My Mirror

Gemersik Kalbu

2012-02-11T20:52:00.004+08:00

Ever since I've been staying with my in-laws after I got married, I hardly watch any TV shows, except for the news, as they are always watching Malay dramas-a genre that I could never watch in the past. But then, after some time, I started watching TV together with them on and off as part of being together as a family. Malay Drama pon layankan je lah..

Towards the end of my pregnancy, I didn't have to have to do any calls, hence I get to go home at 5 pm sharp everyday. I then started watching this show called Gemersik Kalbu which airs at 7pm on Mondays to Thursdays.

I didn't enjoy the storyline initially, but since I have started watching the show right from Episode 1, I just had to continue watching it to know what's going to happen next. My anticipation ensured me to be in front of the TV set at 7pm sharp. Before I knew it, I was hooked.

I initially hated the main characters of the drama and I found Sufian being such a jerk. But after he and Raihana got married, he repented and became a much better person and husband. I then started liking his character and enjoyed seeing how hard he tries to make his marriage work. He's funny, cheeky, and romantic too. Somehow I feel that Aqasha, who plays Sufian might just be like his character in real life.

Aqasha is also the singer and composer of the soundtrack, Obsesiku. After listening to the song repeatedly in the show, I have begun to love it.

I never liked Raihana's character and I wish that the actress had been someone else. She hardly smiled and in most of the scenes she just looked so stiff.

I can't believe that I'm writing an entry about this drama, but it shows that I'm already missing it. Some fans even uploaded the good scenes on youtube.

Guess we just have to see the next drama that will air on TV3 next week. Something to look forward to..

Blogger app

2012-02-08T10:50:00.001+08:00

I'm testing out my Blogger app. Cool. Now I can blog from my phone. Haha, I'm so lembab.

Happy Birthday, Kujah!

2012-02-05T20:05:00.006+08:00

To our darling sister/aunt..

HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY, KUJAH!

---Aniq and Adib's favourite aunt (in Malaysia) :)

May your life be blessed with success and happiness.

Lots of love from us.

~Kak Yee, Azim, Aniq & Adib~

Aniq teaching Adib the alphabet

2012-02-04T11:53:00.001+08:00

Bortherly love-part 2

2012-02-04T11:46:00.000+08:00

Here's a continuation from yesterday's post.

A video of Aniq when he first meets Adib at our home..

Brotherly love

2012-02-03T21:18:00.010+08:00

One of my concerns before giving birth to my second child was how Aniq would react to his younger brother. Will he cry when he sees us carrying our baby? Will he be angry when the baby sleeps in his cot? Will he realise that he will get less attention than he used to?

I felt very much relieved after I got home from the hospital. He accepts and loves his brother dearly right from day one, without even a small hint of jealousy. Hope this will remain for the upcoming years..

Aniq greets Adib when we got home from the hospital

Aniq: Ok, it's your cot now..

Aniq: Well, I may want to share this cot with you from time to time..

Love you, Adib!

New Fridge

2012-02-02T14:20:00.004+08:00

Got a new fridge yesterday. Yay! Thanks Mum.

The main purpose of having this fridge is to stock up my expressed breastmilk. Aim is to have at least 100 bottles/bags of milk, filled with 4-5oz of milk per bottle, before I start work. Hubby asked me to aim for 150, but we'll see how it goes..

Can't wait to fill up the fridge with all the tidbits, i.e. juices, biscuits, chocolates, yogurts, fruits, etc. But all this has to wait until after my confinement, coz the temptation will just be too great for me!

Counting the days..

2011-12-21T19:22:00.003+08:00

36 weeks + 1 day today..

1. Having trouble sleeping at night: need to constantly change sleeping position, and wake up at least twice each night to pee. Fingers will be stiff and I wont be able to make into a fist when I wake up in the middle of the night.

2. Have bought all the baby stuff that I need-unlike my first pregnancy when the delivery was so unexpected and I didn't even manage to pack my delivery bag prior to delivery.

3. Still having guilty thoughts: whether I will still have enough time to spend with Aniq when the baby is around...

4. Breastpump is still at the service centre. Should be ready by tomorrow or day after.

5. Physiotherapy appt will be tomorrow

6. Hidung merah + kembang as always

7. Doing the fetal kick chart on my iphone.

8. Reciting the Quran and listening to Quran verses of Surah Maryam, Luqman and Yusof in the car while driving.

9. Praying often that I will have a safe and uneventful delivery..

My mum in law reminded me last night -'Bila dah dekat hujung-hujung ni kena byk bersabar..'

Yes, as I am experiencing most of my pregnancy symptoms for the first time, I do need a lot of patience till my day of delivery. After that, will be a whole different experience altogether..

Comeback

2011-12-15T21:25:00.008+08:00

Dear blog,

Sorry for the long hiatus.

They are just so many things to blog about, but just to warm things up, I shall summarize the recents events that have happened in my life.

In short, here are some updates about me:

1. I am now 35 weeks pregnant. (Wow, that was how long I left this blog)

2. Am officially out from the on-call roster. (Fiuuh..finally!)

3. Current pregnancy symptoms that I'm suffering from now:

- carpal tunnel syndrome: numbness of both of my hands, worse at night, which disturbs my sleep...Am now doing physiotherapy for this

- leg cramps: although it is less now

- backache

- breathless when walking from the carpark to the clinic, where I am in charge at currently

And of course, I have to update about my precious son, the soon-to-be big brother...

1. He is becoming more attached to my husband and I, as though he knows that the baby is coming soon..

2. He enjoys playing in his cot -unlike before

3. Getting smarter and smarter by the day

4. Able to walk up the stairs, with one hand on the wall to support himself

5. Obsessed with balls-soccer ball, beach ball, etc: enjoys kicking it, throwing it, and shout 'Goaaaall!'

6. Favourite activity: bathing in his bathtub, playing with the iPad: specifically, going through the flashcards, apps which involve colouring, and of course surfing Youtube

7. Favourite YouTube videos: Videos of his own self, upin dan ipin, abc phonics song 2

8. Gets excited when he goes to Tesco and starts to run around, and identifying objects there

9. Increasing vocabulary: our last count was 80 words

10. Wants everything to be in order:

e.g:

- will say 'Tutup' after he finishes his milk: asking us to put back the cover, and when we are driving out from the house: asking us to close the gate

- will keep his toys back to its original place after he's done with them

- will switch off the tv and fan when he is out from the living room

11. Enjoys seeing baby photos

Here are some pictures to share...

At Hero with his favourite cousins..

Family photo on Raya Haji..

Am greeted with this everytime I come back from work..

Aniq with Mama..

Had to give him to play with my stets that day: desperate measures, ran out of toys/books in the car..

That's all for now..

New toy

2011-05-15T17:13:00.002+08:00

Last week, I rewarded myself with a brand new handphoneand I’m loving it to bits!

As my son is so fond of gadgets nowadays, my handphone has always been one of his favourite toys. I guess that I was how the monitor of my old handphone got damaged: due to constant throwing and dropping.

The safest option was actually to buy a cheap handphone, it view of the ‘violent’ user that I have at home (and not to mention, myself!), but the new iphone4 was just to hard to resist.

When I went to Digital Mall last week to find as suitable cover for my new phone, I asked one of the sales person there for his opinion.

‘ Yang mana cover atau casing bagus untuk bagi handphone tak rosak kalau anak anak saya main?’

He then gave me a look.

‘ Aiiyyaa…Senang saja. Iphone mana boleh kasi anak main..’

I then found my answer. I just can’t be too kind to my son and allow him to play with every single thing that I own..I have been sort of successful so far..

Anyway, back to my iphone..

It has been my savior for a few occasions this past one week:

1. Used it to review my script that was sent to me via email by my partner, when I was rehearsing for the Allergy Seminar, as I didn’t have a functioning printer at home.

2. Used it as a translator as the script was in Malay and we had difficulty to translate a few English words.

3. Used it a camera, when I saw interesting clinical signs at work.

4. Used it as a torchlight to view the fusebox when I house was blacked out today.

I initially couldn’t decide whether I should sign up for the 1 year of 2 year contract, but now, I don’t think I will ever be tired of this phone..:)

MVA at NKVE

2011-04-16T14:11:00.004+08:00

I was driving to work on Thursday when I saw smoke coming from the other side of the lane. I initially thought it was some open burning going on at one of the nearby residential areas.

As I was approaching the spot, I then realized that it was a lorry burning into flames. The scary part was that, I witnessed and heard small explosions come from the crashed lorry. The fire truck was nowhere in sight and some police officer have already stopped the traffic which was coming from the KL. Some drivers were out from their cars, observing the fire, while some were busy taking photos/videos.

I sped right past the scene of the accident, hoping that the lorry won't explode further. Who knows that the lorry was carrying flammable agents? Even while driving at least 100km/hour I could still feel the heat coming from lorry on my right arm. While I was almost approaching the Sungai Buloh exit I then saw the fire truck zooming by.

I wonder what happened to the lorry driver. Hope he manage to escape in time.

Stets from US

2011-04-13T22:51:00.005+08:00

I've been doing online shopping for the past two years. It all started when I was looking for DHA supplements, ie Neurogain when I was pregnant back in 2009. Surprisingly it was not easily available at local pharmacies, and hence I had to order it online. Since then, I began to trust websites that offer online purchasing and delivering.

Subsequently, I began ordering clothes and mostly shawls. I enjoyed the thrill, suspense and surprise after receiving each parcel. It was like getting a gift from someone, only that I had to pay for it myself! So far I have been lucky with all my purchases..

You see, I have been hunting for a Raspberry Coloured Littmann Paediatric Stethoscope for the past few months. I have enquired from Kamal Bookstore, University Bookstore and various other medical bookstores that I know, but all of them did not have what I wanted. They only have stethoscopes in black and red. I even looked up the official Littmann website and called up the official distributor for Klang Valley. From what was told to me, the colour that I wanted is not available in Malaysia.

Hence, I started looking for an overseas company that had the exact stethoscope that I wanted, at a resonable price, which could ship it to Malaysia. I then found a website called IP Mart, which had what I wanted. I closed one eye (or maybe even both eyes!), made a few clicks here and there, and I was done. Yes, I was aware of the high shipping cost, but the desire that I had for that particular stethoscope was just too strong. The price of it is equivalent to 5 hours of locum in ED..More reasons for me to continue doing locum..

After 2 weeks, I finally got what I wanted and I was definitely satisfied with my purchase!

My most expensive online purchase so far, but definitely worth it! :)

PD Trip

2011-04-09T16:09:00.020+08:00

After weeks of waiting, we finally get to spend our free hotel stay voucher..just one week before it's expiry date. In view of our busy schedule, our holiday getaway had to be postponed numerous times. With the limited number of mutual free days that we had, the task was made more difficult as Corus Paradise Hotel seemed to be fully booked on most days. As we are only entitled to use the voucher on a weekday, we decided to head to PD on a Sunday..At least I get to save my leave..

We gave Aniq a bottle of milk just before we left and he slept the whole way...Good boy!

After putting our luggage in the room, we decided not to waste any time and headed straight to the nearby stalls to look for Durian. A must-stop everytime we visit PD.

We decided that it was time that Aniq had his first taste of Durian. He just took it in and did not even make a face. That's my boy!

We then headed back to the hotel and decided that the weather was just nice for us to spend some time by the beach. The great thing about Corus Paradise Hotel is that it has a private beach, and a small cove. At the time that we went, we were the only ones by the beach..so tak payah la nak kena control2 sangat..

First time touching sand....

Another thing that we had planned to do was to make sandcastles by the beach. I bought a sandcastle making set from Penang, and I was excited to try it. Aniq was too young to appreciate it, but he did have fun playing with the spade and banging the utensils together...

We wanted to sit in the shade, so my husband had to make more then ten trips to the beach side just to get wet sand for us to build sandcastles. Haha. parents pulak yang seronok.

As Aniq was still all excited, we decided to bring him for a swim in the pool. After washing off all the sand, we wore him his new pair of swimming outfit and Splash!

We didn't spend so long in the pool, coz he had a fever after his first swim a few months ago..Didn't want history to repeat itself..

We had early dinner that day, and after feeding Aniq with porridge and a bottle of milk he immediately slept..He must have been so exhausted..At least, Husband and I get to spend some time on our own at dinnertime..

At Barakah Seafood Restaurant. Fast service and excellent food.

The following day we spent most of the time in the room since we have done everything on the first day...

While having breakfast that morning...

Ocean view from our room

It was a truly wonderful holiday..A chance to spend quality time together and it was also fun taking care of our baby on our own without any help from the maid..:)

Thank u NST and Corus Paradise Hotel, for our partially sponsored holiday!

Aniq's first word

2011-03-26T16:56:00.003+08:00

There are just so many new things that Aniq could do now, and I can't manage to get everything on video or even camera. Especially when now he is so into gadgets. As soon as I pull my camera out, he'll try to grab the camera off me.

He is starting to babble now, although his most frequent syllables are 'AAAahhh' and 'Eeeehhh'.

When I came back from my 4-day Perinatal Congress in Penang last week, there were just so many new things that he could do. He could even initiate Peek-A-Boo with me!

Anyway, I managed to get a recording of him saying his first word a few days ago.

Papa is not something significant for now coz he needs to learn to say 'Ayah'..Don't know how long I've to wait till he says Mama...

Smooch!

2011-03-26T16:28:00.006+08:00

One of Aniq's daily routine is to go out for a stroll down the road, just before his dinner. The maids from the nearby household would meet up and I'm sure that is something that they look forward to everyday.

My maid is so proud of my son, coz it seems that everybody will comment on how cute Aniq is when she parades him down the road...

You see, our neighbour has a daughter called Fatin, who is about 4 months younger than Aniq, and she owns a stroller which is exactly the same as ours. Just that it's red in colour.

