Merry Christmas Everyone

To all my friends and foes alike(yes,I have foes,I think,I should have due to my offensive mouth)Merry Christmas! I understand those in M2/03 are going to have quite a "memorable" Christmas. All the memorising you need. If I am a Santa, I will wrap an envelope with perforated ends,with an A inside for fellow M2/03ians. Well,I must wrap one for myself too. If not I will really have to be a Santa next coming Christmas. One of my favourite song for Christmas, Dashing through the snow On a one-horse open sleigh, Over the fields we go, Laughing all the way; Bells on bob-tail ring, making spirits bright, What fun it is to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight, O Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! O what fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh (repeat) A day or two ago, I thought I'd take a ride, And soon Miss Fanny BrightWas seated by my side; The horse was lean and lank; Misfortune seemed his lot; He got into a drifted bank, And we, we got upset. OJingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! o What fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh. (repeat) A day or two ago,the story I must tell I went out on the snow And on my back I fell; A gent was riding by In a one-horse open sleigh, He laughed as thereI sprawling lie, But quickly drove away, OJingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! o What fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh. (repeat) Now the ground is white Go it while you're young, Take the girls tonight And sing this sleighing song; Just get a bob-tailed bay two-forty as his speed Hitch him to an open sleigh And crack! you'll take the lead, OJingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way! o What fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh.

*DADDY'S TEN RULES OF DATING* [Guys take note.]

Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up. Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them. Rule Three: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist. Rule Four: I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "Barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you. Rule Five: It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is: "early" Rule Six: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry. Rule Seven: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process than can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car? Rule Eight: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to introduce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka -- zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movieswhich features chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better. Rule Nine: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a pot bellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless God of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me. Rule Ten: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices inmy head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveways you should exit the car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car -- there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine. This is a set of rules provided by my future-in-laws. Just kidding,a joke once in a while to bring laughter to all around.

17 more days

Roughly more than 2 weeks before our finals commence for the M2/03 batch. My preparation is a bit off,as usual,procastinating most of the time. Some of us are switching to fussy mode,some of us wake up looking more like panda than a homo sapien,a few of us maybe dreaming about cabarchol,bethanicol and what's not,some of us are still taking it easy.That explains the colder than normal greetings,drained by the piles of notes and books.This is like a crunch time period,either you make it or you don't.So there you have - pressure.Much as I want to be among the frontrunners in the academics,but still first thing first.A pass is the number one priority. Just minutes ago,Sheena led a group of friends to come to my humble abode to sing Christmas carols. I think my housemates,Mr Bruce is the MAIN pulling factor. Rumours have it that she is president-elect of the BLFC,Bruce Lee's Fan Club.I shall give her a benefit of doubt though.Little did I realise, this is the second time my Christian friends come to do some carolling.So a year has passed,it seems. One year done in my pursuit as a medical professional. Here,I thank all those who have come just now to share with us the festive mood and bringing so much-needed smile and laughter in trying times(That's a bit off,but I love to use hyperbole) besides praying for friends like me.I forgot to take a photo though,never mind,shall get it from Jeremy Joy to the world, We pass finals, With flying colours too, We've given it our best, Alas,we passed the test, Teachers are happy too, We did what we have to, We passed it, We passed and, Proud of it Joy to the world, We pass finals, With flying colours too, We can now go to bed, With sweet dreams in our head, Troubles and worries too, We flush them down the loo, We flush them, We flush them, Down the loo. Seems a bit too early.But inspiration struck at the weirdest time. Update:I realise I got the syllables wrong edi,well gotta refine it next time when I am free.

Medical Breakthrough or.....

I read with great interest this article regarding the "brain". Seems to me,a group of scientist has been able to cultivate a "brain" that is intelligent enough to fly a simlated state-of-the-art jet fighter. Until today,I have always been impressed by the imagination of science-fiction authors such as Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert and Kevin Anderson who wrote the successful Dune series.They have been able to imagine a world ruled by artificial intelligence when a computer that is affordable and compact enough to fit in any household seems like an improbablity during their time.Who knows with this breakthrough, the terms I came across in reading science fictions such as "bio-circuity","neuro-circuitry" and etc. might become a reality?Artificial intelligence will really become artificial intelligence,able to "think" intelligently,not just based on the "if input= A,output =B" basis. A whole new world of possiblities will be opened up. Despite the research on the neurons usage in circuitry still in its infancy stage,a very paranoid side of me has brought me to the possiblity of the situation that can only be imagined by the authors of sci-fi such as Dunes,The Terminator,Matrix where mankind are displaced by thinking machines. With the ability to think and act like man, coupled with the ambition and greed that make a man so notorious for, the world that they imagined is imaginable if not foreseenable. Maybe I am too paranoid here with the Finals coming.Well, it is just a simple research full of potential and difficulties for the patients with neurologic diseases. "The end is spelt when men created machines in likeness of them." This keep ringing in my mind now.Just have to put this down. Now to start the journey to the Finals

Reliving Childhood

How much have changed since I was born.?It seems to be uncountable.I have witnessed many births and deaths.The birth of our Malaysia-made Proton,I was there to witness it.I wonder how many still remember the days when our roads were filled with cars of Mazda,Daihatsu,Honda and etc.I wonder whether the kids nowadays knew that our first national car is Proton Saga,not Iswara,Wira and so on.Much later,then came the Perodua line of national cars. Back in my childhood,we don't have Playstation or Xbox to play with.We had Transformers,Lego and Hot Wheels for the boys and Barbies and "masak-masak" for the girls.There are games that are played by the boys and girls sometimes to pass time such as "Congkak","Batu Seremban","Ceper"(the bottlecaps),"Sepak Yan","Meriam Buluh" and so on.Everything was played with the limbs and some thoughts.All require no battery to play.Just a place and the simple equipment and we will have fun for hours. While I was in primary school,we had no Gameboy Advance or PDA phone.The games I remembered playing used erasers,ice-cream sticks,a pair of running legs and so on.The classic "Police catch thief" I wonder whether it is still being played in the school compound. It is a game of what we normally term catching. Another game that was famous in my school is what we called "Pepsi Cola 1,2,3."I don't know which genius came up with this interesting idea to dirty our white shoes.This game,I couldn't remember how to start it.Anyway the basic of the game is to put your foot (read:White shoes) on top of the foot(read: previously white shoe) of other people.The guys who got his shoes stepped on is considered "killed" and is out of the game.This game is turn-based.Everyone will have his turn.In his turn,he can choose to move one step or kill.When one is being targeted for a kill,he can evade moving only a step but he cannot move before the "killer" or the guy who is having his turn, moves.Thus this is a game that train our eye-leg coordination and leg reflex.Comes in very handy when applied in evading a tackle in football.Of course,while in primary school,everyone was almost of same height and legs of similiar reach making this game that relies heavily on balance and reflex. As we progressed through primary school,we were exposed to newer games,especially the "Sepak Yan" or "Capteh" as we used to call it.This game requires certain investment,thus it is considered one of the more advanced games.It is basically a badminton played with feet.The shuttlecock is replaced by a bunch of (chicken) feathers tied together sitting on top of a heavy circular base usually made by pieces of rubber from the old tyres.I sucks at this game though as my legs aren't as agile as I would like them to.A minority,like me,learned to play chess then.Being the kids we were,I don't remember finishing a game before we ran out of patience and ended the game prematurely.We just couldn't sit down there and think.We would rather sweat it out. Years back then,the Mooncake Festival and Chinese New Year will always have a special place in my memory.During Mooncake Festival,my two brothers and I managed to coax our parents to buy a lots of lantern.Our house compound would be filled with so many lanterns that will put a starry night to shame.My estimate at the peak of our lantern counts,we had around 50 plus lanterns.Hmm....let's not go into the details how I persuade my parents.As most of the lantern we bought were of the paper and candle type,they could be consumed by the very thing to define them-the source of light.Thus,every year during mooncake festivals,there would be a few death of lanterns being burned to ashes,some newly borned or purchased lanterns.We only bought THREE electronic lanterns,one each for my brothers and I but we realised they weren't as fun as the real lantern.I prefered to feel the heat the candle emit,the randomly flickering light provided by the flame ,the risk of burning the lantern while carrying it and running around, and the sadness and pity of witnessing your own lantern's death.Unknowingly this has taught me the cycle of life,there will be deaths and there will be births. Even the lanterns that were hung around the house "died",blown to the ground by the wind and caught fire.Sometimes,whether we intend it or not,deaths happen anyhow.At the last count,I figured we still have around 10 to 20 lanterns left.It had been a while since we replenish our pools of lantern. Chinese New Year is almost as unforgettable.We would have a lot of firecrackers of different sizes and powers.Although firecrackers are illegal now,we still put our customary red firecrackers during Chinese New Year whenever we can get hold of one.Ahh...one of the advantage of living deep inside an estate.Under the watchful eyes of our parents,nothing had gone wrong then.Sometimes,my Dad even joined ,more like, helped me to light the fuse with the glowing incense held by my shivering hand.Together then we would ran away from the firecracker trying to find shelter from the sound that came with it.Ahh.......those days..... Living in an estate also means that I have a few close encounter with the wild animals.There was a few times,these "neighbours" of mine entered my house without knocking.There was a few times Mr. Snake came to my house to "rest." If possible,we would want to part peacefully.However,being not conversant in the language my Granma and my Dad spoke,Mr Snake and his friends had never left my house alive so far.The worst that had happened so far was when I woke up grodgily,to the shoutings of my Granma. What happened was there was a Mr. snake under my bed.My Granma?She was not shouting to warn me,she was scolding me for being so ignorant of the snake's presence.Mr Snake?He came in moving horizontally and went out unmoving vertically.Considering the fact that I have rode my bicycle over a python once and a monitor lizard once unknowingly,these things were quite normal I think.What a childhood......I can be so blur at times. Then, computer came along in my late primary years and things slowly evolve since then.What used to be a pasttime became a past in time.Things have been changing since then.I picked up badminton,swimming,reading and basketball along the way.This is just a glimpse into what a memorable childhood I had......

