Photo-In-Motion

2010-08-14T00:50:00.002+08:00

"Sour grapes may turn into sweet ice wine,
if we wait long enough,
just for it to become frozen on the vine."

Reflection of Time

2010-05-12T01:30:00.010+08:00

Moving out for the first time is not easy. It is not only physically and mentally stressful, but also emotionally draining. No matter how eager you are to move to a new place, no matter how excited you are to stay in a brand new house, there is somehow something about the old home that you are going to miss.

So, 2010 is the first year my family is moving out to a new home. I am definitely going to miss our old house in the town. That is the place where i grew up in a huge extended family. That is the home which all of us siblings knew from birth. That is also the hub where relatives from far and near gather during homecoming.

The town house of ours has witnessed a succession of occupants in the family since generations ago. It is indeed a reflection of time. I am flying off to the States tomorrow and when i return home by next month, I will be stepping into a new house altogether. I know I will swell with a bundle emotions at that time - missing the old home in the midst of adjusting to the new one. But time changes. The old house has been our childhood home where all cousins gather and play, but who knows - 50 years down the road, the new house will become our grandchildren's get-together place.

2010-04-13T22:09:00.004+08:00

"Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream..."

Rodgers and Hammerstein

To believe

2010-03-27T15:06:00.009+08:00

"When I'm able to walk on my own two feet again, when I'm able to manouver the steering wheel one fine day, I will come to see you on my own, doctor. I promise..."

Those were the most uplifting words I have heard since many months ago. So restorative they are, they also heal the heart of a listener like me. Those were the words which upraise my tainted heart after encountering so many lifeless souls and disheartened spirits at the medical house.

Indeed, there is no one else better to believe in, except for you yourself.

I hope, he will be able to make it one day, to walk on his own two feet again without aids, to drive a car and meet his doctor and proudly say "I've made it".

2009-11-16T20:09:00.004+08:00

"... I get lost in the beauty
Of everything I see
The world ain't as half as bad
As they paint it to be..."

I decided to leave work at 5 sharp the other day, put on my trainers and went for a jog. After running a couple of rounds, i explored this little quaint town a bit with my camera and car, and I saw this little lake just off the main road. As I pulled up by the sandy bay, I saw an old couple fishing at the lake, with birds flying above them, and a soft breeze blowing against them - they were both wearing a peaceful look on their faces - such a tranquil moment for them, I thought.

And today is exactly one solid month since i left home to this new place. Senior staffs have been very warm and nice, and I noticed that the people here are generally cordial. The best thing is that, patients here seem to be friendlier and happier-looking too, and this gives a sense of satisfaction at the end of any tiring day.

Indeed, to adjust to a new place quickly, I realise that it's so much easier if we look at the positive side of things. For a big hospital in a relatively small town like this, I'm sure I'm here for a reason. And i'm starting to see the rationale of it.

I'll go back to that lake one day again. Just to chill and to watch the sunset, maybe.

I always enjoy train rides.

2009-11-15T20:15:00.005+08:00

Watching the sunset on the west, followed by a light shower of rain thereafter - it was all so refreshing. I always love train rides, for they provide me a certain kind of mood, a feeling of serenity. As the train whizzes through the lush greeneries of the country, I cant help but to admire how well the scenery complements the beauty of Mother Nature. And today, especially after a great weekend, I gained new insight about living this life of mine, walking this path laid ahead of me.

Even though I was all alone, I knew I was never quite lonely. And that makes any ride, so pleasant and sweet.

From little things... that made up a year.

2009-10-18T13:51:00.002+08:00

Now at the end of the first working year, life has to take a turn again.

More than a year ago, each of us started off as a total pharmacist-newbie - I didn't even know what Vasteral is (this drug never existed in my university textbooks!) A real noob I really was, for I used to wonder how seniors took only 5 seconds to screen a prescription, while i needed 5 minutes to screen one!