And yesterday, my maid showed me this...

Owh no..my son's a big boy now..And this is what he has been doing behind my back!

Aniq Sipping Green Apple Kasturi

2011-02-19T19:30:00.002+08:00

One of the treasured memories of an infant is when he has his first taste of food.

Here was Aniq's reaction when he had his very first taste of a very sour drink. Classic!

V - Day

2011-02-14T06:54:00.004+08:00

How I spent my Valentine's Day:

1. Left a valentine's day card on the study table for my husband. He was truly surprised!

2. Went to work as usual. A very busy day, even had no time for lunch.

3. Came home and had chicken soup with Macaroni: lunch cum dinner

4. Went out to have Durian by the roadside with husband for dessert. Something that we had planned for ages. Aniq tinggal kat rumah. Felt that he is a bit too young to have his first taste of Durian..

------------------------------------------

Happy Valentine's Day to everybody that I love out there...

Aniq's first debut

2011-02-13T22:18:00.004+08:00

I was over the moon on Thursday coz I won the Best Holiday competition organized by Travel Times NST. Not only that, the photo was featured in the newspaper that day and we won a one night's stay at Corus Paradise, Port Dickson! Well, if given a choice, I would definitely prefer a much better hotels like Avillion, Legend or Thistle, but since I won a free holiday and a chance to travel again with my family, I am not going to complain!

My son is so lucky to be in the papers at such a young age. Something exciting to tell him once he's older.

Looking forward to our next family trip!

House Rules

2011-02-01T21:13:00.010+08:00

I haven't read a storybook in ages. The last storybook that I've read was probably Twilight, but I stopped reading it halfway coz I found it a chore trying to finish it. (My sis would kill me when she reads this.) Guess I'm not a fan of fictions.

Surprisingly I managed to read this book from cover to cover. Reasons being:

1. It tells about a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, on how his family cope with his disease and how he was convicted with murder. I find it interesting to read about a medical illness, probably because of my job.

2. I was relating the main character with my brother, who also was diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome many years ago. I'm grateful that my brother's symptoms are not as full blown as Jacob, the boy from the book.

3. I felt that what his family go through everyday could happen to anybody. It is interesting to look into how unfortunate ppl go through their everyday lives.

4. I liked how Jodi Picoult outlined story. How each situation was perceived, from the eye of a parent, a sibling and the person with Asperger's.

4. I just wanted to get away from medical books, for a change.

I found it difficult to put the book down, especially from the middle part till the end. However, the ending was rather a disappointment. I won't reveal any spoilers here.

I would recommend this book for others to read. Although I must warn you that you may get overboard with the description of Aspergers Syndrome, which are being mentioned again and again in almost all the chapters. Jodi Picoult truly did her research on this topic.

;(

2011-01-18T22:12:00.003+08:00

I haven't really been myself lately..

Alif's death has effected me much more that I have thought. I could just feel my tears whenever I think about it, even though it has been days after his death. Not only that I felt that I have lost a friend, but I just feel sad thinking about his parents and siblings. How it feels like having to just lost a son and brother. Sigh..

To make things worse, my brother has just left to UK and my sister will heading of to Australia next week.

Seems like everybody is leaving...

Not only that, I feel that I have to drag myself to work nowadays..

Probably coz I just feel so exhausted..

Anyway, the good thing is that I will be on leave the next 5 days. Hooray for me!

I shall spend this next few days wisely..

Goodbye, Ashburn..

2011-01-13T23:27:00.006+08:00

I just lost a friend today. Permanently.

We have known each other for the past 20 years probably. But we got to know each other better since we were both in the same class from 1995-1999.

He was probably one of my closest guy friends. Probably because we had a few things in common. Us being neighbours, having the same group of friends, being in the same school, among other things.

Here are some of wonderful memories that I had of him:

1. I would make a point to visit his house every year for Hari Raya and we could spend hours talking, while munching on his sister's yummy homemade biscuits.

2. I remember him as being the organizer for many of our primary school reunions. He would find out when would be the best day and place for us to meet up and he would take the extra mile to inform everybody about it. Without him, probably the bond among us, ex-Raja Muda (s) won't be this strong.

3. A few weeks before my wedding reception, he volunteered to announce the great news to everybody as I was just too busy to do so. He emailed everybody that we both knew.

4. He was the official photographer for my 'majlis khatam quran' a week before my wedding day. The photos that he took turned out to be fantastic.

5. As for my wedding gift, he framed a portrait of myself: one of the best photos that he took on that day.

6. The last time that I had a chat with him was end of 2009, when he was the official photographer for my sister in law's solemnisation ceremony at Kelana Jaya.

7. The last news that I heard about him was about his engagement. I just couldn't believe it when I first heard the news from my cousin. I went to facebook to check and turned out it was true. I regretted not having to sms him at that time to congratulate him.

8. The last time I saw him was when he was in bed a few days before his death. With the amount of medications that was running through him, with him being ventilated and sedated and watching his vital signs fluctuating on his monitor, i just knew that he had a slim chance of surviving. Despite that, there was tiny voice inside me telling that there is still the slight possibility that he'll make it. Sadly he didn't..

Alif, I will treasure all our fond memories together and you will always be in my prayers.

Al -fatihah..

1/1/11

2011-01-01T16:56:00.004+08:00

A new year, A new beginning..

What I did on new year's eve, despite it being a public holiday..

On 31st December 2010:

1. Was post-call, so was stuck in NICU until 10 am..

2. Also had one death in NICU at 9 am that morning. Sigh..thought that the baby would have survived at least for another day. I was up all night taking after the baby...

3. Reached home at about 11 am and slept until 5pm. (i didn't sleep the whole night, okay!)

4. Woke up, had lunch, played with Aniq and filled up part of Aniq's scrapbook..

5. Had dinner at 8pm, and went to Subang Parade.

6. Bought 3 sleepsuits and a cloth book for Aniq at Mothercare. Mum bought a pint of World Class Chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins. 31% off okay!

7. Headed home, and put Aniq to sleep at 11pm.

8. 12 MDN: Zzzzzzz

On 1st January 2011:

1. Husband came home at 3am, and had some Famous Amos cookies with him.

2. Aniq woke us up at 9.30am

3. Had breakfast-nasi ayam kukus that my father in law bought somewhere from TTDI the day before.

4. Went to Adam's wedding at the Shah Alam library with Aniq.

5. Uploaded photos from my camera to iphotos.

Here are some of the photos..

Congratulations, Adam! Am truly happy for you..

Aniq's first visit to the museum

Happy new year everybody!

'Look, I can now sit on my own!'

HSB Book of Records

2010-12-20T22:33:00.005+08:00

This can happen if you have undiagnosed diabetes in pregnancy.

The largest baby ever born at my hospital.

weighing 5.7kg.

Everybody was busy snapping photos with him the day he was born..

Can you just imagine how hard it was to get a intravenous access for him?

As expected, he was hypoglycaemic at Day 1 of life.

I just can't imagine him being in my uterus..

from yahoomail to blogspot

2010-12-18T11:22:00.001+08:00

am now making a new entry from my email.

if this works, I could post entries from work! haha. not like I've the time to do it anyway.

Hello MacBook

2010-12-14T22:42:00.004+08:00

I've been meaning to buy a new laptop for myself, and my dream finally came true when i got a MacBook Air as a gift from my dad! Cool eh?

At the moment, am still learning how to use a Mac. After all, I've been using Microsoft all my life.

Some of the things that I love about my new gadget:

1. How thin and light it is: only 1.07kg.

2. How sleek it looks

3. How beautiful my photos turn out to be when I view it on iPhoto

I have a lot more to learn, and am still used to the usual shortcuts that work on Microsoft but not on a Mac. For example:

1. Control+N to open a new window when browsing on Explorer, but instead, need to press the Command key + N

2. Control + arrow to move to the next word when typing, but on Mac, it will jump straight to the end of the sentence.

etc..

Am sure I will get used to all this soon. From what I've heard, once you have started to use a Mac, you will never go back..

Now, I need to install Microsoft Office for Mac on my MacBook..

Sad but grateful

2010-10-25T20:38:00.005+08:00

Last Thursday, I was saddened by a news that was relayed to me by a colleague of mine.

There is this nurse who I worked with, a very hardworking one I must say. She was heavily pregnant and her due date is merely in a few weeks time. She had been married for seven years and it was her first pregnancy. She goes for routine antenatal check up at a nearby local clinic, however, that day she decided make an appointment at the staff clinic at our hospital.

She was seen by the O+G specialist that same day, and she then found out that her baby had died in-utero. The baby was only 1.7 kg-an indicator that it had already died for the past few days. Of course she cried buckets and requested to go back to her hometown in Teluk Intan that very instant.

I also often read this blog, written by one of my ex-patients. Her daughter had been well until the age of 4 months, when she developed poor feeding and had recurrent pneumonia. Her limbs then became stiff and she went downhill from there. She was diagnosed with a very rare genetic disease, and later passed away at the age of 8 months.

The blog is dedicated to her late daughter. It is updated almost everyday, and it is about how much she misses her daughter. Any sight, smell, noise, can trigger off a memory of her late daughter. Each entry is well written, perhaps because she writes from the very bottom of her heart.

Funny.

By hearing and reading about other people’s sadness and misery, it makes us feel grateful with what we have.

Whenever I feel tired of taking care of my son, exhausted from having to pump milk at work and even at home, sacrificing my spare time and weekend, I often think of the unfortunate people around me.

It makes me think back the day that Aniq was born. The time when I saw the CTG tracing that was done that morning. The thought that I could lose him if the delivery was delayed. I could still remember how he kicked inside me, when I was in the ambulance, on the way from Selangor Medical Centre to Hospital Sungai Buloh where I had the Emergency Caesarean Section done. It was a cry of help. Asking us to take him out as soon as possible.

My CTG tracing which demonstrated Unprovoked Deceleration

Alhamdullillah. Even though he stayed in NICU for a total of nine days, and had to be intubated for one day, he turned out to be a thriving and well baby. I feel grateful every single day and there is nothing better that I could have asked for.

Dear Aniq, we love you very much and thank you for being a part of us.

Latest developmental milestones

2010-10-22T17:25:00.011+08:00

Aniq's chronological age: 7 months

Corrected age: 6 months in one weeks time

It's just fascinating to watch my son grow.

Latest developments:

Growth:

His weight, length and head circumference is now at par with babies his age, and I couldn't be happier.

He is now wearing medium sized pampers.

Diet:

He takes in whatever food that is given to him. He can now take:

Carbo: Rice

Protein: chicken, salmon, ikan bilis

Fruits: bananas, pears, apples

Vege: carrots, pumpkin, cauliflower, brocolli, and the latest addition, peria!

At the moment, he is only allergic to potatoes..he'll develop a rash around his mouth which will disappear after a few days. We tried to feeding him with potatoes again today, and he developed the rash again..

Aniq eating pureed apples..

He also needs a bottle of milk after each meal, hence I need to remain motivated to pump milk at work..

Development:

He can now turn from prone to supine and supine to prone.

He's got good head control and able to reach out for toys.

Thanks Ninna for the toy. He absolutely loves it! I bring it whenever we travel.

He still enjoys looking at himself on the mirror.

No stranger anxiety: enjoys interacting with anybody!

Enjoys reading his story book and can even flip pages! (sort of)

Can also Skype! (right, Ku Yea?)

Always curious with his surroundings

Only sleeps 15 min to half an hour each time during the day

Sleeps at 10pm every night, and still wakes up at least twice every night

Lastly, needs to have his nose pressed against a pillow whenever he sleeps..

Weaning

2010-09-26T16:48:00.007+08:00

The decision to start my baby on weaning diet was one of the most difficult task that I had to do. It may sound simple to some, but I just dreaded the thought of him having anything else but my own milk.

Yes, I am aware of the WHO recommendation of starting a baby on solids at the age of 6 months. But actually, the accepted age for weaning is from 4 months onwards, and it is acceptable in the developed countries.

It started off like this. It was during the fasting month when my baby's demand was more than my supply. I had to rush back from work almost everyday to feed him, coz the amount of milk that I expressed the day before was just nice to last the hours that I had to leave him at home. The worst day was when I was still busy at work and my mum called saying that there was no milk left at all! Luckily he slept for a few hours after that, in time for me to go home quickly to feed him. That was when I decided I had no option but to start him on solids.

I was indeed worried initially. Him being an ex premature baby, I initially thought of following his corrected age before starting him on solids, which by right, should be at the end of October. I was worried that his bowels won't be mature enough to accept solids. Plus, his developmental milestones was according to a 4 month old baby.

I did some research online and indeed my baby was already showing signs to start weaning.

Taken from http://www.askbaby.com

Signs that your baby is ready for weaning:

Holding his or her head up and controlling head movements.

Sitting well when supported.

Making chewing motions

Doubling his or her birth weight.

Being unsatisfied after a full milk feed

Demanding increasing and more frequent milk feeds

Attempting to put things in his or her mouth

After a period of sleeping through the night waking in the night with hunger

Displaying curiosity about what you are eating.

After that, I was at ease. I even asked some experts-the consultant paediatricians at work and they all agreed that it was time for baby to start on weaning diet.

It was on the 30th of August that my baby had his first taste of food. It was rather sponteneous actually. My husband and I were at the dining table having our dinner, and our baby was on my husband's lap looking hungry and trying to grab my husband's food from the plate.

I then wore him his bib, mashed a small piece of banana and fed him. He absolutely loved it! There was hardly any spill on his bib and his just took all the food in! I d to snap a picture of him with all the mess around his mouth, but he was such a good eater and I just didn't have that chance.'Mmmm..what is this funny taste...'
(Thank you, collegues for the bib!)

All Gone!

(Thank you, Aida for the feeding set!)