The Blogger Inside Me

You Are a Snarky Blogger!

You've got a razor sharp wit that bloggers are secretly scared of. And that's why they read your posts as often as they can!

What kind of blogger are you?

Suits me I guess, wait..that's not a compliment for me,isn't it?Got the link from YP

On Debating...

I better blog about this before I forget and go back to my books with anatomy,physiology,pharmacology,microbiology,orgy and etc. I always have a high respect for good speakers who can command the attention of the crowd for hours with no yawning in sight.I have even higher respect for people who can speak publicly,voicing out his/her opinion clearly,responding to questions or rebuttals effectively and sarcastically polite,exuding a confidence that signifies his/her stand on the topic,keeping his/her composure even when all seemed to fall around him/her.Who am I talking about?No one in particular but debaters.They are just human like you and me who read this blog. I for one,can't speak in public,literally meaning I lack the confidence needed to speak in public.To be able to speak in public is the prerequisite to becoming a debater.Thus,I have failed at the first hurdle.However,it doesn't stop me from being amazed by the flair and sarcasm of some debaters,if not all,whom I have watched. Secondly,I don't have a strong stand on most topics.Fluid will be the definition of my stand on a certain topic.Well,I guess I might just mouthed it out accidentally when it is my turn to speak to my debate teamate (if any)"You know what,mate?What they say is really true, you know?I don't think our opinions and points are valid."Hm.....I guessed I have helped the judges to decide the winner of the debate already. Moving on,as one of my friends had related to me the other day,needless to say,I was very impressed with some of the sarcasms and knowledge as well as flair displayed by the debaters in a recent debate.They debated on a topic that's almost alien to them.Read : Turkey.Hahahaha.However,they managed to show and portray a good grasp of the motion,as my friend was saying.Well,don't they make my day?Had a real good laugh at some of the things that happen then.Really can't imagine the look on their face when the motion was announced then. Back to books.........GANBATTE!!!!!

Pondering.....

I was just wondering whether those politicians go online to surf and read news,gossips or even blogs!!!Actually,I was just wondering how efficient our Ministry of Health can be if they keep themselves updated through www.medicine.com.my on current affairs of our public health and the medical personnels' grouses here in Malaysia.Maybe I shouldn't accuse them for not reading.If they do read it,why isn't there any fast action being taken to address the problems highlighted?If they did,again,there is A LOT of rooms for improvement. I was just wondering whether those businessmen go online to surf,read and update themselves.Actually I was just wondering how much their business can flourish if they keep in mind all the customers' grouses that are being voiced out in our ever-growing Internet community.I wondered whether I should be grateful for there are people like Jeff Ooi at www.jeffooi.com who tried to educate the typical Malaysians like me on consumerism.With him around,those businessmen who are monopolising are going to have a hard time coercing the ignorants. I am just wondering whether the many people behind their blogs are really the same person as they sound to be in the blog. On a totally unrelated thought,I wonder why there are so many people going to the media to ask for donation mostly for operations done at private hospitals.It is a known fact that there is a cheaper alternative available at public hospital.It is also a known fact that the waiting time in public hospital is legendarily long.So far,I haven't seen one appealing for money to do an operation at a public hospital though.This is despite the fact that some people just like us,whose blood is as red,can't even afford the RM 1 for the government clinic visits. At first,I thought my family is not that well to do compared to others.This thought occurs to me as my family decided not too long ago that the private specialist fee for my Granma's diabetic illness is too heavy to bear that we have to resort to the treatment and followup at a government hospital.The checkups done at the private specialist have totaled to a few thousands dollar if I am not mistaken.Maybe I am not doing any justice to the government health service by using the phrase "resort to."Anyway,here I want to say kudos and thank you to the medical personnels there for they have taken care of my Granma as well as they could given the much-publicised circumstances.It just took a bit longer and a little more trouble but my Granma was given the attention due her.To those who are appealing for donation through the media,I have nothing against them but I just want to remind you: For each appeal for donation to have an urgent surgery done at the private hospital,there are hundreds more other patients at the government hospital that need more attention than you think they warrant.Come to think of it,how many surgeries at a public hospital can you sponsor with the donation you collected for the treatment at a private hospital?Imagine the number of lives that can be saved?Live within your means,people.Yeah,but if you put me in their shoes,I might be singing the same tune as them.Hypocritical me.... I still remember one of the patient that I came across in the hospital I was attached to, who couldn't even afford the RM 38 for her ward stay.38 bucks.....That's less than what I spent every time I went Midvalley.I was thinking of paying for her but in the end I didn't.Sometimes,I thought to myself,am I lacking the humanity that I hope to see in others?Mirror can only tell me as much as my face,but not my heart.

Insomnia #296

Well.5 a.m. and still not sleeping.Anyway just want to post something I came across while surfing.Interesting find...... 1. Guys don't actually look after good-looking girls.They prefer neat and presentable girls. 2. Guys hate flirts. 3. A guy can like you for a minute, and then forget you afterwards. 4. When a guy says he doesn'tunderstand you, it simply means you're not thinking the way he is. 5. "Are you doing something?" or "Have you eaten already?" are the first usual questions a guy asks on the phone just to get out from stammering. 6. Guys may be flirting around all day but before they go to sleep, they always think about the girl they truly care about. 7. When a guy really likes you, he'll disregard all your bad characteristics. 8. Guys go crazy over a girl's smile. 9. Guys will do anything just to get the girl's attention. 10. Guys HATE IT when you talk about your ex's. 11. When guys want to meet your parents. Let them. 12. Guys want to tell you many things but they can't. And they sure have one habit to gain courage and spirit to tell you many things and it is drinking! 13. Guys cry!!! 14. Don't provoke the guy to heat up. Believe me. He will. 15. Guys can never dream and hope too much. 16. Guys usually try hard to get the girl who has dumped them, and this makes it harder for them to accept their defeat. 17. When you touch a guy's heart, there's no turning back. 18. Giving a guy a hanging message like "You know what?!..uh...never mind!" would make him jump to a conclusion that is far from what you are thinking. 19. Guys go crazy when girls touch their hands. 20. Guys are good flatterers when courting but they usually stammer when they talk to a girl they really like. 21. When a guy makes a prolonged "umm" or makes any excuses when you're asking him to do you a favor, he's actually saying that he doesn't like you and he can't lay down the card for you. 22. When a girl says "no", a guy hears it as "try again tomorrow." 23. You have to tell a guy what you really want before he gets the message clearly. 24. Guys hate gays! 25. Guys love their moms. 26. A guy would sacrifice his money for lunch just to get you a couple of roses. 27. A guy often thinks about the girl who likes him. But this doesn't mean that the guy likes her. 28 You can never understand him unless you listen to him. 29. If a guy tells you he loves you once in a lifetime. He does. 30. Beware. Guys can make gossips scatter through half of the face of the earth faster than girls can. 31. Like Eve, girls are guys' weaknesses. 32. Guys are very open about themselves. 33. It's good to test a guy first before you believe him. But DON'T let him wait that long. 34. No guy is bad when he is courting 35. Guys hate it when their clothes get dirty. Even a small dot. 36. Guys REALLY admire girls that they like even if they're not that much pretty. 37. Your best friend, whom your boyfriend seeks help from about his problems with you may end up being admired by your boyfriend. 38. If a guy tells you about his problems, he just needs someone to listen to him. You don't need to give advice. 39. A usual act that proves that the guy likes you is when he teases you. 40. A guy finds ways to keep you off from linking with someone else. 41. Guys LOVE girls WITH BRAINS more than girls in miniskirts. 42. Guys try to find the stuffed toy a girl wants but would unluckily get the wrong one. 43. Guys virtually brag about anything. 44. Guys cannot keep secrets that girls tell them. 45. Guys think too much. 46. Guys' fantasies are unlimited. 47. Girls' height doesn't really matter to a guy. 48. Guys tend to get serious with their relationship and become too possessive. So watch out girls!! 49. When a girl makes the boy suffer during courtship, it would be hard for him to let go of that girl. 50. GET TO THE POINT, don't beat around the bush... Better get some winks before class start at 8.30 a.m.Cheers:)

Happy Birthday Grace

Happy Birthday Grace!!!!The lady of all trade.Brain,look,athleticism all built into one.Smooth sailing ahead Hmm....almost forgot all about it if I had not read YP's post. And with regards to the poem I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced: but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed - and gazed - but little thought What wealth the snow to me had brought: For oft when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. -William Wordsworth- Okay I yahoo! for it,but I remember reading this before,I think it is one of the poems in the "Poetry in Motion Part II" in the Star LRT. And for the birthday song......

Random Thoughts

"What's so good in a bye that we say goodbye?"

Coffee Anyone?

