Ever Efficient Air De-Laysia

This was sent to us today via email. A week prior to departure. Ain't it convinient?

Dear Valued Guest,

AirAsia regrets to advise that our flight AK432 from KLIA(LCCT) to Manado on 01May09 is now canceled & moved to the next day(02May09) Kindly refer to the flight details as per below:

New Flight No. : AK 432
Sector : KLIA(LCCT) to Manado
New Departure Date: 02 MAY 09
New Departure Time: 3.50pm(1550hrs)
New Arrival Time : 7.40pm(1940hrs)

We appreciate your understanding of our position in this matter and hope your future flights with us will be pleasant and problem free and apologize for the inconvenience caused.

You’re sincerely,

AirAsia Bhd.
LCC Terminal,
Jalan KLIA S3,
Southern Support Zone,
Kuala Lumpur International Airport,
64000 Sepang, Selangor Darul Ehsan,




I have stated before what I feel about this. So disappointing Air Asia!

Air Delay-sia

Yesterday I was just dreaming how it would be like diving in the Lembeh Straits. Macro Heaven. Muck diving mecca. Well, it was supposed to be another 21 days till I finally get to see Manado. I first heard of this wonderful diving heaven from Ben, my OWD instructor. He invited me to join them that year (2004) but alas the trip was during the fasting month. Plus the flight arrangements is not that straight forward. KL Singapore and then Manado... something like that. It would cost me about RM1K at least for the travelling alone.

Therefore, when Air Asia finally launch KL Mando I was absolutely elated. I booked my flights for this coming May (9 months in advance); booked my leave and informed my colleagues and then started dreaming of frogfishes, seahorses, nudibranches, pipefishes etc etc etc....

And then, this morning I got a frantic call from Yanni, our dive organiser. "Lynn, please check your flight details- apparently some people got bumped off the 1st May flight and only arriving in Manado late night on the 2nd".

Hmm... I thought. Airasia would usually send a text message or email if there any changes... I won't be affected. But then listening to Yanni's voice I decided to check. Surprise...surprise.... Changes...changes...changes....

Instead of flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (and two flights on each day) they changed it to Tuesday and Saturday ONLY!!! Plus the flights arrive at night!


Then I went into my annoyed frenzy mode. Options: Stick with what they have given us means only two days of diving....and after 5 years of dreaming...DAMN YOU AIRASIA!!!
And not just that, the dates was chosen because of the long weekend, 1st is a public holiday (therefore I only need to take 2 days leave)

But then, going so far and only seeing it for 2 days is such a waste... Today, I may have used up my RM75 phone charges quota... teleconferencing, info seeking blah..blah..blah.... Finally, decided - extend stay and change return flight to the 7th. It was Merman and my plan... thank god we are also buddies ;). When everyone heard of our plan they decided to follow.

And then frenzy calls to Air Asia Call Centre. Merman got all done in a synch. He had a knowledgeable call centre staff that briefed him on the situation. And then changed our flights without any added cost. But our posse was not so lucky.

We managed to exposed the inadequacies of the AA call centre staffs with our repeated calls. Many of the staffs were not even briefed on the change of flights and thus blamed the customer for trying to make changes. Many did not know that AA only fly twice a week to Manado suggesting to us other unavailable dates. Some were obviously rude trying to push away the customer for making their job harder. Hello you are in the customer service department, that is your job!!! The faint hearted got bullied (Combat...so dissapointing, mana ke machoan of the personal trainer ni?) whereas others got mad and made the AAA personnel suffer.

In the end, the whole group is going back two days later...hahaha extra 3 dives ;)

As for Air Asia... MAJOR DISSAPOINTMENT!!!!!!!

Time: Where Can I Get More of it?

It has been a long time since I wrote a post.

Few factors influenced this.

One: Maxis broadband connection sucked for the past 3 weeks. But walla, since 2 days back it improved more than 100%. I guess they must have had some mantainence work done. My complain is 'Why were the consumers not informed???'

Two: I had so many other things to do. Finally, I cleaned up all the jars I collected and started to decorate them for my kitchen. It was fun and it is still a work in progress. I haven't got yet the theme that i want and thus still toying around with some ideas: glass painting, decoupage etc to name a few.

