden by the catastrophic disasters which happened last week. It was one after another and to think that one was on our left and the other on our right ... hmmm..scary.. MY condolonces and Alfatihah to the victims of the tragic natural disaster in Samoa and Padang..

wiped out coastline..

strong heritage relationship with us Malaysia..

What if god would just change only 10 degrees of quake origin angle? It would have been us and the thought of "quake-free" as we are off the tectonic plate is myth after all. Impossible is nothing and with the current haywire climate change, anything is possible. I know for a fact that we are ot prepared ever for such a tragedy and if it hits us.. the damages would be unimaginable..subhanallah...
Looking back though, these disaster characteristics are very concordant to the signs of armageddon which i learnt yonk years ago. The description is as it is and of course, with all the turn abouts in the world. THe thought of death and end of days is interwinned with my readiness to face it if it really happens during my lifetime ( ironically la tu..hahaha) One cannot avoid and one has to embrace it with faith i suppose...

If i am being given the chance to be on ground zero to help, I would not hesitate at all .. Call me.. Insya-Allah!!!