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee." The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee." Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee." Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me." So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.......... "HEBREWS" No offense to anyone.On a lighter note,I am looking to some coffee from some of my Christian friends =)

Karangan

"Tiga tahun.Tiga tahun telah menjelang sejak saya meninggalkan halaman kampung saya di Johor Bahru untuk meneruskan pelajaran saya di salah satu bandaraya yang terunggul di muka bumi ini.Inilah bandaraya yang diagung-agungkan kemudahan pengangkutannya,bandaraya yang menjadi kebanggaan rakyat Malaysia sekalian.Kuala Lumpur namanya.Duduknya saya di sini,mengenang kembali masa lampau,masa di bangku sekolah,betapa senang dan bebasnya hidup sebagai pelajar pada masa itu.Memang tidak sama dengan hidup yang sesak dan penuh tekanan yang saya alami sekarang.Tapi,inilah pengorbanan dan cabaran yang harus saya harungi di menara gading." Dalam tiga tahun ini,banyak sudah berubah di muka bumi ini,bukan setakat di bumi Malaysia,malah di bumi negara lain.Peperangan masih berlaku.Pengorbanan nyawa yang tidak berdosa kian hari kian meningkat.Jenayah juga semakin menjadi-jadi.Adakah hari kiamat sudah hampir?Berapa nyawa lagi yang mesti dikorbankan dalam usaha yang sia-sia mengawal aktiviti pengganasan?Berapa lama lagi peperangan akan diteruskan?Tidak habis menyoal tetapi saya masih tercari-cari jawapannya. Kerap saya bertanya,bukankah kita telah belajar daripada kesalahan yand dilakukan moyang kita dalam perang dunia?Bukankah kita telah mencapai kemajuan yang hanya boleh diia-iakan oleh moyang kepada moyang kita?Bukankah kita makhluk yang bertamadun?Namun,kita masih berperang antara satu sama lain,membesar-besarkan masalah kecil malah rela mengkhianati bukan sahaja pendirian,malah kaum kita sendiri untuk kepentingan masing-masing.Peperangan,penjenayahan,keganasan,kematian,bagaikan sungai tidak berhulu,darah mengalir tanpa henti. Sudah sekian lama saya berhenti mengarang dalam Bahasa Melayu.Harap maaf atas kesalahan tatabahasa ataupun tatacara yang telah saya lakukan.Jika saudara/saudari boleh meluangkan sedikit masa untuk membetulkan atau membaiki karangan saya ini,bolehlah saudara/saudari mencatatkan sepatah dua kata di ruangan yang disediakan.Atas usaha saudara/saudari,saya dahulukan ucapan terima kasih. Just an effort to keep my BM proficiency in check:)

Lectures

This evening,during one of the lectures,one of the lecturers, "Everyone is born with an instinct to suck his or her mother's milk......" To which I,blurly and sleepily added quite loudly,to the extent of attracting the attention (and even hostile looks)of the 3 rows of attentive medical students in front of me, "I was right to say that everyone is born a sucker after all" Cheers:)

IMU Cup 2004:Prologue

Here in my uni we just had a little Olympic, Which provide our life with a little more kick, A short break from studying to cure the sick, It is a time where our studies take a back seat. IMU Cup is the official name, Where participants are those who are game, Enough to chase the win and the fame, As well to temporarily forgo kinship all the same. Some triumphed while others fall, Winners soar yet the losers stood proud and tall, Some foes were made,together with friends and pals, Especially when a referee made a bad call, Who decide winner or loser in game of subjectivity, Some even questioned the judges' objectivity, So much furore with all the controversies, Despite we all are part of humanity, Friends were seen crying and even hugging, Tried so hard and yet ended losing, If my words,as to others,are any more consoling, Don't give up,we just have to keep trying. Questions were raised and opinions were voiced, By winners and losers,girls and boys, Sportmanships are questioned as a good decoy, For the cup delivered as a departing foy, Are the competitions,as rumoured,rigged? Has fair play taken a back seat? Somethings is wrong when winners are booed and weep, But everyone is just defending their own keeps. Time flies and comes closing of the Olympics, With the cheerleaders' graceful cheer in their sexy figs, "Yell for the foxes,we can't be beat" "Watch out people,gotta knock you off your feet" Winners were declared and hearts were shattered, Adding more fire to the ongoing chatters, The girls cried and wept in friends' shoulders, Some did it openly while others try to find shelters. Well,the IMU cup has officially ended, Just like a burnt out candle, Out went the fire and the smoke spindles, If losing,we can't,what else can we handle? -Xiao_zhai- No medal for me this year though

IMU Cup Campaign

IMU Cup campaign had ended,at least for me.Today just got knocked out in the pool semi-finals.It was a close match,in my opinion.I was lucky though to scrap a win in a best of 3.That guy beat me in the next two round earning a point for his team. Basketball semifinals against the M2/02 ended with a loss to them,ending our basketball campaign this time round.Hope to do better next time though.We put up a valiant fight, but with 2 of our starters fouled out in the middle of the second half,we couldn't muster any more defiance against them.As someone put to me before last time while I was still green in basketball,"Height is the first talent."It is undisputable that height cannot be trained in contrast to skills.From the sound of it,our team really lacks talent and our opponent,is blessed with them. I guess a short update will do for now.Going back to the books.Haven't touched them since IMU cup started.Till the next update,which will be most probably a long time from now,sayonara.

IMU Cup 2004 Update:Basketball Semi-finals 1

Today,I just watched the team that beat us the other day, the Sem2 playing against the almost-made-it team,the current Sem4.What make this match so exciting?Both of the team are led by players who are in the class of their own.Raymond,one of my OOs during my orientation,leading his team of M1/03 against M2/04 led by Jin,whom I was one of the OOs.Oh mine,did my life just revolve around basketball? Jin,beat us the other day with an outstanding Jordan-like performance of 43 points against us.Thus today's matchup is very interesting.Star player playing against star player.The Sem4 led by Raymond started brightly,before Jin's team fought back to take the lead in the middle of first half.Jin wasn't shooting as well as he did the other day.Raymond?He had his fair share of misses too.The Sem4 seems to be playing the right defensive strategy by playing a 1-2-2 defense keeping the guards of Sem2 at bay.However,the inside players of M1/04 had quite a day collecting points in the absence of Jin's shooting form.That's a downside of the 1-2-2 zone formation. The Sem2?They defended with 2-3zonal defense,the most often used defense in basketball I think,can be compared to the 4-4-2 applied in soccer.Since they are playing with 2 guys out.Raymond at nearing 6 feet and being such a good dribbler had quite a good time collecting points.Towards the end of the first half,the Sem4 rallied to pull clear by six points leading into halftime. Second half started with a 3 points from Jin.After that,both the team fought hard to try to take the lead but the Sem4 inspired by Raymond,didn't let space of even an inch to them.They didn't want to surrender their lead.Going into the middle of the second half,with Jin starting to regain his form,the Sem4 applied the 1-2-2 man-zonal or the known "Box One" in basketball with WJ being assigned the task to keep Jin's fire down,while the other 4 form a box defending the inside zone.Jin had a tough time taking his shot and he didn't make his shot ala Jordan as what he did against us.Jin's contribution became quite limited as the game went on,throwing away possession and leading to a few fast breaks from the Sem4.Raymond was really in inspiring form,cutting through the defense,making the shots and plays.The Sem2s just couldn't keep Raymond under control.There was only 3 minutes left on the clock when the Sem4s held a 12 points lead.Jin tried to rally his team back into contention.On a normal day,he might make it.But Raymond was unforgiving,making steals and another few fast break keeps the game out of reach for the Sem2s.Sem4s?They are in the finals. A few thing I want to say about Raymond and why I want him to win.He is an outstanding basketball player in his batch or probably even the whole university.As most competitions are played between batches,his batch,lacking dedicated basketball players always didn't make it far in the inter-batch basketball competition.I can see his elation when the game ended.He has finally reached the finals after maybe four semesters of trying?His teamates nevertheless did a great job in helping him.He had cramps too many a time in trying to reach the final with his batch.Now he finally he made it.Congrats nevertheless. To Raymond,when I told you "See you in the final," besides me wanting to be in the final,I also want you to be in the final.You kept your words by bringing your team into the final and let's see if I can keep mine in the upcoming semis against the overwhelming favourite,the Giants of M2/02.We will meet next Monday on the court,I hope.They are beaten before and history does repeat....To the Finals....

Before my blood is spilled

Before my blood is spilled,not too long ago, I ran a search on www.yahoo.com on my quotes just to pass time as usual.You know,seeing your site at the top of the search result,makes you feel .....good.Oh mine,had a pleasant surprise when someone actually quoted me in her blog.I know it is only one but that can't stop me from feeling so good.*Getting a boost of confidence of my intelligence before the hematology exam in 12 hours time* "Sometimes,ironically, the saddest moment in life is when there's no one to share your happiest moment of your life." -Xiao- "The ship that can help you traverse the greatest distance, brave the biggest storm,ride the most violent wave and yet you survive,wet but unscathed is not a ship but friendship" -Xiao- Okay.Time to clear a few more notes and retire for the night.Adios from the founder of the newly founded Federal Union Centre of Knowledge of The Underground Bloggers. F.U.C.K.T.U.B Cheers:)

IMU Cup 2004 Update:Basketball

Yesterday,we just concluded our group stage for basketball with a hard-fought 55-34 over the new boys of M2/04.We fought it out on the tar,in the rain,for a win,to qualify for semi-finals.We faced a problem in our starting lineup as one of our starter was absent because he's not feeling well.A slight tweak with the starting line up caused us to lose the cohesiveness that we used to choreograph in the first few opening minutes. The new boys take the lead initially with a 13-7 scoreline.Sensing a mistake in the strategy we employed,our team captain did another tweak with the line-up.The result?we level the score at 15-15 and never look back since,concluding the game with 55-34 scoreline to us. Somewhere along the game, Xiao_zhai : @#$%@* WHERE IS THE DEFENSE?REMEMBER WHAT I SAID? *pulling a fist at my teammates and shouting at the top of my voice. Someone in the crowd: Take it easy on your teammates,Xiao.Did you check out the scoreline? Okay,I didn't.But I think we got quite a comfortable lead then.But the game is never won until the game has been won.Can't let complacency sink in and take the victory away. Another friend even commented "Xiao,you are darn fierce. lar"I looked back at her and smiled,putting my most innocent face,expressing surprise and answering " Really?"Maybe got a bit too emotional during the game. End of day,what I got: 5 missed shots 0 points 2 missed free throws 4 steals Lost my voice Half of hematology notes to go Gotta study for hemato already.Sayonara.