Three: Another work in progress is my garden. I have decided that although it is a rented house I will still try and make it into my dream garden. I have been hustling around for plants (mom is my main victim) as plants are extremely expensive nowadays. I am also dabbling in the 'Edible Garden' concept as I love cooking food that I grew myself.

Four: Almost everyday I try new simple recipes. One or two failed (my spinach antipesto tasted yucks; and my brownies did not look as it should in the cookbook) but I had a few wonderful successes : Ayam pandan (used pandan leaves and lemongrass from my garden); Celery Roasted Chicken (recipe thanks to Teh my colleague); Tuna Pasta Salad (thanks to Mei Lin); my own creation 'Ayam Berlada ala Siam' (hahahah such a corny name)...

Thus I wish there is a 48 hour day. I have so many things to do but so little time.

Bukit Lanjan Fracas

I am now paranoid. When I bathe at home I do it fully clothed, I scrub my body with soap underneath the clothings and try to rinse off the suds as much as I can (which is usually not that effective). And when I change, I try my best to use the old fashioned 'berkemban' way of removing the WET clothes, dry myself, wear my undies and only then discard the 'batik sarong' to put on my shirt and pants. Ah shit, what if I get photographed while in my grandma's panties and bra.... Damn, I may then have to resign as a civil servant.

This week I am truly amazed by the Malaysian politicians. I knew they were stupid but never in my mind this I think there are worse than 'eejits' (hahaha...Mike sorry if I insulted you by using this word).

A lady sleeps in her house scantily dressed (hey, it is her house) and an MORONIC then boyfriend took photos of her asleep (NO POSING, mind you, just the 'air liur terleleh' pose). Later, she dumps him because he is a MORON (this part I am doing some assumption). He gets pissed and since she's a VIP he post those photos on the net (I am assuming again) for some MONEY.

Then all hell breaks loose, she is called immoral and everybody starts questioning her ability as a politician.

" Selangor Opposition chief and former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has called for Pakatan Rakyat state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong to resign on moral grounds.

He said Malaysians were not ready to accept leaders who were embroiled in scandals."

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/17/nation/3284186&sec=nation

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said Wong’s decision to resign was appropriate considering her standing in politics.

“Being photographed nude is something that Malaysians are unable to accept, in particular if it is a state exco member or assemblyman,” he told reporters after opening the 3rd Annual Conference of Asian Cities Against Drugs in Malacca yesterday.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/2/18/nation/3291916&sec=nation

Hmmmm..... Barisan Nasional leaders have indeed shown why some of them should not be elected. And it is obvious, that just because she is a woman she is given so much crap. Hey, she did not pose for the photos. Damn, it is sad that in this country sexual discrimination is still so widespread. Yes, true the photos were taken by her boyfriend but then who are we to morally judge people?

If really people affected by so-called lack of 'moral' then why the hell did the Perak BN party accepted a man who 'terima sedekah' of sexual favors. And how many party members who have been suspended due to sexual offence...remember an ex-menteri besar who was proven to have sexual relationship with a minor??...and he is now back in the party fold.

I am not is not just in one party; there are good people there too but there way are too many bigots, idiots, morons running around creating havoc in this country.

As for Elizabeth Wong, she is just a normal person doing normal things and getting punished for it. Mind you, Khir Toyo may be the only person in this country who pee under the covers of his sarong cos if any peeping tom catches him in action at the loo he might also be accused of being immoral, a pervert and a exhibitionist.

Annoyance

I always believe as doctors we should treat our patients as if they are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters etc. When we do that, then we know we are not mistreating people based on their gender, race, wealth or position. In this country, many people only see status and treat people only based on that. Some people bend their backs to please some Datuk, Tan Sri or Tun BUT would not pay attention to the normal people on the street. Isn't that so sad?

This shouldn't happen in the health service, especially in government hospitals. Even if a person is a VIP he should get the same service as any other person. They should wait in line for their turn and not demand special attention just because of who they are. Mind you, for the 10 years I have been in government service I have met a lot of crappy so-called VIPs BUT I have met also so many Datuks, Datins and Tan Sris who are genuinely nice people and never demand anything special. They are ever so grateful even to us lowly house-officers. Demanding people should go to private doctors and not harp on how sub-standard the service when they only pay RM5 to see a specialist.