Today, after seeing thousands of faces, after talking to thousands of patients, after rotating between a dozen of departments, after learning about hundreds of medications and diseases, I believe we are now a different person each.

And, just when we all almost felt like we have known each other for a lifetime, we just have to step out of our comfort zone. But a year of memory is what we would truly cherish at the end of the day. We have travelled to the highlands together, we have made numerous 'makan' trips together and we have played endless games together. To me, preregistration training was not just about being able to complete the competencies targets expected of us, but it's also about working together as a team, building rapport with other healthcare professionals as well as with the patients, and most importantly - treasure the friendships which you have made throughout the one year.

Senior pharmacists and senior staffs in the hospital have been really warm to us, so we thank you for that.

With that, to all my dear ex-PRPs colleagues, i truly wish you all the best of luck!!! We shall all now look forward to a new working environment!

I want to be swept off my feet again

2009-09-22T13:04:00.009+08:00

One fine day, i would want to watch this show live again. To experience the visual and musical effect in the Majesty Theatre of London, to be wowed by the grand stair case for Masquerade, to be awed by the cinematic feel of the entire stage musical.

One day, the time will come. It's a love for which I have held on so strongly, and i still ain't over it yet.

Marvels of Mechanical Music

2009-09-07T18:01:00.012+08:00

I always have a soft spot for music boxes. In fact, a mechanical music box is one of my favourite things - one which does not run on battery, made of metal pieces and purely mechanical. It is such an ingenious tiny article, the creation of mechanical wonders, converting the energy into beautiful sounds of music.

The most fascinating part of the gadget is perhaps the metal cylinder with lots of tiny tangible dots, akin to the Braille. When the cylinder is rotated, each studded dot comes around and lifts up the metal tooth on the comb. And as it leaves, the metal tooth will snap back, and this delivers a precise note of music.

This is the simplest, and perhaps also the earliest form of mechanical music, dated way back before the creation of the more sophisticated organ or piano. It doesnt take a musical maestro to make this musical box work. All you need to do is just turn around the lever, at your own tempo. You are your own musician - wind it fast and the music plays on an allegreto mood, or go slow to create an adagio piece!

Playing and listening to these mechanical music makes me think about places like Salzburg and Cologne. These are the land of music, the historical places of world's greatest composers like Mozart and Beethoven. Music has been something which i grew up with, and it takes passion to keep it glowing.

In short, I feel that these mechanical music boxes are so magical that when one listens to it, he or she is in fact listening to the history in the form of music, experiencing the wonders of inventions of man. It is a dream of mine to have a collection of these music boxes from all over the world; though I have only a couple of them right now, I treasure each and every one which I already have. :)

When September Ends

2009-09-03T22:35:00.006+08:00

Summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends...

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are...

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends...

ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began
wake me up when September ends...

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are...

Summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends...

"Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day

The Sun is Smiling

2009-08-27T00:47:00.006+08:00

Of the many departments in the hospital, I always thought that maternity ward is the happiest place to be in. Over the visiting hours, you will see a vast of smiling faces. And these are usually the new parents or grandparents, or even close family friends. Every pair of eyes would be admiring their new little angels, all cocooned up in little blankets to keep them warm.

But, I also learnt that the happiest ward might also be a sad place for some.

It was on a sunny afternoon when the ward nurse handed me a prescription for a young Indian lady. The doctor had endorsed only a list of medications for the mother, and none for the baby. In the midst of the chatters and laughters of other happy parents in the ward, I spotted the Indian lady whose prescription was in my hand. She was sitting alone on a bench, facing the small garden in between the wards. I approached her, wanting her to acknowledge my presence, but at the same time, fearing that i might be disturbing her from her deep thoughts.

She seemed upset while looking at the bag of medications in my hands. I said no words as I sat down next to her. As though talking to a complete stranger, she shared a few words, "She's my second baby, and like the first one, she did not survive immediately after birth."