"Holds the Fort,Xiao"

Yesterday the was chess competition for IMU Cup with the international chess and chinese chess being played simultaneously.Thus,though one is good in both events,he or she can't take part in both.I for one,took part in the international chess.I looked at both the international and chinese chess team of my batch.None of them that I don't know.I,for one and most of us,I believe,think that chess is played by those nerdy-looking anti-social katak di bawah tempurung who only come out in the sun just to get the vitamin D metabolism in his or her body going.I was wrong,very darn wrong.We have our batch's footballer,badminton,basketball players,swimmer who can run and jump with athletic agility.Okay,this may not include me. Anyway,back to the chess competition.Maybe I should let everyone know, 3 of the 4 members of our chess(international) team didn't know that the competition was held yesterday,of course before we frantically trying to reach each other to tell each other that the competition was going to be held in one hour time.kJ flew in with his while Ash,Grace and me reached on bare foot. The competition format is what we call round robin.6 teams divided into 2 groups where the top 2 from each group proceed. First Match vs Pharmacy.We went into the battefield with all guns blazing.All four boards won.4-0 to M203.I pawned the first guy kau kau Second Match vs M204.Come up with the junior that was in my orientation group.Tough matchup.Draw 2-2.Our star striker KenJ score one and Ash managed another from the jaw of defeat.I was defeated together with Grace with grace. We qualified for semifinals.An enormous achievement since "I have no professional training or whatsoever".Love this line made famous by Willie or AI.Thought M204 was tough,now we got an ever tougher matchup.Going up against 2 very strong(national?)player.We are a team of 4 so we are almost guaranteed to lose 2 boards.I stress,almost but not sure. 3rd Match vs M104.I was in the first board.Their first board is their strongest player while I am probably the weakest player among the 3 males in our team.kenJ can't beat that guy,kenJ said.So it is up to me to upset the odds.Going for a draw with my opponent will upset the balance considerably,favouring us,of course.This is something I learned in the Sun Tzu's Art of War."Spread your strength evenly.Pit your weakest against their strongest army.You may lose a battle but won the others and thus the war." I was using white.FYI,white starts first in chess and thus has the initiative to attack while black is normally a defensive play.White is not my best choice.My stronger play will be with black.He(my national level opponent?)started with a very unorthodox opening.Something that I have seen before but I couldn't quite recall.Must have been some very powerful opening that people used.I have seen that before.I sweat at the thought of it because I believe that it is one of opening the state level chess players that I have play against during my secondary, have used before against me.I lost then,needless to say.A bad sense of deja vu Anyway,I played defensively making sure not to commit any mistake.Against him,I think one mistake will be the last I make.My strategy is to gain material upperhand,and offering a draw.By midgame,I was still on par with him.Our loss are even- a bishop,a knight and a pawn.I think I have tested his patience with my cautious play.Then it happened.Blitzkrieg.He probed and probed my defense until he found a leak.In order to save my king and my day,I have to sacrifice a knight.With the material upperhand he got on me,and the skills and experience that I don't possess,his army was all over my board in the next few moves.I tried and tried yet his army keep coming.Losses getting heavier on each side though I am still the one with more losses than him.It will not be long before my defense crumble. The wall I put up cracks and falls and his queen wielded,in her delicate fingers, the artistically carved knife against my king's throat.Checkmate.I was the last man standing on that table.For once,I made full use of the time I have. The final score was 2-2 again with our trump cards Ash and kenJ scoring the vital points.Sadly and unfortunately, we lost based on the past points accumulated in the group stage.It is equivalent to Malaysia bowing out to Brazil in soccer through penalty shootout after the full time score levels at 2-2. Why do I feel like I was the victor of the day although I have lost?I guess I have done what I could and take the fight to them.This time,I was the underdog.

Life is a game

Life is a game.Of course a game that you cannot save and try to load later.What's past is past.A shot missed will never go in.A pass missed will never be recovered.A second passed will not return.What set the victors and vanquished apart? We are no professional or even semi-professional yet we train,we sweat,we bleed,we bruise and we grit in pain for all we did,in hope of vanquishing the opponent and leaving the court a victor.Thus,skill and ability-wise,the dividing line is blur.What have they got and we not?It is the heart,the determination to go for every ball as if it is your life depends on it.It is the passion,the love for the game.No,it is not the beautiful game that most people in the world play.It is a theoritically non-contact ball game played in rectangular court with two small hoop on opposite ends as the targets.However,with ten persons moving with speed and superb agility within a confine space,contacts is inevitable.It is the game one call it basketball. Over two halves of twenty minutes each,on a tarred court as the chosen battlefield,two teams, comprising of 5 players and 7 benchers slugging it out to outwit,outrun and outscore each other.The heart is not there,one say.That guy is too good,say another.Nevertheless,we felt threatened for the odd was not against us.When they managed to take the fight to us and fight us tooth for tooth,we feel......defeated.When one is defeated at the heart,that's one real defeat.How many times have I been outscored by the other team and yet not defeated?But this is one real defeat,a loss that is hard to take.Hopefully a loss that will be a lesson for the future. Life is a game with no rules but one rule that rules - never ever give up. I love this game.

"Stressometry"

Done a test at http://www.sanriotown.com/psycho/psycho6/psycho6_us.htm Analysis:

"You are a cheerful person and likely never worry about stress.Even when you encounter any problem,you will not pay attention.Though,it is not the whole truth.Maybe you just simply put stress aside. You might be exposed to stress one day.When that occurs,gardening will be the best way to keep a balance stress level."

What?!!!Gardening??Hmm....speaking of which,the durian seed I threw in my home compound has started to bear fruits this year.The only thing I ever did is throwing the seed after I finish the flesh almost a decade ago.I guess that can be considered gardening.....Hemato,IMU cup,crapping,shitting,eating,sleeping.Darn.....need better time management.

Malaysia In Recent Days

What I do when not studying, Besides some shitting and some crapping, I did try to do some analysing, On Malaysia's recent happenings. Come have a look at some garmen's policy, "All out war against piracy" Yet we still Ah Bengs selling VCD, Now advanced already to DVD. When things go wrong,we form committees, Always say,"We will launch an inquiry" "Need inputs from all parties" That's it,folks,end of one story. Our sports fail to shine,say we need more measure, "We have to promote sports,not just for leisure" Athletes fail,we then say it is good exposure World standard,how can we be sure? Question same is not worrying, "Besides, this is not copying" I thought originality we are lobbying, Maybe one can call it "coincidental printing." Smoking is good,says one MP, "My friend don't smoke and he dies early." "Compared to strolling,smoking is more healthy." Looks like someone doesn't know his health's ABC. "Sorry,docs,we have no money" Yey they still drive their big big Mercedes, "Sorry,that car's not mine,belong to my honey." I sometimes do find them very funny. Graft is bad,we abhor nepotism, Yet those Benzs are driven with such enthusiasm, Can even go overseas to cure rheumatism, But they can't even take a little criticism. First,they say they champion for freedom of press, Yet they now complain about so-called bad press, Saying it causes some people undue stress, Wonder why their words are such a mess? Malaysia has the first world facility, But we run it with third world mentality, Given chance,most of us will sure take a MC, It is a wonder we built that KLCC. This is the Malaysia of today, And the stories for the past few days, A glimpse of the country I stay, We are uniquely Malaysian,I say.

Recharge

Going to go back my hometown in JB for some refreshment and to recharge my mental battery today after today's lecture if I can get the ticket.Life is getting more hectic.It's not that far,yet I don't go back often.Hopefully,if inspiration struck on my way home,then I will post the poem here.That's the time when I got most of my inspiration to write something.Non-medical of course.Might not be blogging for a few days.Living on dialup there. To my self-imposed isolation.Cheers!!!Take care those who are preparing for the IMU Cup.

"Winning isn't everything.IT is the thing"

Okay,that's not what I want to say.Anyway,just enjoy those sweats,pains,cramps,aches and malaise for those preparing for IMU Cup.Will end with one of the quotes I really like

"Though one may conquer a thousand man a thousand times in a battlefield,yet he who conquers himself is the greatest conquerer." -Buddha-

Let us be the greatest conquerers.......

My Secret Identity

Take the quiz: "What is your secret IDENTITY?" Leonardo DaVinchi Such intellegence...You are the kind of person who sees things differently. Completely different perspective of life. This is awesome, the world needs intellecutals like you. You can go far with your thoughts. My secret identity.Oh mine,I didn't know that.Will try out other quiz.

Budget

Just checked the paper today and found out a new Budget has been tabulated by our government.The tax relief for purchase of books will be increased from RM 500 to RM 700. Yeah....I love to buy books.Now there will be less burden on my Ministry of Finance(read my Dad) Medical books are expensive so the relief will,oh well, come as a relief.Been planning to add a few more books to my medical library.Now I can get another 2 or 3 ORIGINAL medical books to add to my medical library here. There is also an increase in sin tax namely alcohol and cigarettes.The increase in cigarettes is good I believe because everyone or almost everyone know that smoking is bad for health.As for the increase in alcohol,I don't know what to say about it.Anything excessive is detrimental and I drink OCCASIONALLY.Thus,it won't has much effect on me.Just in case there are any blur sotongs from medical university,the price increase DOES NOT affect alcohol swabs.I repeat, DOES NOT affect alcohol swabs. Now onto something else:Been wondering how will Acid and Obasan(a type of alkali) go. Just titred Acid with Obasan(Obasan:Oxidised Barium Sulphate ANhydrous;just crapping here) using a spoonful of cake held by burette filled with Obasan's solution.Shall check with a pH paper at regular interval now to see if there is any changes in pH. Here,pH = -logarithm base 10 of (intensity of happiness of Acid) One more thing to add,with the tax increase,there goes my plan to keep a bottle of JD in my room.Who say taxes are not a good deterrent? Enough baba for now.Sayonara

A Bugga's Birthday

Celebrated my dive buddy's birthday.Had lots of fun especially the matchmaking part.*Rumour mill churns churns churns.*He got a brand new very cool-looking LAZYBUM Equipment watch.Some people just knew how crappy I can get.Downed 9 glasses of todi unknowingly.No,frankly,I don't drink.SERIOUS..... Anyway,happy 21st birthday, Bugga.You will soon be de-singlelised,don't worry be happy.