Anyway, sometime the fault lies at the service providers themselves. People are so awed at titles that they forget their duties and responsibilities. They go all out to please the VIPs. I was a medical officer in HKL when I was called to review an 'end-stage renal failure' patient who had infection of his great toe. The elderly gentleman was such a nice fella, I spoke to him with respect and addressed him as uncle. However, the ward sister was so distressed with this. She kept mentioning to me that this 'Uncle' was in fact a Datuk and should be addressed as such. She was not really bothered about the treatment. Well, being me, I told her to *&^% off.

After that I had a good relation with this uncle. I took care of him till his wounds were better and he was able to go home. About a year after that, his wife came around the clinic to look for me. The old man had passed away and she wanted me to know. Apparently, he used to tell his wife how well I treated him and how he thinks of me like a daughter. When I heard this I was so elated. That is the best compliment a person has ever given me.

Why am I rambling on about this? Well, it is because I am annoyed. I am annoyed because my friend's father-in-law was admitted to the hospital and in my personal view he was not given the best treatment. Mind you, my friend is also a specialist (in the same hospital and ward) and to avoid conflict of interest he decided to stay out of the way of the other doctors. However this resulted in sub-standard care given to this gentleman (would not elaborate further on this, but trust me it is). Gosh, if this is the way the doctors treat one of their own I wonder how they treat the Apak, pakcik, makcik, ah soh out there.

Or perhaps this is exactly how they treat their own family?


p.s. the government's doctor factory is now busy churning out doctors to meet their 1 doctor per 4000 people quota. I wonder what quality of doctors would that be. We need more people with compassion but lately many of the young doctor lack such quality. Alas, there is no entrance exams to gauge compassion.

The Government Slave

It has been a month since I last blogged. Actually, I wrote a few entries but decided not to post it. These are matters (mainly complaints) that may offend other people so nah... I decided not to.

Anyway, a few things have been on my mind for the past month. The first is my youngest brother upcoming wedding at the end of the month. Loads of things to do and prepare. So little time.

The next is the Government's option for its employees to opt for the Pension scheme instead of KWSP. The dateline is next Monday, I have to make a decision.

I think I am almost 95% certain of my decision. After I signed for KWSP only I realise the implications of it. I remember at that time, the clerk in-charge was so happy to persuade us to sign for the KWSP option, and being naive I did so. Later did I found out that opting for the pension causes less paperwork for the clerk, duh. Anyway, at that time I was concerned with whether I would stay with the Government for life. I was actually worried if I was pushed around here and there at the whims and fancy of some clerks (really, KKM is run by clerks who have no sympathy for people) and also if I don't like the office politics. That may push me to resign and thus 'nil' savings if I was in the pension scheme.

What have changed since then? Nothing much really. The concerns are still there but I am looking at a different perspective. Right now I am more concerned about long term health care. At the age of 56 (when I retire) I would have no health benefits if I am still under the KWSP scheme. If I needed a bypass or and angiogram (touch wood) in IJN perhaps, I would need to raise RM20000 for the surgery. That is provided I do not have any other complications. If I do, I am sure that would cause a serious dent in my savings and I may not enough funds for my retirement plans.

This is not just me but my family too, my husband and our future children. Aging people have more degenerative problems and diseases, it is fine to say now 'I AM HEALTHY' but we definitely do not know what is in the future. An unhealthy person is not just a liability in terms of health costs, they are usually not productive and thus, the disruption of their employment plans and cash flow.

It is a fact that healthcare is an expensive affair and it will be more so in the future as this country goes into managed healthcare. No amount of insurance can cover you for every eventualities - every coverage has its limits.

Anyway, the monthly pension is not really a deciding factor. As doctors, working after the pensionable age is very feasible (provided I am not senile) and thus I am sure I can find a job so not that worrisome. And, would I leave government service now or in the future? I guess maybe not; I enjoy my work, I am too lazy to suck up to patients, I love the 35 days leave I have per year and I am not a businesswoman.