After that, we began to experimenting him with different types food and his demand for milk is slightly less now. He now sleeps longer than usual too, and I don't really have to rush home from work anymore.

Happy Birthday, Japa!

2010-09-09T15:56:00.003+08:00

HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY, JAPA!
You've been a wonderful brother and uncle!

Best wishes from the three of us.

Goodbye Ramadhan, Hello Aidilfitri

2010-09-09T15:36:00.004+08:00

Yay! Am now at home on a weekday!

You see, I haven't taken any leave since my confinement period, and I have been looking forward to spend my Raya leave with my loved ones..From what I heard, many people are taking leave till Malaysia Day. Well, even though I am getting 5 days off, I will not put it to waste!

This year will be our first Raya with Aniq, and we'll be spending our day in Shah Alam. Kampung Shah Alam.

I didn't make much preparation this year. Will be wearing my old kebaya, which was purchased many years ago, but somehow never worn before. Azim will be wearing his baju Melayu that I bought for him for Farah's wedding, and Aniq will be the only one wearing something new. A baju melayu sewn by my mum. Our theme this year will be, Pink!

Happy Hari Raya everybody, and Maaf Zahir & Batin.

Yes!

2010-09-02T23:20:00.003+08:00

I went on my weighing scale today, and I'm officially.....

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

48 kg!

Only one more kilo left to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Am so happy coz I am now able to wear back my old clothers..

Fiuh..such a relief. For the past few months, I've been worried sick that I won't go back to my pre pregnancy figure. Guess, breastfeeding works after all!

Now, shopping for clothes won't be as depressing as before...

Pink notebook

2010-08-31T12:46:00.005+08:00

My husband and I were walking around in Subang Parade recently after having dinner at Sakae Sushi when I spotted this notebook from the 2nd floor. Sony was having a booth just opposite Big Apple Doughnuts and this cute lil notebook caught my attention. I just had to see it up close!

You see, I've been thinking of getting a notebook for the past one month, and so far this has been the most attractive one. I initially thought of getting the ASUS notebook, just because it's got my nickname on its cover, ie. Eee.

Anyways, now I just can't stop thinking about this notebook.

The price is RM 1899-inclusive of one year warranty and trial version of Microsoft Office.

Should I get it?

Hmmm

Day with Aniq

2010-08-22T18:07:00.004+08:00

Today is one of the rare times that I get to spend my weekend at home. After all, I am scheduled to have 7 calls this month, including 3 weekends! huhuh..

Aniq woke me up at about 8.30 am and we did his all-time favourite activity together-bathing!
You see, the only time that I get to bathe and choose what to wear for him, is only during weekends. On most days, my maid will bathe him right after I go to work and before I reach home from work. Hence, everyday I only see him in his sleepsuit...

After removing his clothes, he's as happy as ever, as he knows that he's heading to his bath tub!

Since husband is also around today, the 3 of us will be going out for dinner tonight-to D'Tandoor, Subang Jaya, one of our favourite restaurants...

Developmental milestones

2010-07-31T19:11:00.004+08:00

Aniq is now 4 and a half months old, and his corrected age would be 3 months old. How fast time flies..

I enjoy watching him grow and develop new skills day by day..

Gross motor:
He can turn to his side on his own, his left side to be exact. When he is in his cot, he will stare attentively at the toys beside him and try his best to turn towards it. He still can't hold his head up, though.

Fine motor:
He now enjoys fiddling with his fingers and keep both his hands to his chest. He also explores his fingers by putting them to his mouth.

Social:
He prefers to interact with guys: like his dad and uncles. He gets excited when he sees someone he is familiar with by moving about his hands and legs. I still feel that he can't recognize me and he's always so calm whenever I am about to go to work.

Language:
Cooing: his favourite syllable is 'Oooh'. He can even call our maid--'Aaann'

Hearing:
He is able to turn towards a voice and startle at loud noises. But when he is asleep, no matter how noisy his surrounding is, we don't have to worry that it'll wake him up.

Vision:
He can stare at various objects around the room. His favourite would be the ceiling fan and his mobile. Whenever I want to do something like taking a shower or pray, and I have to leave him for a while, all that I need to do is to turn on the mobile and he can just be so excited looking and giggling at the mobile -sometimes for up to half an hour! He also likes to watch the television.

Others:
- He now poops every 2-3 days
- He's using medium sized diapers--When he was born, he couldn't even fit into the smallest sized diaper that we could find in the market!
- He still wakes up in the middle of the night for feeds
- He drinks 4-5oz of milk every 3 hours.
- He enjoys being his baby carrier.
-He can no longer fit into his newborn clothes
-His favourite activity is bathing-with warm or even cold water

Need to treasure and cherish all these moments..

EBM

2010-07-01T19:46:00.003+08:00

I had just started on work on 15th June 2010, and one thing that I can tell you is that I feel exhausted every single day..everyday, my aim is to pump as much milk as possible when I am at work, and for the time being, my milk supply has been successfully maintained. I do hope I am able to exclusively breastfeed my baby till he is at least 6 months old (corrected age)-which will be in October 2010.

I was on call yesterday, and this is a summary of my breastpumping schedule:

8 am-4pm: was busy in NICU and had to transfer a case to IJN. Hence, had no time to pump milk during this time.
4pm: Expressed 12 oz of milk
7pm: Night rounds and busy with new admissions
9pm: Expressed 5 oz of milk
12 midnight: had to attend to an emergency case in the ward.
3am: Expressed 6 oz of milk
7am: Expressed 6 oz of milk (was late for the radiology conference because of this)
3pm: Expressed 6 oz of milk

Total: 35 oz milk

Even though I did not have the chance to pump so frequently last night, I was lucky as the amount of milk that I have expressed was slightly more that what my baby had taken when I was at work, i.e. 32oz.

I do want the best for my baby, and I really hope that my milk supply will be maintained for at least till the end of the year...

Sing-along with a baby

2010-06-03T13:04:00.005+08:00

Everytime after Aniq finishes his feeds, he used to fall asleep immediately. In fact, he even fell asleep in the middle of a feed! As he has grown bigger now, he takes about half an hour to complete his feeds, and it takes some time before he falls asleep-and it is fun to play with him during this time-that is, when he's not irritable.

I sometimes sing to him, whatever tune that comes to my mind. One day, he decided to play a part in the song.

Me: (Singing the Barney song)

I love you ..
You love me..
We are happy family...
With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you

Aniq: *Fart*

Me: Won't you say you love me too...

Such a cute way to 'sing' with his mummy....

Jalan-Jalan @ Laman Seri

2010-06-03T12:45:00.008+08:00

I'm going to start work in a 12 days time, and I am now spending as much time as possible with my baby. During my pregnancy, I often see my neighbours bringing their baby for a stroll in our neighbourhood and I've always wanted to do so for my baby one day.

A few days ago, it was a perfect time for us to do so. Aniq just had his feeds and he was all set to go out for some fresh air. It also had just rained, so it was breezy and not sunny at the same time. It was also a good excuse for me to go for a walk and lose that extra pounds!

Looking forward to bring him to a playground when he's old enough.

It was nice seeing my baby so relaxed in his stroller. He clearly enjoyed the ride!

Fast asleep after the outing!

Am going to miss this when I start work..

Baby fat

2010-05-25T22:55:00.007+08:00

I am currently obsessed with my weight.

Pre-pregnancy weight: 47kg
Maximum weight at pregnancy: 61.5 kg
(at 32 weeks of gestation)
Weight at one month after delivery: 53kg
Current weight: 55 kg

My body weight has never been a problem for me. People have always said how thin I looked and some even said that I looked haggard. I blamed it on my work, as I sometimes had to skip meals due to my hectic working schedule. Due to that, I never went on a diet or take tried to cut down on my food intake. I could eat fast foods how often I wanted without worrying about the calories. People often force me to eat to fatten me up.

After my delivery, yes, I have to admit that I haven't been watching my diet. After all, I am exclusively breastfeeding my baby and it will make my appetite more voracious, right? As my baby was born premature, I had to eat well, to ensure that my baby adequately gains weight and try to catch up with babies his age.

I never really cared much about my weight until recently when more and more people started to pass comments on how big and fat I looked. The last straw was when my husband looked at my tummy and said--Aduh! Macam KLCC!
Ouch........

I dread each time when my in -aws come over to the house. One of my sister in-law is bound to say--Badan nampak dah naik la skrg! Berape kilo ni?

Yesterday, I went to a shop to make copies of my wedding DVDs. The guy opened the file and saw a short clip of the video and stared at me.

'Yang dalam video ni akak ke? Asal nampak lain?'

Haih..yes, I know I'm not as thin as I used to..

He then looked at the date on the cover of the DVD-13th March 2009 and said,

'Eh, tak le lama sangat'

Hmmmph..so I gained a lot of weight in one year. Big deal?

Yes, I am aware that breastfeeding will help to shed that extra baby weight compared to feeding my baby with formula milk. Apparently, an extra 500 calories will be used up per day, which equals to 2 hours of aerobic session. Somehow, I don't think I've gotten any thinner this past few months..

And so what have I been doing about it?

I bought this DVD a few weeks ago, PLANNING do some exercise at two or not three times a week. So far I've only used this DVD twice. Not good enough right? I chose this DVD because I wanted to do some toning exercises, to work on my upper and lower body. Plus, I didn't want to do something fast paced, as I wanted to give time for my caeserean scar to heal fully. Even though I read on the internet that it is safe to exercise 6 weeks post delivery, I still.didn't dare push myself so hard, and will stop intermittently when I felt my surgical scar area ache.

I can't even fit into my old clothes and pants. Now, I still wear my maternity pants to go out. It's so depressing...

I've never been this concern about my weight and it does affect how I look at myself. I really hope that my weight will go down drastically when I start work in a few weeks time..

Dadih

2010-05-25T22:35:00.004+08:00

Apart from spending precious time with my baby, I did have time to practice my culinary skills these past few weeks. Since I got married, I have been staying at my in-law's place, and I never dared to cook there, fearing that they will judge the way I cook or how the meal will taste like. (Not I had so much time to spare anyway!) Since I am now staying at my mum's place, I feel more confident to try out new recipes and to give a chance for my husband to taste my cooking.

Recently, I decided to make something simple. Almond-flavoured Dadih.

When my husband came back from work that day, I asked him whether he noticed there was some dadih in the fridge. He seemed surprised.

Husband: ' I nampak dalam fridge tapi tak berani nak makan.'

Me: ' La, kenapa tak makan. I buat untuk u la.'

Husband: 'I takut susu.'

Me: 'Susu? Memang la dadih ada susu cair kat dalam.'

Husband: 'Takut susu dada la!'

Haha..Yeah, he did have a point.

From breastfeeding to bottle feeding

2010-05-06T19:58:00.023+08:00

My baby has now passed his due date, which was on 30th april 2010. So he is now at corrected age of 6 days of life, chronological age of one and a half months. Prior to his due date, some even referred his age as 'negative .. days.' Kesian my baby. Jadi negative pulak his age. :)

Since I am now at home full time, I am still exclusively breastfeeding my baby. Ever since I have established breastfeeding, I keep on thinking that one day I don't have a choice but to introduce him to the bottle. I dread for that day to come. I somewhat feel detached, just by the thought of him having to drink from a bottle. Yes, I know that he will still be drinking my milk, but the thought of someone else feeding him...I just don't want to feel distant from my baby. I do know how important it for him to drink from a bottle. After all, when I start work, I do need other people's help to feed him.

It was on the 1st of May that he had first taste of the bottle.

I was out with my husband to Vichuda, Section 7, for a family dinner with my in laws and we decided to leave my baby with my mum. I fed my baby and he fell asleep before we left, and I was hoping that he would remain asleep until we came back. After one hour, Mum SMSed me and said that the baby was crying for milk and she had fed him with a bottle. I really didn't expect that coming.. I could not help myself to not feel sad. I told my mother in law what happened and she said that I should be glad that he is one of the few babies who could easily accept a bottle upon introducing it for the first time.

Upon reaching home, Mum was still feeding him with the bottle and he was slowly gulping down the milk. I watched him for a few minutes, and that was the only time that I needed to accept that fact that I just have learn to let him go..I do have to admit that the anticipation of him to take a bottle was far worse that the actual thing.

Ever since, he has been taking my milk from a bottle once a day. Based on books, for a working mum, a baby has to be introduced to a bottle for at least one week before starting work. However, I've heard many stories from mums saying that her baby refused to take the bottle and only wanted to take direct breastfeeding. I read from a parenting book that the earlier we introduce a baby to a bottle, the easier for him to accept. Hence, I have decided to continue using the bottle until I start work next month..The good thing about it is that I will have more time for myself to do the things that I have missed doing.

The 'little' addition to our family

2010-04-07T21:26:00.003+08:00

There are just too many experiences that I would love to share with all of you out there, but in a few simple words, giving birth to your first born is so rewarding..

My little one is now 25 days old and he is getting stronger by the day. I can also proudly say that I have successfully established breastfeeding after weeks of struggle..I never realised that breastfeeding could be ever so challenging-especially so in my case as my baby was born at only 33 weeks..

My current goal is to make him gain weight-which is by feeding him as frequently as possible. His latest weight is 1.82kg and he still has a long way to go.

I also realise that support by family and friends is extremely important to keep me going at this critical time..

Thank you everybody.

Kick

2010-02-23T00:26:00.005+08:00

What is the best feeling in the world?

The Fetal Movement..

I had my quickening rather late: between 21-22 weeks of my pregnancy. Perhaps I had it much earlier, but I wasn't sure whether it was my stomach growling from hunger or my abdominal aorta pulsating.

And then, it was one of the nights when I was having such a bad call, one of the days in december, that I was really sure it was the baby kicking inside me. It was as though he was trying to comfort me, indicating that I was not alone that night. It was really comforting indeed.