My heart cried out for her when i listened to her. The tired eyes, the weary mood, the wrinkled face - all of which showed me how hard it was to be a mother and to conceive a baby.

As I was still lost for words, she continued, "But you know, my dear, life has to go on. My babies have just gone to heaven early. And, I'm now seeing the sun smiling anew. Have you noticed it today?"

I didn't answer her. For I was dumbfounded and amazed by her spirit. She was only 32, not much older than I am; but much wiser, much mellower, much stronger in faith.

I dispensed the medications to her, still overwhelmed by what she has just said. Her words echoed in my inner ear - "...I'm now seeing the sun smiling anew..."

She thanked me with a wide smile, and as I left the bench, I finally told her, "Yes I have seen the sun smiling. I have seen it in your smile. I should thank you for that."

I came home that day, with one message sent across my mind - at any moment of life when all we see is just darkness, start searching for the light. It is there, it's just how we perceive it. Let it shine unto us. Let it show us the way, so that we will not feel at lost.

To my best friend who is in grief now for the passing of her loved one, please stay strong, for the sun is always there, smiling at you.

May It Be

2009-08-21T22:29:00.001+08:00

...Mornie utulie,
Believe and you will find your way.
Mornie alantie,
A promise lives within you now...

My so-called hometown Barista

2009-08-16T23:11:00.003+08:00

Each time i frequent this particular eating place, the owner never fails to fascinate me with the way he prepares and mixes the drinks for all his customers. He makes coffee, tea and other non-alcoholic beverages, but my favourite is always his hot milo (Malaysian's favourite chocolate malt drink) - with less sugar added.

But seriously, the sight of him working diligently at his kitchen worktop is so assuring that you know you are going to be served with the best drink which you have ordered. The clatters between the stainless-steel teaspoon and the old porcelain cups is so zestful that you know that guy is stirring your drink with much effort. He spares all his concentration and spends a lot of time preparing each cup of drink, plus he makes sure that he stirs each one for at least 10 to 15 seconds. The best reward is that when you take the first sip of your hot coffee, it wouldnt be over piping hot that it burns your tongue; in fact it would just be at a perfect temperature after much stirring, with a whiff of the coffee sending aroma to your senses.

Simply put, I think that man is my favourite Barista in my hometown, and he's best caught in action when one of his hand is holding the ear of the small porcelain cup, and another hand fastened to a stirrer while moving back and forth until the drink in front of him froths up a little.

And by the way, he doesn't work in an airconditioned cafe, nor does he work in the Starbucks. He works under the roof of the oldest market in our country, in the heart of my little hometown. Yes, it's Siang Malam of Taiping I'm talking about.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

2009-08-11T00:41:00.002+08:00

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Robert Frost (1875-1963)

the Centipede and the Earthworm

2009-08-09T02:11:00.004+08:00

Just a night ago,
when i sat next to you at bedtime,
you were reading out aloud,
the story of the Centipede and the Earthworm.

I cant help but to smile to myself,
at the sight of you, hanging on so well.

And today,
when you read aloud to those kids,
the story of the Centipede and the Earthworm,
I cant help but to be so proud of you,
And told myself,
with God's grace,
you will take every single challenge,
with complete calmness and wisdom.

Be strong, and come what may, I will always be there for you, my dear friend and sister.

Seascape Escape

2009-07-19T23:45:00.001+08:00

Beaches are not what she usually fancies, for she is more a mountain, woods and landscape kind of person. But on that day, the seascape was so spectacular that it took her breath away. Stunning rock formations illustrated the backdrop of the view. Pristine sandy beaches stretched down as far as the eyes could see. Old wooden boats lined the shore. The whole place was sun-drenched, the sky was illustrated with fluffy clouds, the water was sparkling blue. Well, there’s just something about the Andaman water, she thought.

A few locals were at work, a couple of tourists were lazing in the sun, a group of kids were frolicking in the water...

