i'm a millionaire!

actually it's no big deal la!

most malaysians visiting indonesia carry with them millions of rupiahs - after all a million rupiahs exchange for about rm360.

we were on our family vacation in bali over the weekend. flying by air asia, we tried to save as much as possible by paying only for the services we needed. so, we did self check-in, ordered in-flight meals online, paid for a 20kg luggage & didn't select our seats. we thought it was a challenge to pack 4 person's clothes into one bag with a 20kg limit but we amazed ourselves that we were able to, by bringing only the necessary personal effects. (sorry, boy, you can't bring your scrabble set.) we could achieve this feat because each of us could carry a hand luggage of up to 7kg apiece.

we elected to stay at sanur (about 30min's drive from the airport) instead of the more famous kuta area, made infamous by the bomb attacks some years back. it's obvious from day 1 that balinese are deeply religious. they place burning incense in front of their businesses as offerings to the gods....

....and some have little statues of the deities as well.....

because of the deep religious beliefs, it's not surprising that major crimes in bali are few & far in between, except when committed by foreigners, like the bomb blasts of 2002 & 2005.

one item of news which you probably didn't know...last week, during the summit of east asian countries, the airport at denpasar had to be closed to prepare for the arrival of barak obama. a passenger plane that was supposed to land at 6pm had to be diverted to bandung, 860km away in java, & finally landed in bali only at 2am that nite.

talk about making a grand presidential entrance!

**next : the tour proper begins....**

L

the girl is happy as a Lark!

she just called to say she passed her undang-undang test. that sort of impressed me because she only had 2 days to read the book. so, she'll be getting her Learner's Licence soon.

she can expect to be derided as a Lembu when she holds up traffic on a single carriage way. but that's nothing new because we all went thru all that ourselves.

if she passes the driving test 1st time - now, that would reaLLy impress me. lets see if a bit of my driving skill rubs off on her.

doc's family annual vacation 2011

the year-end school vacation has started.

the girl is back home.

the family are together once again.

many years ago, we agreed we'll travel together just once a year, so that it's something to really look forward to.

you could say, it's our pot at the end of the rainbow.

we're headed to bali tomorrow.

the pot at the end of the rainbow.

the pot of gold - this was how i viewed the year-end vacation.

after a whole year's work, it's time to sit back & laze around a bit. that's how it was when i was in school.

but how time's they're a-changing.

now, there're various holiday enrichment courses to prepare students get a head start for the new year. language, sciences, maths, self-improvement, music, etc etc. so much tuition, so little time for being a child!

just last week, after the year-end exams, my son asked his schoolmate who lives in the same taman if he wants to play football on thursday. the classmate said, he can only play on sunday because his weekdays are packed with tuition, from afternoon to nite. BM group tuition, BM personal tuition, Chinese personal tuition under 2 different tutors, English personal tuition, Piano tuition under 2 different teachers. his mother is currently looking for maths & science tutors.

no wonder he seemed like a dull boy! but all that extra lessons must have had some effect as he moved up one class. the irony is that his father had, some years back, launched a tirade against all the kiasu mothers who enrolled their children in multiple tuition classes. he must have relented & decided that if you can't beat 'em, then join 'em.

in the mean time, i think that pot of gold remained elusive to the students today.

i lost it!

my temper, that is.

anticipating a long day in the OT today, i arrived on the dot & expected to start right away. i was horrified that the IV drip has not yet been set up for the patient & hence the pre-medication has also not been given. the nurse at the reception bay was nowhere to be found. i asked the other nurse at the counter where the reception nurse was & she said nurse M was in the pantry.

i marched straight to the pantry & there she was - nurse M having breakfast at 9am with a few others. i didn't hesitate to give her a mouthful & then went straight into the Sister's office to let her know my disgust - how can your staff have breakfast during working hours when the work has not been done??

naturally, Sister gave nurse M another earful. so there you are, a lousy start to a long day that got at least 3 people upset & left everyone else uneasy. i was surprised when nurse M confronted me later & accused me of humiliating her in public. although i didn't respond, it bothered me for a while & after much thought, i realised that i should have pulled nurse M to one side before reprimanding for her tidak apa attitude towards work.

in the end, i decided that although i was upset at nurse M for not doing her job, i should have handled the matter more professionally (& gentlemanly?). i managed to catch her before she completed her shift to apologise.

at least, i know that i will sleep easy tonite & tomorrow will be a new day with a new start.