Starting from 28 weeks of pregnancy, one is supposed to use the Fetal Movement Chart. Frankly speaking, I am unaware whether my baby is moving or not when I am walking about at work, except when I am sitting down in a meeting or presentation. As I feel my baby is more active at night, he definitely completes 10 kicks a day before I sleep every night. Whenever I lie down to rest after work, within one hour he would have completed his quota for the day! Such an active baby..

I have just completed my powerpoint presentation for tomorrow and the baby has been with me throughout these past few hours, kicking away inside me.

Thank you for keeping me company, my dear baby..

Pregnancy Dilemma

2010-02-21T18:17:00.004+08:00

Am now approaching the 30th week of my pregnancy and the number of decisions that I've to make which are increasing by the day.

Here's to name a few:

1. The most vital question: where to deliver?

--Something which I should have thought about in the early weeks of my pregnancy, but because of my special circumstances, i.e me having rhesus negative blood and the need of having a good paeds back-up for my baby (being a paeds MO myself).
--I actually have gone to SMC for booking, but am thinking of changing my mind..I do feel familiar with the place, as I was admitted to the hospital before in 2007, but probably the facilities are just not good enough..

2. Which breastpump to get?

--I'm looking forward to breastfeed my baby fully for at least one year, and the need of a constant milk supply is vital. I've attended breastfeeding talks and handled breastfeeding courses in the past, and this is the time for me to try it for myself. There are just so many types out there and I just don't want to end up buying the wrong one. After all, it's not that cheap.

3. How long to take my breastfeeding leave

On top of my 2 months maternity leave, I have the option of taking upto one year of breastfeeding leave. But of course, it depends on one's head of department. My plan is to take at least a month, but should I take longer? The thing is that it's going to be an unpaid leave, but I feel it's going to be worth the sacrifice..

4. Which vitamin supplement to take?

I have to admit that I have not been so compliant in taking my vitamins. I was taking folic acid even before conception and continued taking it for the first few months and stopped taking after I started having my morning sickness..subsequently I've been taking pramilet only..After discovering that my Hb level is always between 10 to 10.9, as of last month, I've been taking my vitamins every single day without fail, even when I am on call. I now take Hemogen everyday. On top of that, I've purchased Neurogain, which is said to be good for the baby's brain and eyes..2 tablets of calcium per day is also a must for me now.

5. Essential baby stuff to purchase. It's just so difficult to decide!

--a baby cot
--a baby carrier/carseat/stroller
--bottle warmer and steriliser

6. Tukang urut/tungku

A friend has recommended me this lady who is said to be really good. She sounded experienced over the phone and was telling me all sorts of successful stories that she has had with her previous clients, in making them go back to their original weight. I don't have to worry about her transport and lodging as she will travel on her own from her place in kampung subang. 16 massage sessions, with the herbal drinks that she will make from her own backyard will cost me RM 2800! Am I willing to spend that much? I still can't decide on this..

7. Who will take care of my baby when I start work.

The most convenient thing to do is to leave the baby at home with my mother in law and the maid. What worries me is that I will trouble my 66 year old MIL and my maid is also not familiar at all in handling a newborn baby..

8. Long term plans: to get our own place

I've always wanted to live in a house of our own. I realize that it will involve more work on my part, but it's nice to have a nice cozy place, where it's just going to be us and and our baby..We are looking a brand new house to stay in the future, but have not fully committed to anything yet..

----------------------------------------------------------------

All the best to me on my last few weeks of my pregnancy....

3D

2010-01-18T20:48:00.006+08:00

I finally did my 3D scan yesterday.

The appointment was right after a small gathering with my dear friends at Secret Recipe.

I had the scan done at Klinik Umra, the nearest gynae clinic from my house. The appointment was supposed to be at 5pm, but I had to wait for about an hour for my turn.

The thing that I looked forward to the most was actually the detailed scan. I wanted to ensure that my baby had a structurally normal brain, heart, kidneys, etc. Seeing my baby's face on the 3D scan was just a bonus to me.

My baby was shy yesterday. Or he just thinks that it's not the right time to show his face to the world just yet. He was lying prone and it was impossible to get a good view of his face. The technician asked me to turn sideways, hoping the the baby will change his position, but he didn't.

Apparently the best time to do a 3D scan is between 28-32 weeks, unlike doing a 2D scan when it is best done between 18-22 weeks. According to the technician, the baby will be fleshier and the body figure will appear better during that period.

Looks like I've to repeat the scan in one month's time..

A CD was given at the end of the session, and here are some of the photos..

Baby's legs

This is probably the best angle of the baby's face. Could hardly make it out.

The last photo taken. Seems like the baby's angry for disturbing him too much!

Almost there..

2010-01-10T11:06:00.008+08:00

I can't believe that I'm already the end of my second trimester. It was indeed the downhill of a rollercoster ride, although I still did experience some morning sickness on and off. The last time I puked was just after my sister in law's wedding which was on the 5th of December. Luckily I kept extra plastic bags in my car..as I had learnt from my past experiences..

My bump has started to show and I can't fit into my old pants anymore! I can still fit some of my old blouses, the loose ones. I'm currently surviving by wearing my mum's and sister's clothes. Their clothes are a few sizes bigger than mine, and plus they are not so pregnancy looking. Just nice!

Last week, I finally decided that I can't salvage my old pants anymore and I went hunting for maternity pants with my mum and sis. Our first stop was at Parkson, Subang Parade, and later we realise that there was no pregnancy section there! We then drove all the way to Jusco, Bukit Raja as my aunt has suggested to me before that I should check the maternity section there. It was heaven! They had such a huge variety of maternity pants and I had difficulty choosing them! The pants costs between RM39 to 69 , which I found it reasonable. I bought five of them, including a pair of jeans and I hope that they'll last till the end of my pregnancy!

With adjustable waistband for long lasting use!

I also bought my very first item for my baby...

So I guess now you know the gender of my baby!

I have gained 7 kg so far compared to my pre pregnancy weight, and people still say that I looked same. When I compare my pictures now with the ones taken 6 months back, I'm pretty sure that I look fatter!

(I'm not going to show my fat looking photos here!)

I haven't done this small thing, which is a 4D scan. My husband insists that we should go for it as this is our first baby and we should experience everything possible. I'm still thinking about it..

With the 3rd trimester approaching, I'm sure it will be a whole different experience for me..Hopefully in a good way.

A battle with myself

2010-01-02T18:53:00.006+08:00

I am in fear.

I usually don't worry much before I go on call. Being on-call is part of my job and I have gotten used to it and roughly know how to manage my time.

However, due to my fatigue I am unable to perform as I had intended to and I feel that I am susceptible to cause more harm than good. I can't think straight in the middle of the night and that it, if I am able to stay awake.

I can't fully depend on my house officers and it is still my sole responsibility to keep my patients well under my watch. I feel awful when I visit my patients the next morning, discovering that they have been haemodynamically unstable throughout the night. I blame myself for it.

I pray hard that I have the strength to be on my toes at all times when I'm on call tomorrow and on subsequent days. Please let me be a safe doctor.

The Vanishing Twin

2010-01-02T17:41:00.005+08:00

Dear Mum,

It has been weeks since I left and I was wondering how you are doing. Even though I only stayed for a while, I was so fond of you and my sibling, who shared the same sac as me.

I could sense that you and Dad were both excited when you found out about me right after you came back from Kota Bharu for Raya. I knew that you could not believe my existence when Grandma discovered me when she did the ultrasound scan. When you went to Klinik Umra to confirm the finding, Dr Rafie demonstrated my heart beating when he repeated the ultrasound scan and you must have been so suprised to see two separate heartbeats from two different fetus at the same time.

I was already unwell when you first saw me. That was why my hear was beating slower than my beloved sibling and I was smaller in size. I had the strong will to survive, but nevertheless, I did not manage to pull through.

I envied my other sibling who was just right beside me and yet was growing so strong and healthy. Meanwhile, I was getting smaller and weaker by the day. Later I realise that by sacrificing myself, I was doing a favour for the both of you.

If I had surviuved, I would have been in the same amniotic sac as my sibling and there is chance that one of us would benefit more than the other. One of us would suffer from complications in utero as well as in the outside world. Even you would have a high chance of antenatal and postnatal complications. After putting much thought, I knew it was the right thing to do.

I heard your prayers, wishing hard that I would make it. I hope you understand that it was just not meant to be and Allah knows what is best for all of us.

Lastly, I hope you will survive well throughout your pregnancy and I wish you all the best. Even though I am no longer there to be with you, your love and presence wil always be missed. Do tell my beloved sibling that I him too.

Love,
The Vanishing Twin

Battling the 1st trimester

2009-12-13T14:29:00.003+08:00

Everybody knows that pregnancy can be difficult. But then, nobody will ever understand until she herself were to be pregnant. If that person were to be a guy, then he will never truly understand.

It has been a wild ride. Never have I taken so many MCs in my whole life. I called in sick every 2-3 weeks, and came late for work almost everyday. Thanks to my morning sickness.

Personally, I feel morning sickness is a misnomer. I didn't feel sick only the mornings, but it was ALL THE TIME. Of course, morning would be the worst time, but there were also occasions

where I would be puking the afternoon, night and even at 3am in the morning. That was hell.

Doing morning rounds everyday was a pain. I sat down whenever I had the chance, and constantly had to pop sweets/asam when the houseman was presenting the cases to me. At 10am, I had to take a break and grab a snack, coz otherwise, I would be puking the next few hours.

I dreaded my calls. As I had to be on my feet most of the time, and stay up till the wee hours of the morning, I would feel sick and find it so difficult to make decisions, especially in the middle of the night. Housemen who felt sorry for me for buy me food and ensure that I rest in between..

Hence, the two top complaints that I had was Nausea and Fatigue.

So how did I face all these challenges?

By taking Antacids 3-4 times a day, took snacks even when I wasn't really hungry, and lie down whenever I had the free time. It was bad coz I'd be so busy at work, but I was lucky to have collegues and bosses who understood and were supportive throughout my sickness.

And of course, what really helped me to pull through was to think about my baby and having a supportive husband..

Mr Belkin54g, pls dont off your modem!

2009-11-23T22:13:00.002+08:00

I've made an important discovery.

By sitting in my living room, the signal strength from my stolen network is 'Very Good'.

Hello, internet!

Lalalalala...

The Secret

2009-11-21T23:21:00.003+08:00

I've been keeping this news to myself for quite some time, as I just couldn't find the right time to tell the whole world about it. Well, it's not really a secret to my colleagues and some of my close friends, but it is indeed something which I have not shared to most people out there.

The entry below was something that I have written manually in my notebook some time ago, but I did not have the courage to post it in this blog. Tonight, I suddenly feel the urge of putting this entry to this blog. So here it goes...

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At the time of writing, I'm excited about the good news, but too nervous to tell the whole world about it.

Yes, I am pregnant.

I've been having irregular menses since the wedding, probably stress related due to work or from the adjustments that I have to make post wedding. Hence, delay in menses was not something new to me. I've used up numerous UPT sets provided by my mum right after the wedding, in which it will come back as negative each time. This time around, somewhere in early September, my menses was delayed for 2 weeks and I decided to do a UPT. It was Negative, Again.

I did not experience any pregnancy symptoms after that, but since I remained amenorrheic,
Mum decided to jump straight to an ultrasound scan, skipping the whole UPT part-as i just could not bear another negative result.

You see, I have a retroverted uterus and it was a difficult ultrasound scan to perform. Mum had to press my abdomen really hard to look for the gestational sac. Then suddenly, she found it. One TINY sac in my uterus. I proceeded with the confirmation test and for the first time in my life, I had a positive UPT. I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that 2 lines on the stick.

How was the feeling you may ask?

I was still in denial at that time, and a positive UPT with a small 'gestational sac' was not convincing enough for me to accept that I was indeed pregnant. I needed something more convincing, like seeing my baby's heartbeat. Heck, I have seen too many patients that had a false positive UPT and they were excited for nothing, and which later they found out that the UPT was just too sensitive and repeated ultrasound scans showed an empty uterus.

However, Mum was really excited coz it was her birthday and treated the finding as her birthday present. We then had a dinner celebration that night--to celebrate the future addition to our family, Mum's birthday and my brother's belated birthday.

The only few people that I told on that day was my dad and siblings. And that was more than enough for me.

Finally!

2009-11-21T23:08:00.003+08:00

I'm at D' Kayangan now and I'm online!

Even though my workplace has internet access, certain websites such as facebook, blogspot, friendster, twitter and internet banking websites are inaccessible. I do subscribe to maxis broadband, but I haven't been paying the monthly fees as I can't access the maybank2u website from the hospital, hence, my internet has been cut off...

This was what happened..

As my husband and I are planning to go on a trip next month, I desperately needed to go online to hunt for an interesting and affordable destination that we could go to. Trying my luck, I turned on my laptop and suddenly.....my laptop could locate a nearby wireless connection.! That's not the best part, no password was required!
So thank you, Belkin54g!

Even though the internet speed is not that fast but having to surf comfortably on my couch, I feel truly blessed!

I'm on You Tube!

2009-09-07T11:49:00.005+08:00

I was at the medical outpatient clinic the other day when one the ECHO guys approached me and asked,

'You ni kaki internet ke?'

I was stunned with that random question. Thought that he had found something humiliating about me online. I was also curious to know what it was. And so I asked,

'Not really...dulu ye la. Asal?'

Then he lead me to the ECHO room where his laptop was already online. And then he showed me the video. I was Shocked! Hahaha...I'm actually on You Tube.

Of course, the next question that I asked him was

'Camne bleh jumpe nih?'

'Senang je. Saya type nama doctor, pastu video tu keluar la'

The subsequent question that ran into my head was 'Yang awak pegi type name saya tu kenapa?'. But of course, I did not ask him that.