For a moment, all her worries were swept away by the waves. All the uncertainties and the frustrations of life were drowned within the wide open sea. The whole place seemed to vibrate with a positive energy, and she prayed silently, for a quick recovery of her loved one.

A mile in a while with a smile.

2009-06-23T00:30:00.004+08:00

I'm moving on, but i need to move on another mile,
I'm going slowly, but i know it would take a while,
I'm looking ahead, but one day, i'll look back and smile.

Money and Emotions

2009-06-20T15:05:00.006+08:00

It was at the MMI (Millionaire Mind Intensive) seminar by T. Harv Eker, when I was challenged to recall a specific incident from the deepest of my memory - the task was to write down the most intense emotional incident from the past concerning money.

I hesitated many times before i finally decided to post this entry today. After all, I have found my courage to share it with more than 3,000 strangers in that seminar, so I asked myself - why not here?

* * *

"The incident which I am gonna share with everyone here, is merely my own resentment to the circumstances in which I felt very helpless regarding money. Well, what happened was, when i was a student in the UK, i had a dream - a dream to fly my parents to Europe upon my graduation. I had some savings, but they were not abundant. I did several things to save more - I worked at the football stadiums, i sold hotdogs at concert, I worked for my university, I saved up much of my allowances from my study sponsor - every measure was to save every penny for my parents' trip. Well, the amount I saved was not enormous, but they were eventually sufficient for me to plan a good 3-week Europe trip with the both of them. Of course, it would not be luxurious - a trip which would involve a lot of walking, staying in budget hotels, taking tubes and buses and flying via budget airlines. Despite it being low-cost, I was really anticipating for a good trip together. And then, I later learnt an unexpected truth - on the day of my parents' arrival in Europe, I found out what I didn't know earlier on. My dad was actually diagnosed with osteoarthritis when I was away from home... Of course, it hit me immediately that my dad would not be able to enjoy the europe trip as planned for them. How was I suppose to ask my dad to walk around London for 3 consecutive days? How was I suppose to ask him to stay in a budget hotel in Paris, with no escalators? How was I suppose to ask him to climb flights and flights of stairs at the tube stations? Well, at that moment of time, there was only one thing I could wish for. I wished I had more than enough money - enough to hire limousines and chauffeur my parents around the cities of London and Paris . To put them on a comfortable cruise at one of the most beautiful lakes in Scotland. To fly them to Switzerland on a personal jet, overlooking the Alps. When i threw myself back to reality, I just cant help but to feel helpless at that moment. They were all merely a dream."

* * *

No doubt, my parents had a good time altogether. I'm thankful to have great siblings and relatives. Not to mention, i had also a strong support from my last relationship - wc was a great pillar in that particular phase of my life.

I attended the seminar last weekend, only to find out that, money was important after all. The subject of money used to be something which I always try to avoid, but right now, it occured to me that, to be financially free is really a great bonus of life.

I used to think that money won't buy happiness, but I think my perception has changed somehow. As how a close friend once said, it's how we make use of the money we have. With money, we can do many things which used to be impossible without; for the sake of love, for the sake of a happier life. It's Dad's day tomorrow, Happy Father's Day.

Is your diet well 'supplemented'?

2009-06-08T00:42:00.005+08:00

Recently, I ran into a friend's mother at the lake gardens when she suddenly asked me, "I'm thinking of some fish oil supplements for my health. Do you think they're beneficial? What's the best brand out there?"

Well, it took me a few 'hmm's, a couple of 'er's (and perhaps a whole lot more of interjections), before i could really give her an answer!

Boy, how uninformed am I about supplements!? Seriously, i should be knowing all these (or so i thought!) - but it occurred to me, I'm really not the type of person who goes for dietary supplements!

If you let me have a choice between
1) FISH OIL CAPSULES & A SLICE OF SALMON, i would prefer the latter!
-or-
2) A BOTTLE OF VITAMIN C & A BASKET OF ORANGES, I would also grab the latter (undoubtedly!)