Orientation M2/04:updates

I was one of the few if not only Orientation Officer from my batch.Oh boy.Lessons I learned from the orientation:

1. You should learn from your past experience (orientation)
2. Greetings from your batchmates come in the form of flour, water baloons, paint, water, eggs and God-knows-what-they-can-grasp-in-their-hand.
3. You will get special VIP treatment when your batchmates are the sadisticstation masters.
4. Eggs are good for your hair, "Not oily,not day, I'm balanced" to quote an adverts motto.
5. You time-slip in and out of the future. Your hair will be black in the morning, white(read flour) in the afternoon, yellow(read egg yolks) in the evening and black again before you go to sleep.
6. The orientation T-shirt is able to withstand at least 10 time wash over 3 days.
7. Sleep is secondary.

On a more positive note,I enjoyed the orientation well.Got to know some of the juniors under my charge although I still have a hard time putting names to their face even now.Hmm...I have a confession to make:I still don't know the names of some of the friends I normally talk to even now in university.The respi exam killed my brain cells you see.At first, I was quite paranoid about being an OO.But my group cope well in my absence(There are other OOs as well)Kudos to them for coming up with the cheer and the costumes and the spirits.I really respect them.Why do I become an OO?Hmm.....Helping out is secondary.Primarily is to know some of the leng luisjuniors and help them with their university.Yet,so far nobody had approached me for any help or any kind.Maybe it is just the first day after orientation.(self-consoling)My point here is I had helluva fun during orientation,getting thrown flour,eggs,water baloons and etc.Okay.That don't sound right.Actually I really thank them(my juniors) for putting in their best efforts.Okay,I had cramps on both my legs(I am getting older,you see) during the late part of treasure hunt yet they still went on.Also want to thank them for calling me the best OOs which I don't quite deserve for what I have done for the first 2 days,abandoning them for my books.Respi exam,what to do.

At the end of day,the orientation was fun and a success considering the time and effort everyone put in.

"One should not be judged on how much wealth he give,but how much of his wealth that he had given."-Xiao_zhai-

Thus,A starving man gives more than a billionaire's millions through his gift of crumbs.Judging by this saying,I have to say the those committee members sure have put in a lot of efforts.To coordinate an orientation for 170+ students with your exam practically the next day really need some BIG sacrifice.Some even went to the extent of skipping the all-too-important medical lectures.

Kudos to the Committee of Orientation M2/04 for a job well done.Kudos to Chern Wuay for leading STD so well in the temporary absence of the OOs.

High School

Was doing some housekeeping in my pc and happen to come across this questionaire I got about a year ago.Maybe I should post it up: Your High School : Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar(English College), JB 1. nickname in high school? Siao most of the time, Steroid King, AirBall King, Cramp King 2. best subject? English 5. worst subject? chemistry too much memory work and not much practical then 6. a teacher you owe life lessons to: Pn Chong(Standard 1 class teacher),Mr Lim(primary school),Miss Tan(Primary school),Pn Low(Standard 6 Mathematics)Miss Syamala and practically most of them in schools.They can't beat my DAD though 7. a teacher you wanna kick in the ass? None i can think of 8. Describe sec 1 year: Get to know lotsa new ppl though a few still come from my primary school.Joined Land Scout.It was very fun then. 9. sec 2 year: Picked up basketball.That's where I got most of my nick in sec school.Start to play(and cramp)quite regularly towards the year end.I was nv an athlete.Got selected as Assistant Junior Troop Leader for Land Scout.Learned a whole lots fun and interesting things in scout 10. sec 3 year: PMR year.Getting to have regular ballmates for basketball namely Eric,JS,QM,ZL,Darrell,but never really acquire the technique.I remember more than 15ppl gather for the last ball meet just before PMR.Getting my friends from St. John to practise first aid on cramps on ME!!!Got a good result for PMR.Scout movement starting to wane after the change of leadership.Still present for every meet without fail though.I am a never a fan of the first Saturday off for the government servant if it involves school.Saturday,school was off limit,hindering lots of ECA activities. 11. sec 4 year: Great year.Major exam just over.Tried a few things.Joined Photography Club got a post as club photographer.Interact club was fun too.Best moments- The U-16 basketball open competition(Won 1 lost 1)Major switch to St John from Scout movements.Won the best camp with them.Selected as President for EC basketball club.plan to try out for MABA referee but never materialise. 12. sec 5 year: Study year.Basketball take a back seat though we still play.Not having too many airball in my shooting edi.Quite happy with the improvement.SPM result shocking.... 13. your best friends was? Soon Liang,Soon Liang and Soon Liang 14. your worst friend was? Hmm...none. 15. cafeteria food sucked? Really sucks.Expensive and normally I don't even eat there. 16. most hilarious school rule? Still remember the first time I was disciplined till I got into the black book.Kesalahan:"Bermain bola keranjang pada hari panas" 17. wore uniforms? Yeah.Ties.Every1 wear ties.Diff from the primary school where only prefects got the "privelege" 18. how was the prom? National school no prom 1 la. 19. who was prom king and queen? refer to Question 18 20. any achievements? Learned a lot of things and found to have a deep passion for basketball. 21. were you popular? maybe among my ballmates and St John friends who keep helping me with my constant cramping 22. best song that reminds you of high school? Some thing that goes like "Wo Men Zhe Yi Pan,Ren Zhai Ke Shi,Xin Zhai Lan Qiu Cang,Wo Men Zhe Yi Pan,Che Yuan Tou Kan,Fen Shu Dou Yi Yang..(We in this class,though we sit in the class,our hearts lies with the court,We in this class,during test copy each other,result comes score all the same) 23. unforgettable high school crush? Nope.Basketball was my passion then. 24. most embarrassing moment? 3 airball in the U-16 basketball competition.I took only 3 shots 25. memory you'd like to forget about high skool: NOne 26. best memory? everything..maybe i should mention about the 7.8 meter high flag pole that won us the best camp. 27. any regrets? Not brushing up my written Chinese. 28. would you like your "future child" to attend ur high skool? Nah...too politicised now.To hell with the quota system.Unless this change,dun think I will.Of course,that's so long b4 even having a kid.Can't really say.Nv say nv..

Gracing Grace's Graces

Just added another fellow batchmate who is into blogging now at www.grchew.blogspot.com and YP's bitching Ranting has just moved. Planning to launch my own site soon. Running out of space at geocities. Trying to get a 100 mb webspace and a domain.People keep asking me why my homepage only archive my college life and not my uni life.Hmm...There is not enough space there to update there,people,that's why it has been stagnant.I wonder how many did check out my homepage. Sayonara for now

Orientation M2/04

Junior version: I am little junior,young and naive, Here is my Mummy,There is Daddy, When the seniors coming,hear me shout, Oh my god and, I want out!! Senior Version: You are little junior,in my hand, Holding flour and eggs ,we are friends, When the seniors throwing,hear us shout, Have fun and wet, inside out. Hmmm....a little lame of conversion of the little teapot song. Maybe a black sheep will fare better. Juniors,Juniors, You're in IMU, White flours, and eggs,ten handful, There's one for the OOs,and none for the dean, Nine for the little boys that just came in. I am losing my mind......

27th August 2004

What day is today?Today is the start of the junior orientation and my "re-orientation."Nope.Not going to tell other what we did in the university here for the juniors.Today also means there is 4 more days to the Respiration System Course Assessment.Preparation looks good at 37.984246%.Don't worry too much.Have 3 full days to prepare.The weekend and National day provided there's nothing that divert my attention away during the weekend and some peace and quiet on National Day.Come on.The stadium is within earshot.It can't be that loud as in drowning the songs played by my imported(from hometown) subwoofer.Shall see my woofer or the stadium wins the battle of the sounds.Hmm...concentrating on study with those noise is another matter. Why blog today?Coz today is her birthday.Someone who is so great that she practically touched the whole world.Who is she?Nope, not one of my crushes.It is the late Mother Teresa.Born on 27 August 1910.Just came across one of her quotes which I like it very much,that's why I am blogging here.

Yesterday is gone.Tomorrow has yet to come.We have only today.Let us begin - Mother Teresa(1910-1997)

One more thing.Good luck to all M2/03 for the Summatives.

My new toy

I was telling everyone I am not going to play basketball anymore.Actually I bought that leather ball to decorate my room.Serious!!!!

Resolutions

It's time to sit down and set my priorities straight.Been a while since I want to do this already.Some of the resolutions I just made and hope to keep

1. To not just pass my Semester 3,but to do it with flying colours.
2. To cut down my weight to 70 kg
3. To set up my own domain and website,need money for this though
4. To balance my time better
5. To online less
6. To study more and harder.
7. To put the past back and look to the future
8. To learn not to hope too much

I guess that's all for now.Still thinking what theme to write for the poem competition.Get a theme,everything will be easier.Of course,need inspiration for that too though......

Library

I just finished a page long entry and the stupid computer just erased it.FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNN.Lessons learnt: Don't hold the shift and arrow buttons to highlight the whole text because after it has highlighted the last text. The next "hold shift and arrow button" input to the computer in this stupid library is to erase the whole text you highlighted.I followed the "experts" advice to highlight my texts and copy to a notepad before I submit my entry as BACKUP. Note that I just did that again.ARRGGGHHHH.What BACKUP!!!!