BM paper 1

the SPM starts today with BM paper 1. the mention of that paper always sends chills down my spine. many years ago when i sat for that paper, i forgot to write my index number on a few answer sheets. which means, should they become detached from the front sheet, they could not be traced to me. i had nightmares of the examiner chucking them into the waste paper basket.

the fear of failure did play on my mind throughout the exams. i imagined repeating form 5, or forced to start work.

as it turned out, i got a P7 - a pass which allows passage to Form 6. those days, there weren't much choice for middle-income family like mine - studying at Taylor's (the only local private college those days) or overseas was beyond our means. and a credit in BM is required to enter Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, which would have fast-tracked to my dream career in engineering.

anyway, i sat for the supplementary BM paper in July the next year & got a C6. i jumped for  joy  & you'd think i score an A1!!

students nowadays are spoilt for choice for career paths after form 5. i wish them all the very best & hope they seize the day. 

but i wouldn't want to be in their shoes!!

it's only a numbers game la!

11.11.11

this date is over-hyped. my obstetric colleague has FIVE C-sections today to cater to some parental whims & fancies.

but one couple took it a little too far. the mother-to-be developed pregnancy-induced hypertension & had been treated for it. but as it neared 37-weeks, the blood pressure was getting out of control, hovering around 160/100, thus endangering the lives of both mother & child. my colleague recommended an early C-section on the 9th. but as you'd have guessed, both parents wanted the delivery on the 11th.

in order to satisfy the pandering & yet protect the pregnancy, the c-section was planned for 11.45pm on the 10th, so that by the time the baby is delivered, it would have been past midnite & well into the 11th.

it wasn't a moment too soon either. there was meconium staining in the amniotic fluid already, suggesting that the baby was in some degree of distress. fortunately, there wasn't any obvious damage.

however, when she (yes, it's a girl!) grows up, i wonder if she would appreciate that her parents played the numbers game & endangered her life, so she can be born on a supposed auspicious date & have a series of 1's on her myKad?

for whose benefit, i wonder?

chalk & cheese

when we have 2 of something, we just can't help but compare them; none more so than comparing our children.

one could be a fast learner, the other not so.

one more talkative & expressive, the other introverted.

one a leader, the other a follower.

the list goes on.

we've read before in nursery rhymes what little boys & girls are made of.

boys are snips & snails  & puppy dogs tails, while girls are sugar & spice & everything nice.

take the exams, for example. my son just takes things in his stride - he studies just enough to get us off his back, still wants to play & watch TV during exam week, & even if he drops to a lower class next year, life will still go on without a care. he doesn't know what stress is & if nothing else intervenes, he will definitely live to a ripe old age.

my daughter is the direct opposite. she has to complete her revision at all costs, sacrifice sleep to study, will eat when stressed, & will cry & wail if the exams don't go well.

as it is, the boy did just enough in the year-end exam to remain in the same class, while the girl is going thru a torrid time in the ongoing O-levels.

p/s. i actually wrote a similar post after the boy's midterm exams. read here.

there you are - 2 different peas from the same pod who will walk different life's paths. like chalk & cheese.

best coffee in the world

you're probably thinking arabica, vietnamese, starbucks, or even kopi luwak.

actually i care not for the expensive or exotic stuff.

a full sachet of nescafe 3-in-1 in a mug of boiling water with a measure of milk. it's the best coffee in my world because my son made it for me for breakfast this morning.

what a way to start off the day!

ps. he also made the best ice cream in the world.

angels & demons

overheard in a phone conversation:

Dr A : nurse, what time is my patient's operation scheduled for?

Nurse : 1pm

Dr A :  ok, make sure i get to operate before Dr B. after all, i booked my case before him.