Yes, even if it means that i would have to go through the hassle of cooking/grilling the salmon, or peeling all of the oranges!!!

Perhaps i just have this obssesive preoccupation about feeding those pills/capsules/formulated products into our digestive tract. Perhaps I just never always have a good perception about taking pills when we are all healthy, or when we have access to a variety of healthy foods around.

Thinking over it again, maybe I should really start learning up more about dietary supplements. I believe they will not do more bad than good, as long as we go in moderation in those stuff.

To start with, should i experiment myself with some fish oil capsules? These (see picture) are complimentary gift which my senior got from a sales representative, and she was nice enough to share them with her junior pharmacists!

And lastly, my stand on dietary supplements:- Yes, they should not be harmful if they are approved and heavily tested for its safety. But the key again should be:- moderation. It's no point spending a huge sum of money on all these stuff. Stick to a healthy diet, eat good foods, and get ample exercises. That should really suffice to lead a healthy living.

My thoughts were so loud

2009-05-30T16:54:00.007+08:00

The sun was shining with pride, its rays were piercing the cloud;
Her mind was floating to hide, its thoughts were talking aloud.

She lied down on the grass. On her favourite spot. She looked up the sky, everything seemed so peaceful. The leaves were waving in the wind, the air was warm and the breeze was soft.

Nearby, sounds of children's laughter filled the air - gleeful yet, mischievous. Sounds of innocence. Sounds of ignorance.

She's got no commitment, she's as free as the birds. Her thoughts were so loud, that it's becoming a dream. A dream which will keep her goals in focus.

When the world's so large, she knew, she will not stop searching.

"Ice-age heat wave, can't complain
If the world's at large, why should I remain?
Walked away to another plan
Going to find another place, maybe one I can stand
I move on to another day
To a whole new town with a whole new way
Went to the porch to have a thought...

I know that starting over is not what life's about
But my thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth
My thoughts were so loud I couldn't hear my mouth
My thoughts were so loud."

-The World At Large by Modest Mouse

At the least expected time, in the least expected way

2009-05-21T00:10:00.006+08:00

I felt a cold silence. She didn't utter a word at first. But i was determined to break the ice, however thick it was.

She was one typical Chinese lady whom my senior pharmacist had counselled previously. I was told that the patient spoke very little Malay and English, and it was difficult to make her understand certain things. She just showed a lack of interest, perhaps it was plainly her indifferent attitude.

The vexing point was that - she had been tested HIV-positive, and the HIV team in the hospital thought that she would need to be started on HAART medications to prolong her survival. But of course, the team can't force her to start on these medications unless she was willing to participate.

HAART. It is the "Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy". The phrase itself is a big jargon for most patients. In fact, this class of drugs is not like any other drugs you see in a pharmacy:- They are nothing like the normal oral antibiotics which you take for a week, and your infection resolves. They are nothing like the antihypertensives regimen, whereby you can skip a dose or two, and your blood pressure will still be okay. They are nothing like the over-the-counter Panadol, which you can just pop it into your mouth anytime you have a headache.

It is a combination of potent antiviral drugs to combat HIV infection. With HAART, it's completely a different challenge for the patient. One would be bound to the medications for a long time, perhaps a life time. He or she can't afford to miss many doses, otherwise the treatment would be deemed useless. Also, the patient must take the dose diligently at a fixed same time everyday. A dose fixed at 8am means it has to be consumed at 8am - no compromise. Not 7.30am, not even 8.30am. Adherence rate should ideally be near perfect, if not perfect. In simpler terms, out of 100 days, the patient can perhaps afford to miss a dose or two? This is to reduce the emergence of HIV strains which are resistant to treatment.