I guess I would not have these thoughts if I married a fellow government servant (with the appropriate retirement plans i.e pension scheme). Hmmmm, perhaps should advise people looking for a future spouse to ask the questions "Kerja Gomen ke????" and then if positive "Pencen ke, KWSP??". Only after that proceed with the courting...

Kuching Shopping Paradise

Yesterday, we started our journey at about 10 am and drove to Kg Serikin at the border of Indonesia. By the time we arrived at the area is was packed. The presence of the many tour buses at the small village road caused a jam of about two kilometres and it took us about half an hour to find a place to park.

The place is wonderful to find cheap Indonesian crafts and some local ones too. Practically anything can be found there; clothes, shoes, cowboy hats, household daily items, furniture, carpets, antiquities, jeweleries and even chandeliers.

We bought a lot of rattan crafts ( which is a fraction of what it costs in Kuching) and spent nearly two hours there. Lunch was at a local shack run by Indonesian migrants.

On the way back we stopped by Kg Duyoh. Here, the traders are mainly the local Ibans and we did another round of shopping. Here, stuff sold are mainly vegetables, fruits and local handicrafts (quality are way better). We had some local Iban delicacy - pulut stuffed in pitcher plants and steamed with peanuts and dried shrimps and it was so delicious. The local traders here were so friendly and helpful and did not mind me asking 1001 questions, I did have a lot of stuff to ask.

We started our journey back at about half past three. We passed by Pekan Bau and its Blue Lake and then headed back to Kuching. On the way back we dropped by Satok Market, a huge weekend bazaar. Again, so many stuff to buy. It is a combination of a wet market, 'pasar tani' and craft's bazaar. Amazing!




After spending nearly RM400 we headed back with a huge problem. How to carry all these stuff back?

Nature at its best

Photos taken in Kuching

Semenggoh Nature Reserve

Seduku and child
Originally uploaded by zzz_junkie

Spent the afternoon at Semenggoh Nature Reserve. The area is reserved for Orang Utan rehabilitation and as part of the effort to protect this species the facility allows the public to view the primates during feeing time.

There are 26 primates in the surroundings (including three infants), and they are free to come and go as they like. Therefore, sightings during the feeding times are not guaranteed. However, we were very lucky. Seven primates came and awed the crowd. In the photo is Seduku and her yet-to-be named infant.

I admire the dedication of the rangers and staffs in protecting the primates. The place is well kept, and the orang utans appeared healthy and happy. I must say, the Sarawak Forestry have done an excellent job. And it is not just at this centre, I have been to Bukit Lambir and Miri National Park and the same amount of dedication and passion were shown by the staffs there. And tomorrow I will be in Bako, I expect to be further impressed.

p.s. photos of this trip will be uploaded as they come in to my flicker

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bakawali/sets/72157611009893596/

Gender reassignment

I have always been at ease with speaking English. In fact, I think in English too and thus always have to translate my thoughts to Malay when I converse. Please don't get me wrong, my Malay is not bad, I can speak and relay my thoughts in Malay effectively, it is just that the nature of my flow of thoughts, it works better in English.

But my English is not perfect. Now and then my friends would tease me for my improper grammar; I have a lot of friends who do speak almost perfect English *sigh*. However, at work, I am Mr Brown (remember 'Mind Your Language'?). Being doctors, one have no choice but to speak in English. There are so many medical terms and jargons that are not 'translatable'. I must say that many doctors attempt their best in speaking English but sometimes we really do have to get to basics.

It is especially annoying when a person cannot differentiate between male and female. He or she. His or her. Boy or girl. Sometimes it feels like a lucky draw..."and today the lucky word that will be used is 'HE'!!!!". And if it is just during a conversation is not as bad (though my ears were cringing at each mistake).

The worse thing is even in the written notes these mistakes were made. Mind you, I work in an IT hospital, each time you open a patient's record, flashed at the top the patient's name, registration number, age and SEX. And they still can make such mistakes. I had fits of laughter a few times I did medical reports for patients. Either the patients were transvestites and thus confusing my medical officers or the doctors were blind and deaf (lets not state the obvious :))

Therefore beware, you may come to the hospital a full fledged hot blooded male, but due to a value added service offered by the ministry of health, you may come out a lady/lady boy.