Nurse :  ok

Dr A :  make sure you don't call for Dr B's patient until i've finished with mine. he can operate after office hours if he wants to. **evil laugh**

this, by the way, is not a scene from a dan brown's novel. maybe it should be retitled halloween in hospital. **more evil laugh**

dangerous sports

you'd think motorsports is dangerous. after all, 2 people were killed separately in Las Vegas & here in Sepang just last week.

you'd think competitive rugby & football are dangerous, these being contact sports.

you think bungee-jumping is dangerous, since it is invariably listed as an exclusion in accident/travel insurance policies.

what about high-jump in school?

you'd never expect this to happen but it did. this 10 year-old boy jumped & landed on his outstretched hands. being right-handed, the impact was felt on this hand & it broke 2 bones. just goes to show that you don't need to participate in dangerous sports to be injured.

i should know. my son broke the same 2 bones playing goalkeeper in a football game with his friends earlier this year.

it's time i took a break!

i suddenly woke up at 8.25am this morning. almost immediately, i jumped out of bed & called the hospital to inform i'd be late for the 8.30 start. as i was dialling the phone, i then realised it's sunday. feeling relieved, i went back to sleep again.

i reckon when it's your job you think about the 1st thing of the morning, it's time for a break. or, reappraise the priorities

as if to reinforce that notion, i inadvertently pumped RON 97 petrol at the gas station, which i've never done before.

i can't wait for the girl to return home next month for family vacation.

so, you think you're safe at 33?

you'd never expect someone who's 33 years old to have a stroke, right?

wrong.

this technician was at an office meeting when he suddenly keeled over & starting talking gibberish. he was brought to hospital & a CT scan of the brain revealed a blood clot in his brain.

while preparing for surgery, a repeat scan revealed that the clot has expanded.

the clot was successfully evacuated. he is recovering in ICU & he woke up this morning from the sedation. it was noted that his blood pressure was excessively high before surgery & this was most likely the reason for the stroke. apparently, hypertension runs in his family.

if he doesn't take care of himself, he can expect to have another stroke or even a heart attack before he reaches 40.

gives new meaning to the term life is short, doesn't it?

new breed of doctors?

my friend who lives in klang valley told me a branch of a well-known medical centre has just started in his neighbourhood. it specialises in neurosurgery, spine & cardiac surgery. so, all doctors of these disciplines have moved over from the main centre to the new site, leaving behind specialists who are brainless, spineless & heartless.

you have been forewarned.

end of the road?

this was taken from a FB page of The Alliance for an "Idiot-Free" America

i wonder if we, here in malaysia, will be in the same position when our oil wells run dry.

out of one's league

i'm a bit part player in the stock market. that means, i occasionally dabble in it & only with blue chip stocks because i don't know or haven't learned the twists & turns of a wily stock investor.

that also means i won't get extremely rich from a bull run. more importantly, i won't be impoverished with the downturn.

i'm cautious mainly because i'm using my own hard-earned money.

unlike the GLCs who are spending money as if it grows on trees. take Proton for example. remember they bought the italian motorcycle company MV Augusta in 2005 for 70m euros, then sold it off a year later, without producing a single bike, for a token sum of 1 euro? yes, FIVE ringgit! the irony is that the company that bought it for 1 euro reportedly sold part of it to BMW for a reported 93m euros, & the remainder to Harley-Davidson for 109m euros.

& it was reported today that proton may sell part of the loss-making Lotus. seems like nothing Proton touches turns to gold. other than benefitting the manufacturers & the downliners, i don't think Proton did justice to the motoring public by mass-producing affordable cars. it's only affordable because the other cars were slapped with high import/excise/sales taxes.

perhaps car manufacturing is out of our league. or, we should only let competent people manage & turn the company around, like how they did for Air Asia & SP Setia.

most eligible bachelor

bachelor may not be the appropriate description because my colleague is recently divorced. his was supposed to be the happy-ending genre - 2 doctors who married & went on to specialist training. he qualified & went into private practice while she qualified & was sent overseas for further training. they were supposed to start a family when she returned.

but she didn't.

she found life away from home to her liking, so much so that after the supposed 1-year training, she found herself another job & just continued working. it's been over 2 years since she left, so after many (failed) attempts at reconciliation, he gave up & filed for divorce. the papers just came through.

word spread fast, not so much the doomed marriage as a 40-something medical specialist with a flourishing private practice now available for suitors of the romantic kind. he has the temperament & character that would make any propective in-laws sit up & take notice.

already i can see 2 families making moves to catch his attention. he may want a break after the trauma of the divorce but he's just too nice a guy to remain single - he needs someone to share his affection &...er...wealth.

but here's the catch. he attends church & if he adheres to church beliefs, he can't marry without being branded as an adulterer, no less.