And, how was I suppose to tell all these to a 50-year old Chinese lady, everything in layman's term, in a language which she would comprehend? How do i make her understand that she would need the HAART therapy now? My senior stood aside and allowed me to carry out a conversation with the patient. It would be a very sensitive thing to talk about, but I just want to help this particular patient as much as I can.

Of course, her initial expression spoke of "Why do you people in the whitecoats, never stop bombarding me?". But after a while, she started to speak more and more. She started to open up. She told almost everything, how devastating it was when she was newly diagnosed. She refused to tell me how she got it, but i respected that. She had a daughter who knew about her condition, but she kept her status a secret from her other family members and friends. She had very limited educational background, and she found it very difficult to understand her condition. To accept the stark truth is already a nightmare, and now she was forced to learn to understand the whole thing.

Between her lines of words, it was the pair of eyes, the hopeful eyes in her, which told me an even more important thing - that she still loved herself very much. I held her hands in mine, and I told her, I was going to make her understand everything on that day itself, no matter how much time it would take.

I told her what HIV infection was all about. How it got into her body. How it was affecting her immune system cells. And I thought "immune system" would be too big a word for her, so i told her it is equivalent to our "body army". And why she needed the HAART medication as soon as possible to kill the virus, and to strengthen up her body army. It's like a war game. she needed the shield. the drug. to suppress and to combat the enemies. And she had no time to waste - the longer she chose to procrastinate, the weaker her army would become. the stronger her enemies in the body would be.

I paused. She looked overwhelmed, muttering some words. I could sense there was still something bothering her. I allowed a moment of silence, after which she finally asked,

"How much do I have to pay for all the medications?"

Looking straight into her eyes, i told her i have both, good and bad, news for her, "The bad news is that, the medications are going to be very expensive, depending on which type, some may be RM500/monthly, while others up to RM1000/monthly. But here's the good news, you'll be subsidised, as long as you promise to be compliant to your medications."

Little did she know that this is one of the most rewarding news i've ever broken to anyone else in my entire life. Her whole face lighted up with a faint smile. i could sense that half the burden on her shoulders were off down to the ground now.

Before I left, i quietly whispered to her, "Over here, we are all open to help you, but you would have to help yourself first". She nodded in agreement, and I felt a soft squeeze in her hand with a smile on her face. She was more a friend to me now than a patient. She was no longer the hostile-looking grumpy lady just a moment ago.

* * *

What we didnt know too was, at that time when i spoke to her, death was already very near her. Nobody knew, for she was still looking fine. Later on, she had a few other conditions which crept in. She was readmitted again, and this time she didnt make it through the first night of hospitalisation. When my senior broke the news to me over the phone, i just hanged up, biting my lips. I decided to trace her admission record from the office just to find out what happened just before death.

I learnt, sometimes things happen at the least expected time, in the least expected way. We just have to appreciate what we have today.

The Piazza

2009-05-15T04:15:00.009+08:00

Today, I watched Angels & Demons.

And, I was bowled over by the extent to which the movie-makers go in filming a fiction novel, covering so many places of Rome in the entire 2-hour show. Of all, I think I love the view of St Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) the best.

I believe one of the best views of the piazza is from the dome of St Peter's Church - A height of about 140 metres should promise you a good view of the entire piazza, and even most parts ot the Vatican City. To get that view, you would first need to climb many flights of stairs before you can reach the cupola - the top of the dome.

* * *

I still remember how spontaneously we decided to make our way up to the dome. Even if it meant we had to climb a seemingly endless flights of steps. even if we had to squeeze through the narrow passageways. I didn't know if I would ever develop claustrophobia, but what i strongly knew was - I wanted to see St Peter's Square from the dome of the church.

The walls along the steps were tilted that sometimes I had to bend my body and walk on a slant with each step I made. The walls actually tilt in such a way that the dome was built. The steps felt ancient and old - some were uneven with many tiny holes. some were shiny, smoothened by the feet of throngs of climbers.