Anyway, this is the video. Check it out.

Click here.

A short Hi from me

2009-07-31T21:17:00.006+08:00

I haven't posted an entry in ages.

Reason being:

1. I'm spending too much time with the computer during the day which makes me think twice before sitting in front of the computer again at home.
2. I would rather watch TV rather than surf the net nowadays.---such a change compared to before.
(yes, I know multitasking is possible, but I prefer to be as passive as possible when I'm at home.)

Some updates about me:
1.I just went for a haircut yesterday. More like a trim actually. Nobody even noticed today.

2.Husband is leaving to Sudan tomorrow, which means I'll be alone for a week..sigh.

3. I'm going to be in charge of the H1N1 ward starting from next week. It's gonna be high risk, but an interesting experience for me. :)
,
4. I'm back to baking!

**can't seem to upload pictures this entry..will do it the next time I go online.
As for now, I need to get a good rest before a super long day tomorrow.
The HOD will be doing ward rounds tomorrow. and I will be the only MO there in the ward. Yikes!

My Firsts

2009-06-26T02:27:00.009+08:00

I was more excited than ever when my birthday was coming up, as it will be the first time I'm celebrating it as someone's wife.

I planned ahead and planted the idea to my husband's head --for us to have a vacation together on the eve of my birthday. I didn't really care about the location of our holiday, after all, the important thing is for us to spend some quality time together. And plus, now is bad time to travel abroad anyway, with the H1N1 spreading like wild fire at the moment.

And so, off we went to Port Dickson on 22.6.09. I'm sure many of you won't believe when I tell this, but it was the first time at I ever traveled out the state with him, and also the first time that we go off on a holiday together. Seriously. not even as a group. That was why the vacation trip meant so much to me.

We arrived at Legend Resort that afternoon and immediately after we checked in, after 5 minutes of looking around the room and the view, the husband insisted that we switched hotels. He was commenting about every single thing-from the flooring, the walls, the finishings, right up to the pilings outside the water chalet. Sigh. I guess this is what I get when I marry someone with ID interest.

And so we called up Avilion, and luckily they had a room to spare for the following day. It was a great move as Avilion was waay better than Legend. Husband was literally jumping on the bed when we arrived there.

What else did we do in PD?

Many other firsts: took a dip in the pool, ate durian by the roadside and played pool together.

All in all it was the best trip ever.

Owh ya, and that's not all.

On the way back, we dropped by at my mum's place and a huge bouquet of flowers greeted me there. What a lovely surprise from the husband and his staff!

We then headed home and had our first sleep on the new mattress--a gift from my mum. As how my husband said it --'It feels like heaven'.

That night, I had my birthday dinner at the Revolving Restaurant, KL tower. U see, my husband has been wanting to bring me there for years, and we finally had the chance to go there on my birthday. Also, another first for us. It had a nice ambiance, with the KL night view mesmerising us. And to top it all, the restaurant staff surprised me with a birthday cake!

It was the best birthday celebration ever. Hands down.

Thank you dear husband.

Jumping Up and Down

2009-06-13T02:26:00.005+08:00

I have been procrastinating to update this blog-despite being repeatedly pestered by friends and sisters..:)

I couldn't help myself to make this post as this great news deserves a shout out!

I PASSED MY EXAM!!

Despite having to make numerous adjustments: having new roles: being a wife and daughter-in-law, adapting to a new working environment and being in the super, crazy, busy Medical Department, I finally made it!

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support.

Hope I will achieve my ultimate goal-to be Paediatrician before I reach 30.

I truly feel blessed.

First official wedding photos

2009-03-30T21:47:00.004+08:00

There are so many things for me to share, but I'm sure many of you out there are keen to see some the official wedding photos.

You see, for the solemnisation ceremony, my family and I decided to spend a bomb on photography as it is considered the best investment for a wedding. After many years, wedding photos will be the ones that will help to bring back those lovely memories. Hence, we decided to use Saiful Nang as our official photographer. Yup, SN himself.

To my surprise, the groom's side also brought along their own official photographer when they came over to the house on that day. Hence, in total, we had 3 photographers (2 from CS, and 1 from pixelart) and 2 videographers (f rom Manggis).

We received both CDs, one from CS and the other one from pixelart , containing our raw wedding photos on 20th march. Fast right?

I have yet to email back Candid Syndrome--need to choose the appropriate photos for them to edit and put into the 2 photobooks.

As for Pixelart, they are just so efficient! We received the photo album on the 28th, and we were very impressed indeed! Just love the photos and the album itself.

Check out their blog at Pixelart Photograp hy

Enjoy~

From the heart of a bride

2009-03-20T17:43:00.004+08:00

I've been wanting to update my blog since the wedding..There is just so much to share and I'm currently having the best time of my life..

If you have watched the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button..remember the part when Brad Pitt met up with Cate Blanchett after he left her for quite some, and at that time both of them were almost the same age..The two lovebirds were just spending every minute of their time together, laughing and joking with each other...I really love that scene, as both of them appeared to be crazy with each other. That is exactly what I'm feeling at this moment.

I just can't find the words to explain how extremely happy both of us are. To those who know the journey that both of us have gone through, you would most likely understand how we feel. To finally be together with the one person that you love the most, it is indeed at beautiful experience..

For the past one week, I try my best to treasure every single detail of my experiences. I told my other half before falling asleep one night--that I'm so worried that this wonderful feeling will go away. He told me not to worry and assured me the feeling that I have will stay..

We often ask each other every day---macam tak percaya kita dah kahwin, kan?

It's amazing that even though I've known my other half for ten years, little that I realise that I could still love him more and more. Seeing him bond with my family members and him being so understanding with everything, it does make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Here's my favourite photo---taken from terteaforsea.blogspot.com

I thank Allah everyday for granting my wish..to finally marry my one and only true love..

Another 3 days to go..

2009-03-10T01:07:00.003+08:00

I'm beginning to feel the wedding jitters as the big day is approaching..

Regarding the wedding invitations..the wedding is just around the corner and some of the wedding invitation are not even sent yet! A friend of mine who is staying in Gemas smsed me today and said 'Aku kan tinggal area kampung, don't think that your card will reach in time..'
Another issue is that some of my friends who mean a lot to me are unable to attend the wedding..the ones that I'm close to..It's sad when I think about it, but I guess that is one of the things that I've to deal with..

The funny thing is that I'm selectively choosing friends to invite for the nikah when there are so many nikah invitation cards to spare, and there are tonnes of friends that I'm inviting for the reception -with limited invitation cards for the reception. You see, since mum almost fully handmade the invitation cards for the reception, she managed to make only 250, and I used up all of them today! Both mum and I are anxious at the moment--it is either we didn't make enough invitation cards or we invited too many people... I just hope that mum's house can take the crowd..

As for tomorrow, I'll be my last day at work and I'm off for my holiday! Yippee!

Vital things to do 2 days before the wedding:
1. get my hair done--touch up my hair colour---which should have been done last week
2. manicure
3. body scrub
4. try wearing the wedding gown with the jewelery
5. sms all my friends to remind them about the wedding
6. get enough sleep!

For the past few days, everytime before I fall asleep, I will think to myself--Owh man, I can't believe my status is going to change soon..No more feeling proud that I'm still single. Gosh. It has finally hit me.

More updates

2009-02-22T17:41:00.004+08:00

It does feel funny to post an entry on this blog after so long...

Someone called me the other day (you know who you are), asking me why I haven't updated my blog in ages. Reason being I have in a depressive mode since I switched my workplace, and if I do update my blog, it will be in a low tone..which I truly want to avoid. Another reason is that, since I face the computer every single time at work, the last thing I want to do when I am at home is to stare at the computer screen.

Nevertheless, I think I am beginning to adapt and accept my new working environment and I my mood has improved, not tremendously, but at least, significantly..

Enough about work.

Some updates about the wedding:

NIKAH:

1. The dress is ready, which I absolutely love..Only the veil needs more beading work to do..

2. Wedding planner-booked

3. Caterer-booked

4. Invitation cards-printed but not sent out yet. It's just a simple card, but just nice for nikah..I need to decide who gets invited to the nikah. I asked dad how many friends I'm allowed to invite, and he said it's up to me..hai, nanti kalau ajak semua member susah pulak.

According to dad, ALL the relatives that he's inviting are coming. Even the ones from Kelantan and Thailand. I'm happy to know that many people are coming to join in the celebration of my special day..

5. Cameraman-booked and deposit paid.

6. Videographer-booked and Manggis is supposed to email me their quotation..which they have not done up to now..

7. Paperwork-All has been filled up, and PPN has signed the forms. Just need to send the completed forms to JAIS soon..hantar wakil pon boleh kan?

8. Bilik pengantin-built-in wardrobe is ongoing right at this moment..The decorations will be done by the wedding planner.

9. Wedding favours-the sample is ready, which is absolutely gorgeous..The rest of it should be ready by the end of the month..

10. Hantaran-I'm so lucky coz dad bought everything for me..The ring, gifts, etc are all ready. Just need to pass them to the wedding planner for him to decorate..

11. Make-up artist-booked

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RECEPTION:

1. Dress-the dress is ready, just the beading which still needs to be done. I hope I'll be ready by the 14th..

2. Wedding planner-booked

3. Caterer-booked--we had the food tasting on Friday, which was delicious! I brought some to Azim's office yesterday and he loved it too! His friend tried some and said-'Rase macam makan kat hotel je!' Wahhh.bangga.:)

4. Invitation cards-We're getting the inlay printed and mom is going to do the outer part by hand. I told her not to trouble herself but she insisted..I'm sure I'll turn out to be lovely..

5. Cameraman-Booked-This was the first few things that we did.

6. Videographer-We're using the same videographer as the nikah, so I'm still waiting for the quotation..

7. Bilik pengantin-Mom has bought a new bedsheet-just a plain one but with floral motives on it..very nice. The wedding planner will do the rest.

8. Wedding favours-Still on the way..Mom is getting different sets of wedding favours for different categories of people---i.e. according to age group. She's buying more next week.

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That's it for now. I won't disclose too much of detail coz it will spoil the element of surprise on that day!

Hope everything will run smoothly till the actual wedding day.

In the meantime, my role is to get enough sleep, and pamper myself before the big day!

Predictions

2009-01-27T10:20:00.003+08:00

Being in my current tight situation, I need to make full use of what is evolving around me. Horoscopes and predictions are forbidden in our religion, but I thought of using them as a form of motivation for me.

I've quoted this from http://tarot.com/chinese-astrology/chinese-horoscopes-2009. Funny getting chinese horoscopes from a white man.

This was what I found out:
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Yearly Predictions for the Dog

Steer clear of controversy during the Year of the Earth Ox, otherwise you could find yourself in court. A justice-lover like you will do more good working with the system than against it.

On the plus side, your financial situation will become much more secure. Your income will be steady, enabling you to pay off debts and put some money into savings. Instead of having to look for work, you'll be able to spend more time with friends and family. (Sounds good..)

Resist the urge to isolate yourself when things go wrong. Dogs have a tendency to turn within when the going gets tough, but that won't do in a sociable Ox year. Surrounding yourself with supportive people will help you withstand any pressure you experience in 2009. If you let the pressure build, you could experience terrible headaches. Practicing relaxation techniques like guided imagery, controlled breathing and meditation can alleviate this pain. (Need to remember this point)

Travel is favored this year, especially if you take a trip with someone you love, and visiting a spiritual mecca or holy city will be especially enjoyable. (yup, this is one of our plans for this year)

You are bound to make lots of friends in an Ox year. (new work place, of course i'll be making new friends right?) People are impressed by your loyalty and open-minded attitude. You may be especially drawn to rebels, since most people will cling to stodgy traditions this year. Rule-breakers and eccentrics will feel like a breath of fresh air in 2009.

Love for the Dog

It's time to put power struggles to rest; the Year of the Earth Ox emphasizes cooperation. Be more vocal about your needs. As a Dog, you have a tendency to keep your thoughts hidden. (This is so me...) Unfortunately, this trait could work against you in an ultra-practical Earth Ox year. By clearly stating your desires and concerns, you could achieve a new level of closeness with your partner.

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Surfing for wedding themes..

2009-01-23T12:40:00.004+08:00

Some of the beautiful photos that I found on the web...Looking at lovely wedding photos can cheer me up at a time like this..

First few days

2009-01-23T11:20:00.010+08:00

Sg Buloh Hospital:

Day 1:

Took the Guthrie Highway, and I reached the place in 40 min.

I brought the necessary documents: surat lapor diri, passport photo, latest payslip, etc to the administration office, eager to get a fresh start at my new place of work. While filling up the relevant forms, the clerk called me to the Pengarah's office. As I sat down in front of him, I expected him to give a briefing about the hospital, welcoming me to his terrority. What shocked me was that he was just looking at my surat lapor diri for about a minute, then suddenly looked up to me and said 'U nak masuk Paeds ye? Paeds dah penuh. I hantar u pegi Medical.' I could suddenly feel the blood rushing to my face. Medical? Owh man..the last time I did medical was in 2007..How could he be so mean? I practically begged him to send me to the department that I wanted..I mean, I'm really sure that's the field that I want to specialise in, and I've been doing paeds for more than a year..Why is he being so unfair?

He was giving me the numbers, saying that the medical department has less MOs compared to paeds..I finally gave in..

I was asked to report to a specialist there and she introduced me to her collegues. I was put in charge of the male medical ward.

Day 2

Took the NKVE highway today, and I reached Sg Buloh in 22 mins, driving at 120km/H. Not bad right?

The HOD instructed me to change to the female ward and I had to do rounds with the specialist. On this day, I was REALLY frustrated with the computer system. Why is not user friendly at all! My collegues were really good at it, after all, they've been using the system for the past one year or so. At one point I just felt like smashing the computer right in front of me. Personally, I feel like I'm spending more time in front of the computer, struggling to make a simple entry, and spending less time with the patients. It is very unfair.