Grounded

A friend of mine used to say “it’s easy for you to do ‘amal jariah’, everyday you go to work part of it is amal jariah”. (Note: amal jariah is a malay term equivalent to charity). Anyway, I do not see it that way, to me, each of us has a role in the universe and if we do our job right that we are doing ‘amal jariah’ in our own way.

Anyway, what I love about being a doctor is the people I get to meet. I know previously I had bitched about irritating patients and families but that itself is an experience. I get to learn about a lot of things I normally would not be exposed to. I listen and get humbled by other peoples experiences. Some may be good and some may be bad. But in the end, I learn. “Yang baik dijadikan tauladan, yang buruk dijadikan sempadan”.

As a specialist, the opportunity to listen to a patient’s thoughts is quite limited. With the bigger responsibility of supervising and monitoring the daily on-goings in the wards and hospital I haven’t had the luxury of sitting down and chit-chatting with each patient. It is usually my medical officers who would alert me to any personal problems that the patient may have. Well, it was during my housemanship and MOship that I learnt the art of listening, I guess my time has passed.

However, today the rare opportunity presented itself. It was in the Operating theatre when I saw one of my ward patients waiting for a minor surgery in the waiting area. He is an elderly Malay man in his late 60s, white hair, an unkempt beard, and a pair of sad beady eyes. His pressure apparently went sky high as he entered the OT (it has that effect on many people, especially with its 16 degrees temperature). Anyway, he looked a bit distressed and so I decided to talk to him and ask how he is doing.

“ I am exhausted” he said. The polished English blew me away. He must be fairly educated, I thought.

I examined him quickly and then proceeded to talk to him. “That’s fairly normal Uncle. You have heart failure and thus you find it a bit difficult to breathe. The oxygen will help you”.

He said “Heart failure…hmmmm… that is how my wife died. She had heart failure, She left me 10 years ago”.

Me “I am so sorry uncle”

“That’s why I am here alone.” He paused for a while. Then he said “ I am so disappointed”.

Me: “Why uncle? Is anything wrong?”

“I have many children but all of them have to work. *sigh* You know, when you are ill, you hope there would always be someone beside you to cheer you up; to give you inspiration but now……”. He then kept quiet.

I was at loss of what to say. I just held his hand and told him that we are going to try and make him better. Deep down I know, physically he may be ok but deep inside he is a crushed man.

Well, it got me thinking. As a human being we need company. At the end of the day, having someone beside you in your time of need is the best feeling of all. It give a person the sense of security, that someone will be there to catch you when you fall.

And at this point of my life if I hope that all that I have done in the past and all that I will do in the future will not keep my family and friends away from me in my time of need.

Ah.... what deep thoughts have my brief 5 minutes conversation provoked. And this is what I like the most about my job, there are always subtle reminders surrounding us to keep us grounded and human. But only if we stop and listen!

Krabi - An Outdoor Person's Haven

Four days in Krabi is definitely not sufficient to try all that Krabi has to offer. It is a wonderful place with a variety of outdoor activities mixed around the traditional things Thailand has to offer.

We stayed at the quiet (and cheaper) Krabi town, a port for those hoping to go the the nearby islands of Phi-Phi and Lanta. Accommodation can range from RM30 to RM 160 depending on what is expected. This is in comparison much cheaper than Aonang Beach and Railey Beach.



Caption: Traffic light at Krabi Town. Statue of a prehistoric man stands above the intersection holding the lights. Krabi is also an archaeological site dated from several eras.



Caption: The quiet river of Krabi Town


Krabi Town was very quiet and clean. A lot of relatively cheap food joint, but beware the drinks cost a bomb, RM 2 for iced tea....hmmmm more expensive than KL. When I said relative it is relative to Aonang, but when compared to other parts of Thailand the place may be a bit dear. Minimum price for a plate or bowl of noodle is 35 baht or about RM3.50. But then, my bench mark for the prices were from my trips to Phuket, Samui, Songkhla, Hatyai and even Krabi 4 years back. Prices may have increased everywhere.