When we finally got to the top, I found myself walking around near the ceiling of the dome. I walked many rounds repeatedly, and it was nice to learn to appreciate Michelangelo's art, as depicted on the mosaic murals on the ceiling.

But the best part at the cupola was to walk out to the outside of the dome, as my eyes marvelled at the world's famous St Peter's Square, for it was simply phenomenal. The Bernini's baroque design, the centre obelisk, the standing statues, the surrounding pillars and the curvy arches. They were all majestic, a great place for congregations of a huge number of people.

This is one picture which i would always keep - the facade of the world's largest church - a view which i would not possibly forget.

* * *

I've not read the novel, so I have nothing much to comment about the story plot in the film. But there are definitely several things which caught me by surprise - I did not know that a secret underground passageway connecting the Castle San Angelo and the Vatican City actually exists! Well, it would be something interesting if it really does! And, it's amusing to see the Swiss Guards playing around with guns and all - i thought they would look better off with flamberges instead!

Well, if you ask me to watch the film again, i wouldnt say no!

A different taste of work

2009-05-10T02:55:00.002+08:00

There's just something different about the department I am working in now. It is the Hospital Procurement Unit (it is also glamourously called the "Store" since we keep many many things there!). It's the unit whereby we procure and supply items for all the departments in the hospital - everything, from drugs to non-drug items.

It's nothing like the Clinical ward Pharmacy, the Outpatient Dispensary/pharmacy, the Inpatient ward supply, the TDM or TPN departments. It is a separate entity altogether, another community physically away from the other departments in the hospital.

The contradicting thing about this department is that:

1. Here, we meet no patients, but we meet a lot of sales representatives from various drug companies.

2. Also, we receive no prescriptions, but we receive a lot of letters and documents, all legal and official.

3. Not to mention, we receive no phone calls asking for "Hey, what's the dose of Chlorpromazine for intractable hiccups?", but we get phone calls asking for "Hey, what's the stock level of Chlorpromazine in our Store?"

4. And, we do not count medications by the number of pills, but we count them by the number of boxes in which they are contained!!

The first impression i got from colleagues about working in Store were - lots of paper work. lots of letters and faxes. lots of recording, lots of red-tape. lots of stock-counting. everything that is to describe the department with one single adjective - mundane.

Well, i must admit that during the first week, i was all bored to the bones. Whenever seniors from other departments need a relief and they asked me for the favour, i would happily do so. But now it's coming to the fourth week of my posting in the Store, and i think i am starting to see the beauty of working in this department. It has some fine touch of experience which i would not possibly get elsewhere.

I observed and learnt how my senior pharmacists deal with the influx of sales representatives (yes, these sales reps come to us, armed with high persuasion skills, so that we purchase their products!). Also i learnt from my seniors, how to estimate the monthly usage of drugs - eg how quickly does our hospital use up Unasyn injections? We have many drug and non-drugs items (perhaps hundreds or even thousands of them), and it is really sometimes a very difficult, nevertheless important, task to monitor the item movement. I learn how to deal with expired or almost expired products, especially if there is a big bulk of them! We try our very best, to minimise loss. After all, it's the tax-payers' money alright.

Also, I learn about how expensive certain drugs are? I heard there is one type of vaccine which may cost up to half the price of a MyVi!? Of course it's not available in our hospital right now. And, how difficult to procure some other rare drugs? Sometimes we have to go through a whole lot of procedures just to get one particular type of drug for one particular patient.

To me, this department is metaphorically equivallent to the 'backbone' for all other departments in the entire hospital. If say Store was to become non-functional, there will be no drugs (and non-drug items) for the wards, operating theatres, and clinics! That means every other departments will not be able to function as well, yea?

I think i'm going to miss my time there. I had good time with my colleague, my seniors, other employees in the office. Even the cleaner and the guard are very nice people - they always smile at me early in the morning!

Now, why did I even think of applying leave this Monday even though I am just going to stay home and rot?