Second year in Medical School

Today,I have finally stepped into the second year in the medical school.It has been a tough one year behind me.I have thought of something when I was on my way back to KL on Sunday,about my previous ambitions last time,about those people you want to be when you grow up in the future.Although being a doctor features prominently in my listed ambitions since I was young and naive then,there are other things that have come into my mind before.

1. Rocket Scientist/Astronaut - I used to have a very strong interest in the field of astronomy.I could list the planets and all the moons then.I have always thought that outer space is a very fascinating part of our life.Where does my inspiration come from?Part of it can be attributed to StarTrek,others include the science fiction I read.I had this wish to invent some spacecraft that can travel hundreds of times faster than current spacecraft.Kids like to dream right?
2. Automotive Engineer - I was instilled this love for car by my Dad who had taught me over the years how to take care of a car well.I was his "co-mechanic."He always did the maintainence work all by himself if it is possible and I would be asked to help him as I am the eldest in my family.He would teach me along the way,why he did this,why he did that,what is this,what is that.I would listen noddingly,sulking most of the time for drawing me away from my sleep/TV/storybooks/games and etc.I love cars with futuristic look and speed.Of course,it would be even better if you can practically make your own dream car.
3. Journalist/Freelance writer/Author - I have a very strong love for writing.I find that I can express my words and thoughts better through words.Not to say I am not a talkative person in real life,it just that,I find it is very fun to convey your message through interesting usage of words.I am always impressed by those writers who can use simple words which embbeded in them a very profound meanings.I think that it is very fun to be able to travel around,freeze a moment in life in your camera, and write what you see,feel or think about it.Of course,there are deadlines,editting,censorship and etc though.
4. Mathematician/Hacker/Cracker - Mathematics was one of my favourite subjects,especially those questions that need you crank your brain to be able to solve it.The elation of finally finding the solution is one of the feelings I savour very much.This type of love for problem solving is useful for cracking code where determination and perseverance also come into play.It is a challenge that you can show that you can outsmart some other people.
5. Web designer/Computer Technician/IT work - Design and creativity are not really my fortes.I think I am good at troubleshooting.You don't need much skill,I think you need a lot of patience,which I gladly say I have.I have strong interest in the working of the computers too.One of these days,I want to take up Flash,although my HTML coding is still below par.
6. Lecturer/Teacher - Teaching in private sectors sure can make a lot of money.I am considering this because ONE friend of mine said that I can teach well,explaining difficult things in simple words.However,I doubt I can do much simplifying medical terminologies and etc to my fellow colleagues.

Hmm....I am currently in medical school.There are a lot of other things that I have consider before yet now I am in the process of becoming a doctor.On a more negative note,failing medical school I guess doesn't mean the end.There is always a possiblity of failing though.As one can say to those who have experienced failures before,"You don't fall from failure,you just don't get up from it."Think over it.I don't know it is making any sense.Can't think of any good quotes at the moment.Maybe these words of wisdom on one of my bookmarks will do

You can't change the direction of the wind,but you can adjust your sails to always reach your destination.

Home Sweet Home

Been back at home since Sunday.Kinda lazy to update as there's only dialup available here.I miss my broadband back in KL though.Been doing nothing much except eating,playing and sleeping.Holiday is the time for R&R,not rest and recuperate though,more like recreation and relief.Study is not easy.Phew~~~Manage to get some creative juice flowing in my idling mental and physical state now though.Something I wrote on the bus Homeward Bound Ah,The Wise heads for home finally, Southward bound,away from KL city, Another six month down the tertiary study, In a field that's revelled by many. The engine grunts,destination nearing, The chair creaks,I am here writing, Distance closes,feet impatiently tapping, The lady in front find me irritating. The view changes beyond the window, From concrete of city to the country's meadow, The sun setting,the sky an orange glow, On the trees and palms cast a longer shadow. Creative juice stops here due to gastric juice flowing - I was too hungry to think Just trapped a rat moments ago in my home here.Hmm....Where can you find all these snakes,crickets,bugs,lizards,rats,squirrels and etc?My home will be a good guess.Back to the rat topic.It is a grey small little cute rat.However,it just have to go.What did we do?We pour boiling water on it till it dies.Sadistic right?I know but that's they way we dispose of the rodents here.The poor rat sure died painfully.I do wish they don't come to my home here though.I can imagine the rat being scalded in its last moment on earth.Poor rat.My heart goes out to it.I understand the feeling of being scalded but you just happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.Not to mention the things your late brothers did;chewing away wire causing short circuit,eating the rice sack rendering the whole sack unsafe for consumption and etc.Hmm..I am having compassion for the wrong things.Why I care so much for the rat? I was born in the year of the Rat.

Getting old

When is the time that you know you are really old?I am not that old yet,but I am getting old as seconds pass.More like I have grown a lot rather than getting old.A search on the net can turn up a few classic examples.But I think I will make my own list here.

1. You know that durian trees takes 7 years to bear fruit for those commercial type seeds and 10 years for the durian trees of the unmodified seeds to bear fruits,and all that from experience.
2. The Four Heavenly King Killer that you know is Emil Chau.
3. One of the best games you played for hours is Tetris
4. Handphones are big and bulky for the big and "bulky" executives of company.
5. Some kids/strangers are calling you Uncle instead of Kor Kor.
6. The waiter approaches you instead of your father when it is billing time.
7. You always check the mailbox for the utility/internet/credit card bills.
8. You look around for a phone booth when you want to make a call home.
9. House phone has a limited distance that you can go without bringing the phone down to the floor(corded phones).
10. Internet is not an English word.

Revamp version 1.1

Hmm. I just did some slight changes to my blog templates.Just used up four hours of my life. Oh what the the hell. Changed some of the colours and the sizes of the fonts. Refined the javascript so the menu now will appear just right to the link. Added a new link to another of my batchmate in university. She is another stunner in cheongsam. Check her out her blog out. Going to be sent to some place where Internet is a foreign word,well sort of, this evening. Won't be able to update my blog for quite sometimes. Maybe you all can check out my homepage (the link is on the left) and leave something in the guestbook. Arigato and sayonara.  

A Friday

A Friday has never felt so cold, Not the rain,not the snow,not that I am getting old. Maybe it is because I was told, To the nation of the south she has flown. Yes,it rained the night of yesterday, But it doesn't bring the coldness I felt today, And future days will pass without much gay, Without her smile that bring me much need ray, I can only imagine the nature of her departure, A face of tears,a look of sadness,pondering the future, In the land of the south,in the sea of foreign culture, Seperating us is the sea,the mountain,the power of Mother nature. For once,I asked and No she said, Time is not right for us just yet, Guess that will add on to the two years I waited, A time most people will have seen their adventures ended. She has been hurt truly madly deeply by him, A lucky guy,I'd say, yet broke her heart with a whim, All the while I was beside her,comforting and listening, Sometimes,I think it is my fault that she brokes down crying.  I know I can't,I wont,I'd never take his place in her heart, I am not him,he's not me,and that's what's kept us apart, A naive guy one might say yet,love it is say another, I've given my all in what I believe,thus I shall comment no further, My heart's been broken once too many times by her, Not her punch,not her kick but the "No's" she hurls, If you can show me a rational surd, Then I'll show you a love that never hurts, What's with me and all my poetic streak? My hands listen as my thoughts speak, A guy's love for a girl is for all to take a peek, Happiness in life is what I always seek. I can't pluck the stars nor I can love you till the sea dries, But I guess we can gaze the stars together by the seasides, I can't love you forever with all my heart and my soul, For with every seconds pass,I am getting old. -Xiao_zhai-

Accident

I just got these two photos in my mailbox from my friend yesterday.Luckily or rather miraculously,no one is hurt,I pity the car though.So anyone out there,please don't speed for speed kills.If you want to race,go to the race track.I hope my friend,he learns not to speed next time.One is not always that lucky.Count himself bloody lucky this time round for no one is hurt.       PS. the car number has been blacked out to protect the privacy of the owner involved.

Patch Adam

Patch Adam.Finally got the chance to watch this movie today in the Behavioural Science session with the great psychologist Mr Paul Jambunathan.The message that the movie gives(aside than the love story that accompany it) about and to fellow medical colleagues is really worth my time pondering and blogging at this time. The emphasis on doctor-patients relationship couldn't be any better. All the basic things we learned during our Behavioural Science seem to be making a lot of senses now. It is a very practical subject.  Just digesting the fact and notes will not improve one's competence in term of communication skills,guess one needs to really think about it and practise it. Wonder if I have done that so far. Patch being so casual with the way he carries himself around the wards and hospital really differs from what is seen in a traditional hospital setting. The script is really good especially the few lines that I remember when he is presented to the panel of judges to determine if he is to be graduated or not due to him breaking the norms in medicine practise by "going down to the field" or we Malaysian put it, "turun padang" with the patients and mingle with them. I will be very impressed if that really happens to him and the wisdom that comes along in the real Patch. All of us are doctors,as well as patients. This is very true indeed especially when treatment is defined as methods or ways to improve the health of the patients and health is not merely the absence of disease, but also the general well being from physical,pyschological and social point of view(Wonder if I got that right) For example,when I feel the elation of treating a patient, I am the patient then as well for he/she improves my health as in term of giving me a feeling of satisfaction while I on the other hand, alleviate his/her pain, suffering and more. One will always have an impact on another's life. I can't but to think about this how small things can have a great impact on one's life. I can't seem to recall any particular one at the moment but there are things that really makes me think that the world is not that bad as I thought afterall. I really envy Patch's passion and determination in promoting his way of medicine. From the bits of information I have gathered through the net, he is still working hard to build a hospital that he envisions. Dare to dream,how true it is sometimes. I really admire Patch for his fire is still burning after so many years, ever since it is lit. As Paul said, we don't need to go to that extreme to build a rapport with the patients. A smile works all the time. Thus,a simple gesture is always not that simple. Talking about simple gesture,maybe a little help for his Gesundheit! in term of publicity will help here. For more information on the real Patch Adam, please visit http://www.patchadams.org. He will be glad to get some funding though. Remember it is a silly free hospital,not a free silly hospital. I wonder if anyone can get the joke. Maybe he didn't know that he has revolutionised the way medicine are taught now. I am glad that I have come in contact with patients even in my first year of medical study. Glad to sad there is improvement, and still room for more. The stammer is less and tongue are tied less.   As Paul said,there many Patch Adam around actually,each place has its own Patch Adam. If he can see a couple of us out of nearing 200 students can communicate with patients with the kind of approach he taught,he can consider his job done.   Moving on from Patch, today I got a quote that's worth remembering.   "Even a broken clock is correct at least twice a day" - Unknown- courtesy of Paul Jambunathan   Oh ya,today Paul mentioned about how his name is pronounced by the English. The first thing that came to my mind is Paul Jam-bun-athan. Not making fun of his name, but just seeing things in a lighter way. If I know the Paul whom I think he is,he wouldn't mind.After all,   Laughter is the best medicine.