And my favourite thing about eating in Krabi is forty percent of the locals are Muslims. That means I can eat a lot of things - the sweet kuihs were really delicious and my favorite 'kerabu betik' (can't seem to re-call the Thai name). Merman liked the beef spicy soup(plus whatever weird organs) especially after he discovered part of the testis inside it. Euwwwww..... but it tasted damn good, the soup I mean.



On day two, we went kayaking in the mangrove swamp at Bhor Tor.The swamp lies in between limestone caves and passages providing a real excitement. We paddled through darkened passages and emerge into a beautiful secret lagoon on the other side. I felt as if I was on Fantasy Island (hehehehe... that statement really reveals my age). After that we had lunch by the riverside, all you can eat. It was part of the package we took (whole morning of kayaking, lunch and an afternoon dip in one of the rivers) and as usual being me, I ended up eating as much as I can the tempura shrimp and the tomyam soup well till my tummy felt like bursting.










That evening we went for a free massage(courtesy of our trip organiser).

Day Three was spent by the beach in Aonang. It is not the most beautiful beach I have seen but is is OK. The Farangs seem to be enjoying the bloody hot sun (I suffered heatstroke, mind you)sunbathing, swimming, playing weird games by the beach. And there were so many open air massage huts at the beach.

Apart from walking together by the beach (so romantic...hahaha) we also went shopping. Everything is so bloody expensive but only here we get to shop for souvenirs. There were very few souvenir shop in Krabi Town.

Caption: Aonang Beach with Railey in the background


Anyway, our initial plan was to go to Railey Beach which is only accesible via Longtail Boats from Aonang but it was too hot when we arrived. And by the time it was a bit shady, we only had 45 min to catch the 15 minute ride, spend 10 minutes admiring the beach and another 15 minutes to get back. So in the end, scrapped that idea and we just stayed and lounged around Aonang.

There were so many things that we wanted to do but we didn't. We missed going diving but it was ridiculously expensive to dive in Krabi. 3400 baht for 2 dives. Way too expensive. And we missed island hopping, but once you are into diving it is absurd to just go snorkelling and halfway cursing ourselves on why we didn't dive :(.

We missed climbing the cliffs of Railey, a world renown area for rock-climbing. Out arms were aching from the previous day's kayaking and I don't think I can climb up even the easiest route. We missed exploring on our own the natural beauty Krabi district has to offer. Tried renting a Jeep but apparently that weekend all the Jeeps have been rented out. Wanted to see the Emerald waterfall, the numerous forest reserves but alas without a Jeep can't go off the beaten track. Well, renting a bike is cheaper (only 150 Bahts) but neither one of us can ride a bike; the last I rode a bike was in Form 6 - fifteen years ago! And plus the fact that the motorcycle accident rates in Thailand amongst tourist is so high.

But overall it was excellent. I had a good break and I had a wonderful time with my darling Merman. Next time we come we hope to bring an entourage so that we all have fun together. It is an exciting and beautiful place and I would love to come back soon.

Dreaming of tomorrow

I can't work today. My mind is really not in the hospital, perhaps it is because we do not have surgeries today nor clinics. It is a free day except for some teaching and the weekly grand rounds. Time was passing by SO SLOWLY!!!

Anyway, tomorrow is a holi-holi-holiday for me. Yippie. We are going to Krabi.A nice place which I have passed through in one of my trips to Phi Phi many years ago. We have no idea where we are staying and what we are going to do. It is really go with the flow kind of trip.

Roughly, it is down to three activities; kayaking, rock climbing (oooh my aching legs) and diving. We will decide when we reach there.

Right now I have to pack and also get my 4 kids in the car. Sending them off to the babysitter.

Hasil pukul empat pagi

Slept at four this morning making the above bouquet (aka sirih junjung). Marina's best friend's wedding today and she asked my darling sis to help out with these two items. The tropical garden theme is for the male side and the 2nd the girl's side.

What do I have to do with all this? Well, when my sis 'menyanggup' doing creative stuff she will call me up to back her (actually, I yang kena buat - she sort of by-proxy agrees...hmmmm). But then Ain (Marina's friend) is a nice girl and so I do not really mind.

But damn.... am I sleepy this morning!