As I was really slow in assisting my specialist to do the rounds that day, he became inpatient and he typed everything himself instead. I felt like my presence was more of a burden to him..Come on, dragging the laptop to each patient, plugging in the plug to the power source everytime we shift the laptop, in case it hibernates and the laptop hanging every now and then --it is really a test to my patience...

Not only that, since I was in charge of half the ward, I had to do referrals, arrange for urgent scans, trace blood results urgently, etc. Not like I haven't done all this before, but it is much different now as everything is computerised. I felt like a houseman all over again, doing donkey work and writing all the things that I've to do on a piece of paper, and rush to do everything by 5 o clock that day.

Day 3

I'm beginning to get the hang of the computer system, but my specialist remained sarcastic as I am still slow, and still incompetent in managing medical patients on my own, or so he says...My stress level was getting higher and higher, but I kept a smiling face at work, as I refused to show people how frustrated I am deep inside..

I came back from work, not willing to even look at the computer anymore...

Day 4

I reached the ward at 0745, determined to start my rounds. I felt like my pace is getting a bit better now, but I still could not finish all my work by 5pm..it is just so ridiculous as the amount of work that I had was much less that what I'm used to in HTAR, and yet, I tok such a long time to complete a task, just because I'm not used to the system. Sigh..How long will I take to be competent with my work?

Day 5=today

Took the day off as I've to go to Banting later to present for the mortality meeting. A presentation that I should be worried of, and yet I feel happy as I'm going back to my 'comfort zone' today afternoon..

Well, at least I've the weekend off tomorrow..something to look forward to..

Hello Sg Buloh..

2009-01-18T23:25:00.003+08:00

It's been awhile since I last posted an entry..

Perhaps some of you may wonder why I choose not discuss about my wedding preparations here. The reason being, I am more concerned and nervous about changing my place of work compared to the wedding. Crazy right? I know.

Tomorrow will mark my first day in Hospital Sg Buloh. I've a lot of uncertainties with regards to tomorrow. Which department will I land in? How often will my calls be? How will the working environment be like? I've 1001 questions in my head right now.

At the same time, I've a wedding to plan. Thanks to my dad and aunties who are doing most of the information gathering and decision making, I do feel a sense of relief in my part.

However, there are certain aspects of the wedding that have been left for me to make the final decision:

1. Make-up artist

2. Photographer and Videographer

3. Colour theme

Dear cousins and friends, if you have any suggestions or contacts, do let me know..I really don't want to make the wrong choices...

So long, farewell..

2009-01-12T21:50:00.004+08:00

I have been in denial for the past few days. I can't believe that I'm leaving this place..

Over the next few days I will be packing my stuff as I've to shift out from this apartment by the end of this month. I do feel sad leaving this apartment, as I enjoy having my own, comfortable space for me to live in. It's really not the same compared to staying with your parents. You get to do whatever you like, at whatever pace you're comfortable with. With this point in mind, I do wish that I'll have my own place after I begin my married life..

My plan for the next few days would be this:

Tuesday: Clinic Day. then, settle my call claims and submit the necessary forms..
Wednesday: On leave + collect revision books from a friend in HTAR
Thursday: Lorry coming to pick up my furniture..
Friday: Say my goodbyes to everybody..

Until then, I will continue enjoying every minute that I have in this cozy apartment..

Yawn

2009-01-03T22:55:00.003+08:00

I'm so sleep deprived now..

Being post-call, and only managed to sleep about an hour+ last night, I forced myself to attend Redzuan's wedding today..Luckily, I managed to keep my eyes open while driving back from Banting and also during the wedding ceremony.

The calls in Banting are getting worse and worse. Who says that district posting is so lepak? I beg to differ.

Another 2 calls to go..one weekday and one weekend. And then I'm off to Sg Buloh! Just hope things will be better there. I really hope so.

Hello 2009!

2009-01-01T19:19:00.002+08:00

I spent my new year's eve sleeping on my bed..I was post-call and hence sleeping was my top most priority compared to watching fireworks on TV..

I have decided to start a new blog today. I have hidden in from my profile coz it's not ready to be viewed by anybody just yet. The blog will be about the patients that I see at work and hope that it may benefit any doctors or aspiring doctors out there.

The blog is mainly for those in the medical line and I plan to use medical jargons to describe my patients where as this blog be maintained and will more about my life in general..

I guess that I'm being rather ambitious by having two blogs to update each time..We'll see how it'll turn out to be..

From Metro to Maskulin

2008-12-30T21:37:00.005+08:00

When I first laid my eyes on the cover of this magazine, it's definitely something that I would NEVER pick up off the shelves. Probably the only ones reading it are gays..I wouldn't know.

Anyway, I had to tebalkan muka and purchase the January edition of the magazine because of this article...

Yup, another article of Mr Boyfriend's achievements. I just hope that the gays out there won't be chasing after him soon.

My Christmas PresentS

2008-12-29T10:46:00.002+08:00

Having to work on a public holiday is something that I never look forward to. The thought of being in the hospital, working like a mad dog, and earning only RM170, while others are relaxing at home, spending valuable time with their family and friends.

I probably woke up on the wrong side of the bed that day. It started off badly when I got a 'lecture' from dad for the smallest thing ever, and later only reached the hospital at 0820H. I was doing my morning rounds when my collegue, who was on-call the previous day called me up to see a patient before he headed home.

It was 38 year old lady, 30 weeks pregnant, having difficulty in breathing. She was known to have Bronchial Asthma for the past 2 years, and my friend had treated her as having an asthma attack. Despite the medical therapy given, her condition didn't improve much and he has informed the specialist about it. He was asked to observe the patient and inform her again if the patient's condition worsened.

I reassessed the patient soon after that and she deteriorated rapidly. She became drowsy; clearly because she was tired from breathing to fast and the accumulation of CO2 in her body. 3 of my other collegues joined to actively resuscitate the patient-by intubating the patient, performing CPR and all. To cut a long story short, her heart stopped beating at 1015H and I pronounced her dead at 1115H.

There were so many things running in my mind at that time. How could she die so suddenly? Was it even an asthma attack? Could it be another diagnosis which was missed earlier? How I am I going to inform my specialist? the Pengarah? And the worse part-How to do I break the bad news to her husband?

You see, maternal mortality is something really HUGE. It is something UNEXCEPTABLE in the field of medicine. Pregnant ladies are not supposed to die..When something like this occurs, the news will go up to the ministry and the all health personnel involved, right from the time she booked her pregnancy up to the last one that saw her, will be investigated thoroughly. It will be a must for us to attend meetings at hospital , district, state and maybe even national level.

To make matters worse, later that evening, I had to attend to a 4 year old child, known case of complex congenital heart disease, who was gasping in the paediatric ward. After performing massive resuscitation, I could not revive the patient and the child succumbed to death.Cause of death: most likely from severe cyanotic spell.

Conclusion:

Two mortalities in one day. One from O&G, one from Paeds. In a district hospital. With no specialist around. One hell of an experience that I shall never forget. Ever.

New Year, New Beginning

2008-12-29T10:20:00.003+08:00

People say that new year is like a new beginning. It gives a chance for you to start over, experience new hopes and new possibilities. To me, everyday is like a new beginning. When something awful happens, deal with it within the same day if possible, and later sleep comfortably that night, and have a fresh start the next day. Of course it is easier said than done. With this in mind, it does help to get on with life as quickly as possible.

I have gone through a lot this past one year. It was like a roller coaster for me; having to work in a new place with new set of collegues, the difficulties that I face with my family and studies, and of course, the troubles that I had with my relationship. Like a friend once told me, all this experiences will make our life more colourful and at least, there'll be plenty of stories for us to tell to our grandchildren. That is, an interesting angle to look from.

Nevertheless, with the Maal Hijrah today and New Year in two days time, everybody would hope and pray for the same thing. To forgive our sins over the past one year, and hoping for a better life in the future.

To-Do List

2008-12-23T10:47:00.005+08:00

I'm currently on-leave. Yay! I've never had a long stretch of holiday in ages! Probably the last time I had that was in HTAR. Well, I guess it's because I don't really need it, since I'm hardly at work anyway..busy attending courses and all..U should see my punch card every month. Half empty!

Anyway, I decided to take this long stretch of leave due to peer pressure actually. My fellow collegues have already taken one week of leave per person, and I felt left out. Not like I had anything special planned anyway...

It feel good initially.which lasted for merely 2 days..after a while I felt aimless..I still refuse to believe that I'm a workoholic.

I've got a few things lined-up for me to do throughout this 6 days:

Not This! Read on....

- Meet Paeds HOD at Sg Buloh Hospital- DONE
- Find out about SLAB from UiTM- DONE
- Collect nametag from PKNS- DONE
- Wrap wedding gifts

- Get an organizer for 2009- DONE

- Prepare report for Quality Study

- Get presents for Hosp Banting staff- DONE

- Finish reading Twilight

- Get revision books

- Update CPD online- DONE

- Last but not least: Wedding preparation..catering, dress, photographer etc.- ONGOING

So much to do, so little time. We'll see how many things I get to complete by tomorrow, the end of my holiday...sob. sob.

Yes!

2008-12-20T21:06:00.006+08:00

I met up with my ex-classmate today, who is currently working at Ipoh Hospital. The last time we met was over a year back and there were tonnes of stuff for us to catch up on. After having Sushi, we decided to watch a movie.

I was given me a choice between Yes Man, Ip Man and Cicak Man 2...Haha, obviously I went for the first one.

The story is about this guy who became depressed after his wife left him, and his life went downhill from there. He's always hiding in his apartment, not wanting to hangout with his friends anymore, and stuck in the same job for years. It was until one day, on old friend of his urged him to join this seminar which asks its participants to say Yes to every oppurtunity that they had. His life changed after that.

I had fun watching the movie! I wouldn't give 5 stars for it, but the jokes that they had were good enough for me to laugh out loud multiple times! Jim Carrey was perfect for the role.

Moral of the story: Life is short. Live life to the fullest.

My almost abandoned quest

2008-12-17T00:51:00.004+08:00

After work today, I had the sudden urge to make Char Kuey Teow for dinner. And so, I took a drive to Econsave, got all the stuff that I needed and headed home. Before preparing the dish, I thought of browsing through mesra.net for interesting Kuey Teow recipes. Haha. Semangat right?

Anyway, while I was doing just that, a friend of mine/collegue called. I picked up the phone, feeling a bit suspicious, coz I'm not that close to her and she wouldn't call me after office hours unless it's something urgent. Then she said, 'Wei, it's your turn to do locum today, right? Everybody's looking for u!' S**t. Then it striked me. Of course! I've to be at the hospital right at moment to do locum and I totally forgot about it!- and I'm one and a half hours late! I was thinking about the patients piling up at the casualty..Owh my.

I was also upset that I had to abandon my cooking project today..

I quickly dumped all the stuff that I just bought into the fridge and rushed to the hospital. Luckily the influx of patients today wasn't that bad..

I came home at 11.30 pm feeling tired and hungry. I didn't want my determination to go to waste today, and hence, I still made Char Kuey Teow for dinner! And it tasted quite good actually! Haha, or maybe because I was REAlly hungry..

Mission accomplished.

What I do when I'm on-call

2008-12-14T21:08:00.005+08:00

Somehow I tend to update my blog when I'm on call...Nope, it does not reflect how free I am everytime I'm on call! You see, I was on my feet the whole day today, till my slipper got ruined (the side of slipper where it holds my foot came off) and I had to change to a new one..Luckily my car is also my 'mini wardrobe' which had an extra shoe for me to wear today..

We're having a farewell party tomorrow..5 of us who are leaving this hospital soon (or supposedly should have left by now, but unable to do so due to shortage of MOs) teamed up to belanja lunch for the whole hospital.

Menu for tomorrow:

- Steamed Rice

- Vege Fried Rice

- Chicken Curry

- Ikan Bawal Sambal

- Egg Taufu with Oyster sauce

- Baby Kailan

- Roti Jala

- Dadih

- Mixed Fruit

- Sunquick Orange Juice

Ok time to rest now..

Mental Hospital Phone Menu

2008-12-09T19:09:00.001+08:00

I got this from the Malaysian Paediatrics Association (MPA) Bulletin.

Enjoy~

MENTAL HOSPITAL PHONE MENU

Hello and thank you for calling The State Mental Hospital. Please select from the following options menu:

If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.

If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.

If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.

If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.

If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.

If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.

If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

If you have low self-esteem, please hang up our operators are too busy to talk with you.

If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever.

If you are blonde, don't press any buttons, you'll totally screw up the phone system. Just go away.

Omar's Home!

2008-12-07T12:17:00.004+08:00

This picture was taken before he left for UK a few months back. He pretty much still looks the same now, except that his hair has grown a few inches thicker..Owh ya, and he appears much thinner now too! Although he prefers the word 'fitter'..I have to disagree on this one coz I really can't appreciate the six packs that he claims he has!

Even though I won't be seeing my lil brother everyday, am just happy that my family feels more 'complete' now..It's great to have u around, omar!

Hari Raya Aidiladha

2008-12-07T12:01:00.003+08:00

It's nice to not be on-call on Hari Raya Haji..I was doing housemanship in O&G posting i think, and somehow they put my on call on that auspicious day..It was sad initially, but I was lucky enough that there were not many admissions on that day..The one thing that I couldn't forget was when a patient of mine handed me some ketupat, lemang and renang for dinner..Really cured my sadness. On top of that, mum had someone to send my some lemang as well. So the nurses and I had quite a feast!

Anyway, the routine for tomorrow would be the usual. Attending prayers in the morning, and then, dad and my brother would go to the surau to watch the cows and goats being slaughtered...Although, I'm not very sure whether they will be going this year, since we're staying in sect 13 now..