Blogger's Blog

I have been having blogger's block for sometimes now.Since university life make up most of my current life,thus,it makes sense that's also where I draw most of my inspiration.Currently,we can be said to be having honeymoon or holiday as the schedule is very relaxing now with quite a lot of time on hand.Thus,no university=no inspiration,no inspiration=blogger's block.Hmm...seem to have some shitcraps coming out now.How did I spend my last few days?Living 24 hour a day I guess.I was attached to a private GP in Kl for 2 days.It was interactively fun,if there is such word for it.Can't wait to go to KKB for my rotation judging from the good feedback(note:no plural)I got so far from frienD who haS been posted there last week.Maybe I will come up with some poem this few days,if there's inspiration. Till then,sayonara.I wonder if there's anyone reading this blog,oh darn,I don't blog for the sake of readership,I blog just for the sake of blogging. P.S. This is not my only blog by the way.....

F1

Acid in his red Ferrari, is now leading the pack by nearing one full lap.He had a good start or more like a jumpstart,he throttle up his engine before the race even begin.Since there's no rule in this race,his move is a legal one.YP and Xiao in their HentaiHyundai and Mitsubishi Evo VII respectively were engaged in reverse gear at the start,thus allowing Acid to lead by more than 5 full laps by the end of 20 laps in this race of 31 laps. At the end of lap 20th,Xiao,YP and the rest of the Lamers' pack realise that they have been in reverse gear all this time while Acid seem to be cruising for his 201st career first place finish in the IMU Lamers' Championship M2/03. Acid has claimed the number one spot in the Foundation 1 although he had a wing damage in Foundation 2,causing him to finish behind Xiao.Now back to the race,Xiao and YP finally shift into their forward gears at the start of 21st lap in this CVS circuit.Acid has just lapped them for the 5th time in the last lap. Since there's nothing to lose,Xiao began his ascent in the drivers' standing by engaging his Nitrous Oxide system of his Mitsubishi Evo VII.He knew the risk of running the system for the last third of the circuit.He could either blow his engine due to the Nitrous Oxide generating excessive strain on the engine of his Evo,or get a good standing or even better finish ahead of Acid.He could only hope and pray for the latter two.He weaved in and out,overtaking Mr. Selfish at the Chicane of Pharmaco in his 25th lap,with a breath-taking "speeding through the pit stop" maneuver.Since the pit stop was a straight instead of the Chicane of Pharmaco where other cars need to slow down greatly to navigate it,Xiao was able to get a good half lap gain on Acid.He narrowly avoided crashing into the Mr Antiarrhythmic,one of the directors of the CVS circui,who stood out proudly in the pit stop.WTH is that idiot doing in the pit?Travelling at Mach 2(approximately 2160 km/h) with that idiot standing 61 metres away before Xiao caught the sight of him,with human reponse time of 200 milisecond,putting some of the 100 metres Olympic sprinter to shame,he adjusted his steering and managed to avoid Mr Arrhythmic by hair breadth. On the other hand,YP switched her Super Hengtai mode of her NO system in her Hyundai and began her climb in the standing.Where was YP when Xiao was on his NO system?YP was on the track.So the question was where was Xiao when YP was on her NO system?Xiao don't use the tracks,he raced through dirts and barriers as always. A few more laps down,Xiao and YP got Acid in their sights.Seeing them,Acid engaged his NO system too.Compared to Xiao and YP's constant uses of their NO system,Acid's NO system still need a lot of finetuning and upgrade.Coming out of the 180 degree sharp turn at Vessels of the Limbs into the last lap,Xiao was still smelling the exhaust of Acid's Ferrari.The white flag was up.That was the final lap.Can Xiao improve his standing?Can he beat YP and so many others in front of him?Can he wrest the pole spot from Acid?Check back later for further updates and news.Same time same channel. Xiao_zhai over and out.Blogging from the cockpit of his car going into the last lap of the CVS circuit.

Friendship

For the past 3 hours or so,I have logged into www.friendster.com and browsed through my old friends profile and all.I didn't add most of them,they are just connected to my friends who happen to know them as well.In real life,I do know them.I wonder how much I have missed out with my old friends,those from secondary and primary schools.I still remembered their names,their truants,their personality then. I looked at them now,judging from their pictures that are available,most of them have grown up to be beautiful ladies and handsome gentleman.Any other things about them,I am absolutely lost as in events in their current life,where they are studying,what they are doing,hobbies and all.Some of them,I practically last say hi to them in a decade ago.Yes,a decade ago,you got that right.That's where friendster find its niche.To bring those friends of ours that we have lost contact with.To a certain extent,it works but for a student like me who have difficulty travelling around and having limited pocket money,the geography limits what I can do to catch up with my friends. It is nice though to know that they are doing fine in their life.I give them my blessing.Normally I don't add them to my friends' list.Why?Reasons being this guy whom I remember(and last say hi is like a decade ago), will he remember me or not?I am always proud of my memory power but sadly,there are people whose names I have already forgotten even in IMU,lest to say friends from my primary and secondary school years, especially those who don't have anything in common to do with me.Sorry to say that but I admit it is the truth. Sometimes, this friendster phenomenon,I feel is contributing partly to my guilt and realisation that friends are just transient,unlike family.I come to realise that in one and a half year time,I may have to or will lose touch with people I knew well in IMU,just as what has happened in my primary and secondary years due to the nature of geography and our studies.So far,there is one I am and definitely have been proud of is my friendship with a close friend of mine whom I have known and studied with since kindergarten.This friendship is kept well partly due to the fact that we have been practically in the same class since kindergarten.In one and a half year time,when each of us will be going our own way to further our study,hopefully I will be proven wrong for once,that friendship is transient.... I would like end this blogtry with a toast of Vodka to my divebuddy in Pulau Tioman,Acid.I have only known him practically 3 months ago......you guys in IMU don't believe?Ask him......

Biasedness and Racism(PROCEED WITH EXTREME MATURITY AND CAUTION)

The net is a powerful tool to state your honest(sometimes dumbright silly)opinion.The issue of the racial gap has resurfaced in one of the blogs I came across.Since I have much to say,I guess it will be better if I dedicate a blotry(blog entry?) to it. I think I mention before in my previous blog that our education system needs a revamp.Basically it is the policy that was discreetly(read unwritten;unspoken;say-it-you-will-minum-kopi-with-ISA ppl)undertaken by our government in awarding university places and scholarships to undeserving one.What do I mean by undeserving one?People who score well in examination yet rich enough to own a Mercedes Benz 500S don't deserve the full scholarship.People who don't score as well as those "lucky 128" yet got the places in the universities,they too don't deserve this.And maybe less heard,people who belong to the top 50 scorers in STPM in the country yet can't get his/her first choice of study.Maybe there are other criterias that are to be examined before one is admitted into the university or awarded a scholarship.For example,in the matter of scholarship awarded,the finances of the family should really be closely scrutinised before the award.A scholarship offer is a good way to reward a student for his/her achievements,that,I agree but I guess a 50% scholarship will do and the money "saved" can be used to sponsor those good students who are not financially able,not necessarily at tertiary level,but also at secondary,primary and pre-school.I personally feel this should be the case as to reinforce the the stand that everyone should be given an equal (or close to equal)chance at the best possible education. As for placement of university,I wonder what the considerations are.Distance from the applicant's hometown and availability are the common reasons given.Of course,the applicants would have taken the location of the university into consideration when putting their first choice of university.If you are one of the top 50 scorers in a national level exam and you can't get the first choice of study,the first thing that should come to mind is "There are only 49 places offered in the university"(Ok...lame joke) but instead of that,the first thing that comes to my mind now is the selection process must have been tampered by unknown force or a biased policy. As for entry into university,I am all for a national-level university entry test for there are basically two different systems currently that allow the students to enter public tertiary education institutions.As far as I am informed,the 2 systems are quite different,one incorporates internal assessment which can be really biased at times or open to biasness and one that doesn't.I am opting for a more reliable and objective assessment which is minimally affected by human's idiosyncrasies.However,I can't say for certain in the terms of the interview that are being carried out for public university entry for I have not enough information.Thus,I reserved my comments here until I have learned more about it. Our education system in my opinion,is the culprit behind all the racial gap.One person,let's say A feels he/she is better(in all fields) and academically more qualified than the B.A nd B get to know each other albeit not for long.However,B got into the university and course that A wants to get in due to some reasons which remain unknown to A.That's when dissent starts to sow in A.A then seek solace with his close group of friends who are normally of his own race.Coincidentally,a few of his friends too experienced the same thing as A.Thus,they start to recall and review where they went wrong in the whole process until someone shout out a similiarity,"They are of B race(coincidentally).That's why.Didn't you notice the trend?"Human being human,tends to look for fault most of the time in others when things go wrong.It is a primate defense mechanism.After all,A and his friends are human too.Soon words got around A's circle of friends,then,from one circle to another to another.......The story changes from bad to worse everytime it is mouthed.What an unfortunate coincidence that they(B's race) are of the same race!There,you got the seed of the racism! Review the events above.What is the thing that set A on a path to resent B's race?The fact that A doesnt' get the university of his choice without any sensible explaination provided.Maybe if someone can really provide him with a straightforward(probably brutal) answer,things would not have unfolded as the way it is above.It doesn't happen.Why is B accepted?He may have been outstanding,rising to the occasion in the interview(if there's any).B may have connections in the university(read underhand method) B maybe the son/daughter of some big shots.If the admission into university has been transparent and fair(seems to be not at the moment to me),racism will not have reared its ugly head.The situation is not going to get better especially when you hear some people known to you are complaining about not their low qualification but "kulit-fication."(This is not coined by me,I swear)The story of A and B still goes on and now comes in many different version and in different fields now including commercial and industry. Policy should be fair and should be as unfavoring as posibble,should not be outright biased if we are to live in a multiracial community.You favour one,you offend every other one. My 2 cents OMG OMG...I am going to get screwed for this post Anyway,guys if there's any comment,please put them as politely as possible.