Elevators and Escalators Breed Fatties

If we calculate how much time we wait for the elevator we will be surprise at how much precious time is wasted. I am sure it will amount to a reasonable period of a person's life (provided the person stays or work in a building with an elevator). I am sure it would be a necessity if you stay or work at the 14th floor of a 16 storey building.

But waiting for the elevator to go just one floor up really irritates me. If the person is disabled, infirm, old, or simply frail looking I would not mind. This is what we call necessity. And if there is no staircase in sight what can we do, up the escalator we have to go. But then there are people who are generally health young adults and who are simply LAZY. The bloody staircase is just beside the lift. Hello, move that bum of yours and go up the stairs. Exercise!

And if the reason is 'tak larat' then why can't at least they go down the stairs. You do not need much energy for that. Physics taught us that, at a height we have potential energy which is is porpotional to our mass or weight. That will be converted into kinetic energyw as we go down the stairs, so duh, the heavier you are the easier for you to go down.

The Ministry of Health over the years has been campaigning for people to exercise and what better place to start then at the workplace. Yeah, bicycling is a good exercise but it is not feasible in our towns (looking at the horrendous traffic and psychotic road users), one would end up dead if they try to cycle to work.

So MOH should start slow and easy. Encourage the fatties (all those kerani(s) and pegawai tadbir(s)) to start using the stairs, all in all in a day's work they may only use it 2 times.....twice up and twice down (when they come for work, go and come back from lunch and yes, 'punch out' time). This is calculated for those righteous ones who don't take morning break and the 3pm tea. If they do, that then it is much better, more energy spent. Because by the end of the day they would have gone up and down the stairs FOUR times.

And to ensure that this 'Cara Hidup Sihat' is promoted, there should be a Lift Holiday enforced in government offices at least once a week. Perhaps we should have at least one lift operating for the people who REALLY need them, and only those with passes from doctors can use them.

And I am sure by the end of two months of the campaign we would have more healthier and dedicated government staffs. Healthier as they would have by then have a better working heart and leaner body. Dedicated as they would only want to go up and down their offices once a day.... and thus they would spend more time doing their work and not having break now and then.

Well, isn't this a good idea?

p.s. I thought of this when I was climbing 4 flight of stairs. This is my attempt to exorcise the demons that has possessed my thighs making them look bigger than they actually are.

At Work...

At Work...
Originally uploaded by abdhakamabdah

Saw like his on one of my UM senior flickr. I wish I can take photos like this. I guess I must learn more about photography.

Nip and Tuck

Would you die if you have a few inches of cellulite?

It may be an indication that you have more fat in your arteries and blood stream but I reckon you won't die of it. You'll die of a heart attack or a massive stroke but hell no, you won't die due to a few inches of cellulite.

But A recent death got me thinking. This lady (may her soul rest in peace) passed away after 10 months in a coma following plastic surgery that included liposuction. Hmmm... by definition that is death caused secondarily by cellulite. Quite sad, I assume she wanted to look good and hence the surgery. Everyone have their priorities and to some looking good is a priority. But then, at what expense?

I have no reason to condemn plastic surgeons, beauticians or even the lay people themselves regarding taking the short cut into looking good. But does it make them feel better about themselves? When I watch Nip and Tuck I realised that to some people plastic surgery is an addiction, a never ending story. It is the inside of the person that is ill, the person cannot see anything that is good in themselves and thus have to change their exterior in hopes that it would make them feel better. It is such a sad situation.

I don't know about other people but I love the imperfections in me. All of them have their stories. My crooked lips was due to a huge cut when I fell off my bike in Standard Two. My front teeth cut my lips into two and I had to have 4 stitches to repair it.My upper lip was swollen like a elephant's trunk for the following two weeks. My brother had a huge time teasing me and so did my aunt. Her friends kept telling me to go for plastic surgery to correct the deformity, they were very persistant and even tried to scare me saying that my first kiss would then not be perfect. They were right, my first kiss wasn't perfect.... it was indeed very 'sloshy' and wet..... but then it was never because of my lips. Today, they are still crooked but I love them, they make me unique.