Well, whatever it is, I'm happy that I'm not celebrating Hari Raya Haji at the hospital this year!

Another 16 days to go..

2008-12-04T00:29:00.006+08:00

My heart is now in Buenos Aires..

From 'Insect' to Ridsect

2008-12-03T23:42:00.008+08:00

After coming back from work today, being post-call and all, the first thing that I wanted to do was to just rest my head on the bed to catch up with my sleep. My stomach was growling of hunger, but my priority was still sleep...

Anyway, while I was dozing off, I felt this tingling sensation over my right arm. I turned my head to my right and saw an 'insect' in the inner part of my blouse. Thought it was ant or a bug, so I attempted to catch/crush it with my hand (I was wearing a long sleeved blouse). After grabbing hold of it, it suddenly stopped moving, so I thought the 'insect' was dead. I was just too tired so I didn't bother to change my clothes, and so dozed off after a few seconds.

And then, suddenly I felt it again. A cold, ticklish sensation over my arm. That 'insect' was still moving... I looked at it harder, through my white blouse, and I shrieked when I realize what it was! It was a.........

.................................
..................................

LIZARD! A baby cicak!

UUURrghhhhh......Yucks!! Disgusting!

I jumped out from my bed, shrugged my body and shoulders, and the lizard fell to the floor..and worse part was that a part of its tail got stuck to my inner sleeve and the rest of the lizard...was gasping for air on the floor of my bedroom. Really!

While the lizard was taking its last few breaths, the next thing I did was....

---spray half a can on Ridsect on it! I was scared ok!

Since I was really tired today, being sleep deprived and all, the scary incident did not stop me from sleeping. After disposing the lizard, I slumped on my bed and almost immediately, I was off to dreamland..

2008-12-01T20:34:00.000+08:00

Yes! No more headache!

HeadACHE

2008-11-29T20:37:00.006+08:00

Headache: Like a needle piercing through my brain..

I've been bothered by this irritating symptom through out the day. Regardless, whether I'm walking or sitting, talking or eating. It can just happen anywhere, anytime.

The funny thing is that I'll have this spontaneous, sharp pain, at the exact same spot each time. Of course, being in the medical profession, it makes me list out 1001 causes of a headache. From a space occupying lesion in the brain, down to a simple tension headache. The more I think about it, the worse my symptom gets.

Today, I've taken Ponstan, hoping that it'll go away. I do feel a bit better I guess, but whenever I press on that particular spot, the pain will come again. I even asked my nurse to check my scalp, in case there's a blister/pimple there, but apparently by scalp appears healthy.

Being on-call today really doesn't make it better. Hope this headache of mine will go away tomorrow.

New look-temporarily..

2008-11-28T22:14:00.001+08:00

Nenot, aku dah tukar template. Puas hati? takyah kau nak pening kepala lagi.

aih..so penat nak cari template best. dah le tak reti. Help!

Uban = Aging?

2008-11-28T20:56:00.006+08:00

It all started probably early this year when my hair stylist spotted a grey hair on my scalp. 'Should I pull it?,' he asked. 'Go Ahead.' I said. What's the worse that could happen?

Since then, I've been having premature grey hair..Not that many actually, but enough to cause me a reasonable amount of distress. A cousin of mine spotted a few of my grey hair during hari raya month, which resulted me to frantically ask my maid to pluck them all out the minute I reached home.

Grey hair looks cool on Rogue. Could I pull it off? Haha.. Nahh..

Is the myth true? That when you pull out one grey hair, seven will come out? I'm not sure.

All this stimulated me to do some research on the causes of premature grey hair:

1. Stress: the most common cause.
- Yeah, most likely. Perhaps now not as stressed as before.

2. Hair Colouring
- This is also possible..I've already coloured my hair 4/5 times..

3. Lack of vitamins, specifically B12
- I don't really practice a well balanced diet..I believe that I may lack in some essential vitamins, and hence, I'm TRYING to take daily multivitamins now..

I recently dyed my hair again, to mask the residual grey hair that I might still have. You know, I got offended when my hairstylist offered me a few set of hair colours and said 'These colours are suitable if you have uban, coz it looks very natural' Please! Definitely not for me!

Anyway, whatever the reasons may be, I do hope that it'll all go away..No more uban please!

Sg. Buloh, Here I come!

2008-11-26T23:57:00.004+08:00

Next month will mark my one year anniversary. One Year of working in this hospital. I guess that is more than enough experience required in any district hospital.

Not like I hate working here. The staff here are generally very nice and the working environment here is great. When it comes to career advancement, you just can't sit in a district setting too long.

I recently got my letter of transfer to Sg Buloh Hospital. I was ecstatic when I first received the news! I mean who wouldn't, any MO would jump with joy when he/she gets their first choice!

As excited as I am right now, I really have that tiny feeling that I won't be able to cope with the stress there. As of now, I'm in my small comfort zone and any new form of stressor can easily break me. Yes, I am a very fragile girl.

Nevertheless, I do look forward to that upcoming change. It'll be a good challenge for me. I just know it.

Trailers

2008-11-26T23:11:00.004+08:00

I was surfing the net today and came across a few interesting trailers..Check them out.

1. Changeling:
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Amy Ryan, John Malkovich

--> I just love the trailer. I'm sure the movie is gonna be great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sxikEYkOmo

2. Bride Wars:
Starring: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway

--> I was attracted by the main casts initially, but I upon watching the trailer, it wasn't as good as what I had expected. They showed a few slapstick jokes here and there. Will only watch the movie I'm in the mood for a chick flick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdHJnPC_Uvo

3. The Pink Panther 2
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno

--> This one is something that I must much. I laughed so hard when I watched the 1st movie! Guess it was because Steve Martin can look so natural when it comes to acting stupid. He was perfect for the role. I'm really hope that the sequel will be just as good or even better!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xNUO0Lg8Es

We have moved!

2008-11-14T14:30:00.004+08:00

My moving history:

2003: Sect 2 to Seremban

2005: Seremban to Batu Pahat

2006: Batu Pahat to Sect 2

2008 (early): Sect 2 to Banting

2008 (at present): Sect 2 to Sect 13

You see, dad's organising this massive renovation for our house. After all, the only renovation that we ever did to the house was painting it, painting it, and...painting it again. Since the renovation is gonna be rather huge and will potentially produce lots of dust, dad thought I'd be a good idea if we shift to another house, temporarily.

I spent one whole week packing all the accumulated junk that I've had with me for the past 26 years. Of course, I was being nostalgic during the packing process..reading the old cards that I had, letters, pictures, etc..There were all rubbish really, but just to valuable to be thrown away..

Now, we've finally settled in our new home. There are still lots of unopened boxes, but we plan to keep it as that. After all, in a few months time, we have to shift back to our newly renovated house.

The funny thing about our new home is that it's on the same row as my other half's! So happenned that dad was looking for a nice semi-D house in shah alam, and his friend offered our family to stay at his vacant, newly purchased house for the next few months. I guess it's just karma.

Festival of Lights

2008-10-26T21:32:00.004+08:00

Am strongly feel that there are no Indians who read this blog...

Well, it doesn't matter coz as Malaysians, we celebrate all festivals!

Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed Deepavali...

M.C. Seeker

2008-10-25T00:55:00.005+08:00

Allow me to share this tiny secret with all of you out there..

We secretly label some of our patients in the outpatient clinic as 'MC Seeker'. A small note will be made on top of the patient's card, as a warning sign to the potential doctors who will be seeing that particular patient in the near future.

I was doing locum in Casualty yesterday and was extremely irritated by a number of 'MC Seeker'. These patients gave all sort of absurd excuses, false symptoms, and stories just to gain the doctor's sympathy or for their personal gain.

Throughout my career, I have come across a variety of MC Seekers. Here are some the common approach the 'MC Seeker' may use:

1. Straight forward:

When a patient enters the examination room and say 'Saya mahu MC'. Hello?? Is that even a symptom? U call that a reason to see a doctor? Please, we doctors come to work for a real purpose, ok?- to figure out and solve a patient's problem. Not just randomly give out MC on patient's request. We do the assessment, and WE will decide whether u are fit to go to work. Get it?

2. Beat around the bush:

This type of patients will give a wide variety of symptoms till we can't even figure out which one is head or tail. Eg: Saya sakit kepala, lepas tu sampai demam, lepas tu kebas, tak boleh jalan, pening kepala, sakit perut, bla bla bla. The doctor will ask further questions to try to reach a diagnosis. The patient will give vague answers. This is when the doctor will realise the real purpose for the patient coming to the clinic. Some doctors will get fooled by these kind of patients and will order a whole battery of investigations to help reach a diagnosis. What a waste of the government's money and resources!

4. The Liar

I don't have to elaborate on this one. People lie all the time to get MC.

5. MC Extender: (Haha, is there such a word??)

These are usually the smarter patients-the ones who are already in the 'professional level' in obtaining MCs. These patients will usually have a real complaint, usually muscle ache or joint pain. He will first see his private practitioner and get an MC easily. The following day, he will go to the government clinic to obtain another MC. The reason for this is because most companies only accept one/two days of MC from a private clinic. If a patient wants extra days of sick leave, a doctor from a government clinic has to issue another MC.

6. Habiskan Annual MC:

This kind of patient will usually have an underlying chronic disorder like gout. He will happily binge on seafood and come to the clinic the next day with joint pain. After prescribing analgesia, the patient will ask for MC. When asked why, he'll say ' Allaaa....MC saya banyak lagi yang tinggal tahun ni yang belum habis pakai. Boleh la kasi satu, doc'? Ishhh...memang geram. U ingat ni macam cuti ke, nak habis2 kan hujung tahun??

7. The Leech:

This group includes close/distant family members of the hospital staff. MC is usually for balik kampung or family emergency. It's very difficult to approach this kind of people, as the staff is usually your friend and you wouldn't want to jeopardize your friendship.

Asking one day of MC is bad enough, but there was one occasion when a relative of my staff asked for 2 days to balik kampung. I just told the fella off. 'Melampau la sampai mintak 2 hari!'

8. The Bully:

This is the most irritating group of patients. They will come with the tiniest problem like simple cough and cold, joint pain of the finger, rash- and yet they still ask for MC- even though they seemed as fit as a horse. And when the doctor refuses to issue the MC, he will threaten/scold/demand/using foul language etc. till you give in. Damn annoying, especially when you have another 50 patients lining up outside the room to see you.

9. The Timeslip Refuser

It's difficult to determine whether this group of patient is lying. A timeslip is issued as the patient seems fit to go to work. However, patient will refuse the timeslip and demand for an MC instead. Reason being:

- 'Company saya tak accept timeslip!'

-' Kalau guna timeslip, tak dapat gaji untuk satu hari!'

-' Sekarang sudah petang la, apa guna bagi timeslip, baik bagi MC saja!'

-' Ofis saya jauh, bile sampai ofis, sudah habis waktu kerja!'

So you see, MC seekers are just down right irritating and can just spoil a doctor's day. So please. Have some respect and do come to the clinic for real reasons. Thank you.

Post-Merisik Fever, literally

2008-10-22T13:07:00.007+08:00

I've been contemplating to make this entry, but I guess it's about time that I share my joy with the people that I care and love..The people who are close to me would know that I'm not the type who like to talk about my relationship. I have my own reasons, but as of today, I feel that it's time for me to turn over a new leaf.

You see, I couldn't really concentrate during the kursus, knowing the Mr Boyfriend's parent will be coming over to my house to discuss about our future...It was on a Sunday, and since the schedule was so packed, I decided to stay on in Bagan Lalang, and not go home to join in the ceremony..

Apparently, it all turned out quite well...

I urged my brother to send pictures to me via email, which he did..thanks Japa! Thank god that kampung Bagan Lalang had wireless!

From his side to mine..

After the kursus ended, I dropped by at my other half's place, to see the gifts that was given from my side to his..I was quite impressed....Nice and classy! Thank you dear aunties!

I had to ask the maid to take this picture for me..It turned out pretty good, right?

Turns out Mr boyfriend was still asleep in the room when I came over, and hence, I gave him a surprise visit at the same time. Cool!

Mr Sleepy face, and his gift..Specially bought by my dad...

Even though I'm down with a flu now, it doesn't matter coz I'm now happier than ever...

Kursus Induksi Kumpulan 1 Siri 4/2008

2008-10-22T09:06:00.005+08:00

Being stuck in Bagan Lalang-a place with no attractions whatsoever-for 9 days in total was something that I never would have expected. My reason for attending the kursus was just to get my pengesahan jawatan settled. That's it.

Bagan Lalang Beach
one of my staff told me that the beach stinks, but he was wrong! the beach seemed alright to me..the girl on the right hand side is 'Ismat-my roommate.

The hotel was nothing to shout about. The only good thing about the kursus was the food that they served! Far better that what we had at the Kursus Kenegaraan (BTN). 6 course meal on a daily basis...occasionally I would skip tea and supper, just didn't want to spoil myself!

The shocking thing that happened on the second day was when I was elected to be the Penghuluwati. Some joker shouted out my name during the nomination, and a few seconds after that, an even bigger joker yelled out' Saya cadangkan cadangan ditutup!' Then, everybody clapped and said 'Sokong! Sokong!' And I was like...' What the...? Did that just happenned?'

Anyway...it was just lectures and lectures everyday..The topics couldn't be more boring! Tatertertib, Dasar-dasar, etika, etc. My normal routine would be yawning for the first half and hour, sleep for the next half hour, and later frantically copy notes from the super efficient girl beside me. I'm really terrible when it comes to lectures,..I just can't help it! Taking sweets didn't help to keep myself awake..