"I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”  matt 19:9

i don't know how this will pan out as we all watch with anticipation.

exam fever....& why you can't give up!

yes, it's that dreadful time of the year again...for anxious students & their super-over-anxious parents.

i'd be lying if i say i'm not concerned for my daughter whose exams start in 2 weeks. having gone thru my fair share of tests & assessments from age 7 till 36 (!!), i think i may have figured out the twists & turns of exams.

1st, you're not competing against one another but rather against the system. as long as you achieve certain marks, you'll pass or score an A. yes, the examiners plot a curve & then decide on the cut-off points, but these points don't change much from year to year. if the exam is exceptionally difficult, as what my friend said about the PMR BM paper yesterday, most people will find it difficult, so the points will be lowered accordingly. i overheard my teacher friend said the standard of SPM Add Maths is so bad, the passing mark is 20%!!

so, it's actually in the students' interest that they have group studies/discussions & share with each other what topics they think are more important. that's called spotting questions & i believe this term still apply these days. my friends & i used to spot, in the sense that we've covered most exam topics & then we decide, based on previous years' questions, which are likely to be ask that particular year, so we can emphasise on those topics & hope to score should it be asked. but you have to have covered MOST topics, if not all. of course, when you haven't & are desparate, you'd also spot questions but i call this gambling with your future!

2nd, most students would have diligently prepared months before the exams & no one will ever admit they've completely covered the whole syllabus. even so, i'm quite obssessive about making sure the other preparations are in place, eg. full complement of pens, pencils, rulers & erasers, identity card, hankerchief (to wipe the sweat from forehead & palms) & watch/clock. after all, the revision is already in the head & there's not much more you can do about that, but you don't want to be rattled because of a oversight, eg. don't forget fresh calculator batteries!

3rd, don't forget to pray. doesn't matter which religion you embrace, you still need the confidence that a Supreme Being is on your side. especially when all else fail, when you're staring at a question & don't know how & where to begin, or when you're facing an essay question with no points in your blanked-out mind. when you're in dire straits & the sinking feeling is overwhelming, your last hope will be to call out, pray, exhort, chant or just mumble. you don't know Who's listening & Who's going to give you enlightenment. besides, you have nothing to lose.

fast-forward a few months, & when the results are announced, if you scored, then congratulations are in order. otherwise, don't fret that you didn't achieve your target. yeah, i know, your parents are disappointed & you're frustrated & the whole world seems to be against you. your friends have moved forward but you're sort of stuck in a rut.

who's to know what the divine plan is for you? is it for you to take a detour from your desired career path？or, should you start back at square #1 & start your journey all over again, hopefully be better equipped the next time?

after 30 years of sitting for exams, i've been thru it all - success, disappointment AND outright failure. the battle scars tell of the detour & square #1 tales. & more.

that's why i dare tell you - don't give up because it ain't over till the fat lady sings!

love transcends all

now that the dreaded ghost month is over, expect a lot of happy occasions, like marriages, house-warming, etc to take place.

2 nurses are tying the knot soon. theirs & the grooms' families seemed happy.

a friend's daughter will also be getting hitched but the parents aren't too pleased because this one needs to transcend racial & religious boundaries. it's never happened in the family before so it came as a shock when we found out about it.

but the girl is a matured adult, trained in a top UK university & holding a decent corporate job, so presumably she's well aware of the implications of her decision.

circumstances like this often remind me of Samson who chose to marry a Philistine girl, even after his parents questioned his choice.

sometimes life just don't turn out the way we envisioned but that doesn't mean it's all bad. make lemonade, we're urged. make do with what we already have & build on that.

after all, we're also told, of faith, hope & love - the greatest is still love.

happy wedded bliss, everyone!

playing for God

being able to play music is a gift.

from God, no less.

if kids can be encouraged to play for God, then i think they may just appreciate this gift. so everytime care group is held at my place, we get the kids to play when we worship.

we look forward to their playing for the church when they are older.