Things I learn today

Things I learn today: 1. Never go swimming when you feel that something is not right with your body 2. Remember not to breathe in the water withour SCUBA equipment. 3. Don't ever blog when you are sick 4. You know you are sick when you are wearing a sweater,a T-shirt,trainer and socks with no fan on and a blanket over you,yet you still feel cold. 5. In contrast to number 4, you are never too sick to blog. 6. Medical students can approximate what's wrong with him/her yet can do nothing about it. 7. Lastly,medical students preach about going to the doctor instead of self-remedy,yet I myself always choose not to see a doctor until it is really beyond my tolerance level. Self diagnosis: Nasal discharge : Colourless Heart rate : 84 beats per min while resting (around 70 is the normal beat for me)Larynx : Red/inflammed Cough : Yes Current medication: Strepsil(Xtra strong) Duration : Nearing 1 day Temperature : Higher than normal(refer to statement number 4) Sneezing : Yes Time to see doc : Not yet Possible causes : Overusage of credit card for the past few days(nearing 150 bucks on food and movies),overentertainment Main worry : Lectures note piling up for 2 weeks already Main problem : It is never warm enough

Drive behind "Dog-torship"

What drives us to become a doctor?I have been asked a lot of times and I also have asked others a lot of times especially the last batch of juniors who came in in the last intake.What inspires us to become a doctor?Maybe a more relevant question here is what drives me to become a doctor? Frankly speaking,I have no ready answer for this.I can tell you that I want to help people (but I really didn't do much voluntary work since secondary school).I want to cure the world of all diseases(yet I am not very keen on research).I want to lessen the suffering of the people and etc.I guess it is all right for most of us to live a dream.After all,that's where most breakthroughs in mankind are derived from.These are some of the few common reasons.Along the line,some "budding aspiring medical students" will say "It's my Dad/Mum/girlfriend/boyfriend/brother/sister/dog/cat/hamster/rabbit's choice so I just follow them" ,"Being called a doctor rather than Encik/MakCik/Mr/Mrs/Miss/Lin Peh/Lin Bu/Nyiamah/Nyiapah and etc is great/fun/cool/grand/shiok/damn respek...." and etc. Today, I went to a Pusat Kesihatan, an outpatient government-run clinic to do my clinical visit.The doctor was friendly at first,talking to us,the medical students while he was attending to his patients.But as the day went on and more cases coming in,he seemed to lose his composure.Grumbling every now and then to himself,the nurses and at us,the medical students.There was supposed to be another doctor at the clinic but she was on leave.Thus,he had to handle the work of two persons and us while drawing the same salary.(I suppose)Together with a few very frustating cases,he finally went into hypertension mode.Keep grumbling and complaining of his work even in front of the patients.He tried to keep a cool head but it seemed that the stress was winning the war. Yet,though it may seemed unprofessional at times,he still did his work,going through each patient's pathologies thoroughly before prescribing carefully.At the end of day,at lunch break,he probably had seen at least 70 cases(judging by the number attached to each patient's files)Quite a feat I thought, for some of the patients were really difficult people who kept nodding their heads as if would heed the doctor's advice yet we knew as medical students and personnels if they had followed the doctor's order,they wouldn't be coming back to the clinic anymore.Patient's non-compliance.Very difficult case to handle.You want to help the patients,but they patients are not appreciating it.No wonder the stress and blood pressure of the doctor kept going up (just like taxes) until it reached breaking point. Then at lunch break,he asked "Kenapa nak jadi doktor?Kerja susah tau,gaji rendah.Kenapa tak cari kerja lain?Lagipun,tak de masa untuk anak."I guess this is a very common complaint among the overworked and underpaid government health personnels.Feel like asking him why did he stay in the government sector when the privates sector was a better gold mine.Of course,with such volatile mood,I guess it is better to keep my mouth shut. A lot of people are crying for the increase of the wages of government health personnels yet the government has done nothing much about it and keep postponing the review.Even if there's increase,it will be an insignificant one.Why is that so?I think if we look further into the matter at hand,we can point out the reason.The primary function of government's health service is to provide as much medical coverage as possible for the whole population.The secondary function will be to provide employment for the medically trained personnels. Doctors exist because of patients.Not the other way round.Therefore,we must get as many patients as possible into the healthcare service before anything beneficial can be done.Not to get as many medical personnels as possible to stay in the public sectors.To achieve this high patients population's access to the healthcare service,the thing that comes into mind first which influence the patients' accessibility to healthcare service is the financial state of the patients.This will then decide the price the patients can afford.To make it affordable for the general population,the outpatient treatment is set at only RM 1.00.We all also know that the allocation for the healthcare is not bottomless.The same money is used to buy the medicines,pay the medical personnels,maintain and replace the medical equipments.The allocation to purchase and restock medicine probably accounts for most of the expenditure of MoH.Drugs,especially generic one,are very expensive yet the government clinics are practically giving them free to the patients for the RM1 paid is rarely enough to cover the cost of even a tablet much less a packet of it.Given the volume of patients that government healthcare services entertain,the amount of "losses" incured here is almost insurmountable. If we are to increase the government healthcare workers' pays significantly,this will cause a very huge dent in the allocation to buy medicine.Therefore,either the medicine will run out due to insufficient fund to restock them which will result in patients not being cured or the price of the treatments(outpatients or inpatient) will have to be increased.This will then decrease the accessibility of the patients to the healthcare service which is supposed to be the primary objective of government healthcare,thus indirectly defeating its own purpose which is to cure the patients at the end of day.Thus,we can say that the government healthcare personnels are indirectly subsidising the treatment of the patients by overworking and being underpaid.The fact that they are using and dedicating the limited time they have of their life to save the life of others give their work a nobility unachieved by most if not all other professions. Lastly,the "harsh" working conditions and relatively low pay(compared to private sectors),in my opinion are required for the selection process,selection of those doctors who are willing to contribute their training and skills to the society(more notably the poor poor)and government from those who are out for self-gain.The working conditions and the low pay function as the selection pressure in the selection of the doctors who are really sincere in doing their jobs in the government sector.Of course,some of them might be forced to turn rogue due to the intensive selection pressure.I have to admit we are not living in the ideal world yet we still have to live it.If the world is really ideal,patients won't die from their diseases....... At the end of the day,why do I want to become a doctor?Maybe if the question is how can I become a doctor,I probably can answer you....... "Be ready to slog for it and don't expect too much out of it" Feel free to state your opinions politely,be it rebuttal or others....

Close shave

Today,I have another shock of my life.Today is the third time I almost drown in water.There are people around the world who are dying due to lack of water.I am,on the other hand,ironically,almost claimed by the very thing which gives life to all the things around the world.Supposed to go swimming with SC but he fallen sick.Thus,I went alone in the morning.Bad choice to swim alone in a depth that is more than your height.No wonder,there's a must for buddy system in scuba diving.Never Dive Alone.And also Never Die alone. What happen at the pool?Had a cramp in the third lane at the depth of 2 metre.OMG...Went down taking a lungful of water.I thought that's it.Kapai-kapai there and the life guard is nowhere to be seen.I don't know how I did it.Normally when you have cramp,you can't move due to the intense pain of the muscle pulling.But a lot of factor affecting pain as I studied in the BullShitBehavioural Science.There is still a lot of unfinished business.Not the time to die,not the time to drown here in this pool,in the absence of people I know.Straining every sinew in my arms and my cramped right leg,I swam under the surface of the water towards the side of the pool.Safety is so near,within sight.How many people had died when safety is so near?Not the time to think of that.Not the time to give up.The water in my lung and nose is really giving me great discomfort.Somehow,I seem to forget bout the water in my lung in and the need to take in a mouthful of air in the water.Impossible?There is a technique called hyperventilation in skin diving which is meant to try to override the brain's signal to the body to take in oxygen.Actually,there is still a bit of air in the lung but the brain's treshold is quite conservative,at least this is what is written in the scuba manual.Maybe determination can do the same thing to the brain. Finally,I reached the side of the pool.I has never felt such an elation to reach the side of the pool before.Coughed out quite a bit of water at the side.Then only I see the lifeguard arriving.Shot me a glance then walk away from me.Rest for 15 minutes out of the pool before diving back in to do a few more laps before I went back. Swimming isn't that dangerous.There are qualified life guard there.Even if you drown,there is duration of 4-6 minutes before permanent brain damage occurs due to hypoxia.CPR knowledge darn.....Why did I panic then?As usual,there is a lot of things not written in the book,things that can only learned through experience. Lesson learnt-Never drown alone..... Enough for the day's post.......