And when I grow old I hope I would grow old gracefully. Wrinkles of laughter around my eyes, my lips and my forehead would remind me of a happy and wonderful life I have lived. And they would then complement my unique crooked lips.


p.s. not all plastic surgeons only do beauty enhancing surgeries. Many undertake good commendable work like soft tissue reconstruction for trauma, cleft lip and palate surgeries to enhance people quality of life.

Found this cute budgie resting on our car the other day. It must have escaped from one of the nearby houses. I was able to approach near and it seemed unafraid hence the close-up photo. My brother said that people clip their wings to prevent them from flying far if they manage to escape (horrible, horrible people).

Later that evening it was no longer there. My guess is one of the stray cats had a lovely dinner...burp... The last words budgie said was " I tot I saw a puddy cat...i did..." burp.....

Shitty Kerajaan's Tasks (SKT)

How truthful should I be when doing my medical officers annual appraisals?

I hoped that the answer would be as truthful as I can. My impression was that appraisals were done to inform people of their performance (or rather lack of it) so they will continue to improve in their work.

Anyway, this Government SKT (sasaran Kerja Tahunan - direct translation Annual Work Target??? that sounds wierd...) is actually a scam. It is useless and pointless. Those who are ass kissers usually do well..

Anyway, back to me. I have SEVEN appraisals to do. I started to be righteous and gave the MO what they deserved which majority is AVERAGE atau Sederhana. In this scoring system that would earn them 5-6 points in each section. In the end they will get a total of 62 points. Well, average points for average performance, I thought it was that simple.

But then, I was told the 2nd rule in this game. All MOs must get 85 points and above. WTF? Apparently the Health Ministry gave out a letter stating that unless a doctor gets 85 points and above for three consecutive years he will not be eligible to join any postgraduate studies. Shitheads!!!

85 points means I have to give an average of 9 points for each criteria. Crap crap crap.... 9-10 for Excellent work performance, 7-8 for Good work performance. Some of them do work hard and so I have no qualms in closing one eye and giving such a high score. But some (actually only ONE) do not at all deserve an 85. I shouldn't elaborate why but what I can say is I HATE GIVING 85 points to this person.

But then eventually... I succumbed to the pressures and gave what people expect me to give. Well, boss did ask me to be a bit lenient ( A BIT is an understatement.

So I did the next best thing. I told the person the marks he actually deserved and my excessive pity points. I told him he sucked in his work and my expectations of my MOs. And lastly I told him next year I will follow to the letter the scoring system.

I reckon since I have only been here for FOUR months only I do not have a right to judge them for the whole year. But next year watch out guys, I HAVE NO MERCY!!!

Egg-o-logy

Kuala Lumpur 26 September 2007

Ketua balai polis Brickfields hari ini mengesahkan bahawa pihak beliau telah menerima aduan dari Pemuda UMNO bahagian Seputeh mengenai Wakil Rakyat Seputeh Teresa Kok, mengatakan bahawa dia (Kok) telah menghina Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) dan telur-telur seMalaysia.

Pemuda UMNO itu diwakili oleh Timbalan Ketua Bahagian Alawi Dahalin telah menuduh Theresa menghina telur apabila beliau mengatakan makanan yang disediakan kepadanya sepanjang penahanannya di Kem Kamunting sebagai 'hanya layak untuk makanan anjing'.

Pihak polis mengambil serius terhadap tuduhan ini dan akan menjalankan siasatan sepenuhnya. Setakat ini, pihak polis telah dilihat menahan reman ibu-ibu ayam, bapa-bapa ayam dan anak-anak ayam yang berkeliaran di Lorong Haji Taib untuk membantu siasatan.



Dari siasatan yang dijalankan, didapati telur-telur ayam bergred rendah telah dihantar ke pasaraya-pasaraya TESCO, Giant dan Carrefour manakala yang bergred tinggi telah dihantar ke Kem Kamunting untuk santapan seorang kerabat diraja yang sedang bermastautin selama 2 tahun di kem tersebut.

"Kami akan pastikan bahawa bekalan telur Gred tinggi di Kem Kamunting mencukupi untuk tempoh dua tahun untuk menghindarkan lagi penuduhan yang tidak berasas ini"

Laporan dari BERNAMA