The best part of the kursus was the Persembahan Kumpulan, whereby each group could perform whatever the want, be it, singing, dancing, acting whatever. Our group did a sketch called 'Pink Prashant' -coz the main actor's name is Prashant and our theme song was from Pink Panther. Lame right? Haha. I know. It's about this espionage and his attempt to bribe a government officer, and was later caught by the police in the end..

Kumpulan 7- Pulau Sipadan
From left: Idza the judge, Kiran the policewoman, Anim the stage manager, me, Roopa the receptionist, Felix the policeman, Nasir the govt officer, Prashant the espionage and Monica the narrator.

We didn't win, but we had loads of fun preparing the script and rehearsing the play. U know what was my role? Being the slutty secretary for the government officer...Heh. not my choice ok!

Today, I'm just glad that I'm finally home, able to sleep on my ever-so-comfortable bed and shower with clean water - (the water in Bagan Lalang was terrible! Karat wei...)

Here are some other pictures..

With Vijay- waiting for our turns to receive our certs..Note: we were on the last row!

Peek-A-Boo!

Feeling Proud

2008-10-19T23:57:00.005+08:00

This is a long overdue post...

I was on-call last Saturday when my other half asked my to buy Harian Metro the next day. He told me that someone did a write up on him and it might be in the papers. I thought he was pulling my leg, but at the same time, feeling a little bit excited, just in case there's this slightest chance that it might be true. He specifically asked me to get up early in morning, go to the nearest shop and be the first one to read the article.

True enough, I went to the small sundry shop within the hospital compound, and there it was...a full page article (2 pages actually-coz it was at center part of the newspaper, two pages joined together) telling about him and his achievements. His name was even the title of the news! and it was in Red!

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't find the words to describe how much I was proud of him.

And now...when I google his name, the first thing that comes out is that article.
How cool is that?

Well, I'll let u read the article yourself. It actually looks better in the hardcopy version, rather that the one posted in the Harian Metro website.

Kejutan Wan Mohd Azim

Ampang Medikal

2008-10-09T20:59:00.004+08:00

Ampang Medikal....Aduh. Where do I begin!?

Please don't judge me just yet. I was just randomly going through the TV channels after watching the news, when I came across this show. I read an article about in the local papers, but never actually had the chance to watch it..till now. And hence, I watched the show out of curiousity. Could a local production company pull off a Malaysian version of 'Grey's Anatomy'?

Owh man..I think I could list out more than 100 ridiculous things that they had in the show. For starters, who wears scrubs with a labcoat? Walking around the hospital compound, eating at the hospital canteen in scrubs? Mau kena marah dgn pengarah? Hello, this is not Seattle Grace Hospital.

And please don't get me started on the clinical symptoms, examinations and management...gile merepek. Not worth mentioning.

Performing CPR in front of relatives? Nak kena saman?

It's not that I don't support local dramas or movies.. it's just that I wish they would be more original and at least do their homework before writing the script. Even the acting has a lot of improvement to do...

I could only stomach 1/2 hour of the show.

Ampang Medikal: strictly not for doctors, future doctors or any medical personnel....

Baby!

2008-10-07T21:53:00.005+08:00

Congratulations Tino on your newborn baby!

Mesti cute mcm mummy dia kan..

Insya-Allah Ee dtg jumpe end of this week...

Susceptibility to Mosquito Bites

2008-10-05T23:45:00.006+08:00

We had a family gathering today and the topic of mosquitos came up. One of my cousins got bitten recently and developed a more severe reaction than expected. She and her niece were the only ones who got bitten by mosquitos at her house and the other family members were spared.

I have always wondered why mosquitos bite some people more than others...

This was what I found out from multiple websites over the net..I managed to get most of my questions answered.

1. Has any research being done?
Yes. Scientists are still investigating the complexities involved. Many of the mosquito's physiological demands are poorly understood and many of the processes they use to evaluate potential blood meal hosts remain a mystery.

Recent research has been undertaken to narrow down the smells that are attractive and repellent to mosquitoes. The research was at first described as similar to looking for a needle in a haystack, but scientists have since managed to track down and identify around 30 chemical compounds out of 300 that can protect people.---> The basis of mosquito repellents.

This is what they use to do study the body odours of people who repel mosquitos...Cool eh? It's called a foil sleeping bag.

2. What/Who are they attracted to?
Female mosquitoes use the CO2 we exhale as their primary cue to our location.

3. Are they attracted to any smells?
Mosquitoes are attracted to the smells of certain people. If a person is rarely bitten, then his or her body gives off a smell that masks the scent that attracts mosquitoes.

Fragrances from hair sprays, perfumes, deodorants, and soap can cover these chemical cues.

4. What about the colour of clothing that we wear?
Dark colors capture heat and make most people more attractive to mosquitoes. Light colors refract heat and are generally less attractive. Detergents, fabric softeners, perfumes, and body odor can counteract the effects of color.

5. Since they are blood-suckers, are menstruating women at risk?
Women around the time of thier menstrual period are said to get bitten by mosquitos more than other women.

6. Any particular food that we should avoid in order to prevent ourselves from getting bitten?
People say that mosquitos are attracted to bananas. I couldn't find any literature to support this..Some believe that we should prevent from making our blood 'sweet', so we need to take something that smells terrible like garlic....i don't think this is true!

5. Other interesting facts?
They are drawn to lactic acid in sweat. So mandi!

They are also attracted to people with Group O positive blood. (Based on a research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology)

Mosquitoes prefer warm body parts to cold ones.

Hope u all find this useful!

Reference:
1. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080716222338AA6MKys
2. Mosquitoes' Tricks Still Exceed Remedies, The New York Times

3. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=32414 (This one's very informative)

Day 1 of Raya

2008-10-03T13:03:00.003+08:00

D1 of Raya: Kota Bharu.

I was woken up that morning at about 0630H, by my dad who urged me to perform the Subuh prayers. I then went to the kitchen to help out my aunties to prepare breakfast for everybody. Everything had to be self-service, as this time there were no maids around to help to set the table, preparing drinks and washing up the dishes. Well, nothing new for our family as we've been surviving at our home in Shah Alam without a maid for the past one week.

After breakfast, I realised that I forgot to bring an extra baju kurung for the Raya prayers! And so I asked one of my aunties whether I'd be ok if I wear a caftan for prayers. She gave a me a look as though I proposed something really stupid, and she suggested that I just wear the telekung on top of the caftan from home. Then it hit me, I didn't bring an extra telekung too! (U see, I've been using my sister's telekung throughout my stay in KB)

Bad shape..I then called my cousin Iz whether I could borrow his mum's telekung, and whether he could send it over to our house which was just 3 minutes away. Iz was still asleep when I called...(Ape ni, Iz? dah pukul 730 pon blom bangun lagi?) To proof that he was still in a daze, he asked me back in his sleepy voice, ' Nak pinjam telekung? Untuk ape? ' Ler...nak buat semayang la, takkan nak buat tido kot. Ape la.

To cut a long story short, I performed the raya prayers and visited my grandma's grave in a caftan..No choice, what to do.

Moral of the story: Even if you want to travel light, please bring all the necessities. Siapa jugak yang malu nanti.

Today..

2008-09-21T23:42:00.002+08:00

Today, I...

1. Came to work not knowing what to expect.

2. Suffered from dysmenorrhea, till I had to take Ponstan to relieve the pain.

3. Dad, my brother and sister made a surprise visit to Banting. They brought along a dining table and a new shelf for my tv. Luckily I managed to spare some time today to show around my apartment to them.

4. Performed a vacuum delivery successfully.

5. Looking forward to 1pm tomorrow..to go home and Zzzz...

Ramadhan

2008-09-20T12:43:00.002+08:00

It's almost towards the end of Ramadhan and I haven't blogged about it yet..

In Banting, my usual routine would be going to work and later would drop by at the Bazaar Ramadhan in Kanchong to buy some food for buka puasa. As I walk along to choose what food to buy, one person will always bound to smile and point at me. Or, someone among the food vendors would say, 'Doktor, mari la beli'. That would be my cue to smile. It had to be one of my patients. Just to have play along ...:)

It's sad to break fast alone in my apartment everynight. After dinner, I would quickly take a shower and drive to the Banting Mosque near Jugra. Just figured out the way to get there without going through the main road. Only takes me about 3 minutes everytime..

Meanwhile when I'm on-call, it's very inpredictable when and where I would break fast. One night I had to transfer a patient to HTAR at 6.30pm, and later had to buy a drink from the Hospimart to break fast in the ambulance on the way back to Banting. One another night, a patient had a difficult vaginal delivery at 7pm, which cause a very bad vaginal tear, which the nurses refused to repair. Hence, I quickly had a snack before straining my eyes to repair the tear, which took me about an hour..Haih, what a night.

And now at home, my maid just went back to Indonesia on Thursday as her daughter got involved in an accident. This means, washing our own clothes and preparing our own sahur and dinner..

10 more days to Hari Raya and hardly any preparations yet..Will be working the day before raya, flying to K.B. the night before raya, and flying back to Shah Alam on Hari Raya day itself..

Happy Ramadhan, everybody!

Singapore

2008-09-04T16:56:00.006+08:00

Selamat Berpuasa to all..

I haven't been around this past few days coz i was down in Singapore!

Took a flight down alone and stayed at a hotel on Orchard road. It was lonely initially got used to it the next day. Met up with a good of friend of mine, Sim, who did housemanship together with me at HTAR . Thanks for spending time with me, dear..

There was something that I saw, which I just can't it out from my head till now..

I was walking towards Ngee Ann City at about 9pm when I spotted this group of teens, with multiple body piercings here and there, wearing punk-like clothes, sitting on the floor by entrance of the shopping mall. I was silently saying to myself, 'Rosaknya budak2 Melayu di Singapore ni...' As I was walking back towards my hotel, that was about 9.30pm, the same group was still there. Worse still, they were laughing with each other with beer bottles on their hands. A lot of empty beer bottles strewn beside them as well. What a thing to see on Ramadhan.

Besides that horrible scene that I saw, I thoroughly enjoyed myself in Singapore. So did I shop much? Nah. Not really. Just bought the usual, like clothes, accessories, shoes and a bottle of perfume. As for tomorrow, am off to work..

Selamat Berbuka!

Happy 51st Birthday, Malaysia!

2008-08-31T00:42:00.002+08:00

I have been driving around Shah Alam quite often this past one week, and much to my disappointment, people did not seem to be so patriotic for the upcoming merdeka this year. I only spotted one kancil with a flag on its front mirror. It's sad, but I can't say much coz even I didn't put any flag on my car..I don't want to spoil my dad's car ok! :)

I was on the road during the countdown to merdeka today and managed to watch the fireworks which was set from the Dataran Shah Alam from far. It was a very short one. Probably lasted for 3 minutes. Sad la.

I guess people are not really in the mood this year coz the Merdeka holiday coincides with the first day of fasting month. People are rushing to go back to their hometowns to spend their first day of Ramadhan with their love ones. Well, it's just a theory.

Anyway, Happy Merdeka to all!

Happy or ?manic baby

2008-08-28T09:27:00.003+08:00

I was just surfing the net aimlessly yesterday when my sister recommended me to watch this video.

And so I typed 'Hahaha' on the search panel of Youtube. What sort of video title is that??

Anyway, I just couldn't believe it when I saw the video. It had over 59 MILLION views!!?? Wow.

Check it out. Hope it'll cheer up a lot of people out there, especially the ones who are expecting a baby anytime soon...:)

Alia's Wedding

2008-08-27T01:03:00.005+08:00

This is rather overdue...

I was invited to Alia's wedding reception-which was on the 020808, but was on-call on that day..Hence, I took the extra effort to drive down from Banting that Friday night,the day before the reception, i.e.010808 to attend her akad nikah at her new home..You see, it was important for me to attend her wedding as we were close when we were in Form 2..

Anyway, the solemnization ceremony was lovely..Alia appeared so calm and cool, while I was having butterflies in my stomach..Funny...

It was nice seeing her happily married to her first and only boyfriend..How lucky can one get?

The one and only photo of me and the bride..
After this photo was snapped, my camera was automatically switched off. No batteries!

I wish the both of them the best of happiness..

My Mirror

Gemersik Kalbu

Blogger app

Happy Birthday, Kujah!

Aniq teaching Adib the alphabet

Bortherly love-part 2

Brotherly love

New Fridge

Counting the days..

Comeback

New toy

MVA at NKVE

Stets from US

PD Trip

Aniq's first word

Smooch!

Aniq Sipping Green Apple Kasturi

V - Day

Aniq's first debut

House Rules

;(

Goodbye, Ashburn..

1/1/11

HSB Book of Records

from yahoomail to blogspot

Hello MacBook

Sad but grateful

Latest developmental milestones

Weaning

Happy Birthday, Japa!

Goodbye Ramadhan, Hello Aidilfitri

Yes!

Pink notebook

Day with Aniq

Developmental milestones

EBM

Sing-along with a baby

Jalan-Jalan @ Laman Seri

Baby fat

Dadih

From breastfeeding to bottle feeding

The 'little' addition to our family

*Kick*

Pregnancy Dilemma

3D

Almost there..

A battle with myself

The Vanishing Twin

Battling the 1st trimester

Mr Belkin54g, pls dont off your modem!

The Secret

Finally!

I'm on You Tube!

A short Hi from me

My Firsts

*Jumping Up and Down*

First official wedding photos

From the heart of a bride

Another 3 days to go..

More updates

Predictions

Surfing for wedding themes..

First few days

Hello Sg Buloh..

So long, farewell..

*Yawn*

Hello 2009!

From Metro to Maskulin

My Christmas PresentS

New Year, New Beginning

To-Do List

Yes!

My almost abandoned quest

What I do when I'm on-call

Mental Hospital Phone Menu

Omar's Home!

Hari Raya Aidiladha

Another 16 days to go..

From 'Insect' to Ridsect

HeadACHE

Kick

Jumping Up and Down

Yawn