It's Green!!!

2009-05-03T12:37:00.005+08:00

Throughout the two weeks of our first ever trip away from homeland, i remembered that i never stopped commenting on his green Converse. I kept irritating him that it's an ugly green and he, indeed, has a bad taste!

So much of a sister! Well, we grew up fighting after all! Of all the children, he and I have the nearest age gaps - 2 years apart is close enough to make us share innumerable things together - from childish fights, to intellectual, and even emotional exchange.

But today, as i browsed through the picture albums again, i thought to myself, they are not too bad-looking actually! Hehe. I hope this remark about your favourite shoes is a good birthday gift for you this year!

(Yet, i think my beaded flip-flops are still nicer HAHA, but Happy birthday anyway!)

Dear you,

2009-05-02T23:31:00.004+08:00

You have my blessing...

And I am taking a turn.

Life would be made easier

2009-05-02T00:23:00.003+08:00

If i choose to be happy. :)

The Climb

2009-05-01T00:53:00.003+08:00

It's the words in the lyrics which spoke to my soul. So refreshing to listen to it again, and this time with the radio blasting from the speakers in the car. The song's my silent reminder.

The Climb

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes they knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
The pain I'm knowing
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on,

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

Minesweeper

2009-04-26T06:04:00.006+08:00

Everyone probably knows what the Minesweeper game is, but how many would really find it an interesting game to play? or rather, how many would even bother opening that application which is ubiquitously found in most Windows OS?

It is such a simple game that it doesnt require a speedy graphic video card, nor a boost in the audio system. It doesnt demand an incredibly high RAM, nor does it occupy even a gig of your space! It's so modest a game, that you prolly need only a good working mouse to play it, and a wee bit of common sense, of course!

To me, it is not just a game that is located in the Start --> All Programs --> Games. In fact, it is another of my favourite childhood games which can get me addicted to the PC for hours long. Even though the presentation of the game is plain and non-decorative, I actually find it a mind-boggling puzzle game!

The rule of thumb in this game? Very simple - the number in a square tells you how many mines there are adjacent to that square. We have to use some Mathematics to play it. I still remember how teachers in Convent taught us the "P if and only if Q" and the "Kebarangkalian" concepts, and that was how i found my love in this simple game. So, it is actually the 'Probability and Logic' game - u get the idea!

Perhaps, finding pleasure in simple things is just my cup of tea. While other teens of my age might be frenzied over games like DOTA, RA, Warcraft and so forth, but i somehow turned myself into a Minesweeper addict when i was still in school.

I stopped playing the game for quite a while now, but after watching the trailer "Minesweeper, the Movie" (thanks, my dear chicken-back-side!), it really makes me recall how much i used to love it, playing again and again just to beat my own high score. It's okay if everyone thinks that it's an old-boring-classic game, but this so-called trailer is definitely bringing the game to live!

Now if i were to play Minesweeper again, i would imagine myself as a real minesweeper - wearing those gung-ho outfits, standing on those grids with mines underneath. Imagining myself planting the flags, anticipating explosions, and the whole shebang! How cool is that!?

My grandmother's wooden clogs

2009-04-18T16:24:00.007+08:00

I live in an old townhouse built during the colonial times. I live with my grandmother. I take pride in a lot of things which portray our local culture in this heritage-old house. That includes my grandmother's wooden clogs.

Sometimes, I love to roam around the house in her clogs when she's not around. I love the clattering sounds made by the clogs against the ground each time i make a step. I love the weight of the wooden-soled clogs as i lift my feet up everytime. I love the feel of the smoothened texture of the wood on my sole.

There was once when i quietly wore my grandmother's clogs again when she was watching tv upstairs. She came downstairs after her tv show, and she must have searched high and low for her clogs! The obnoxious part of me was not aware because my feet must have felt so comfortable in her pair. I really forgot the fact that i have deprived her of her clogs.

She didnt asked me for her clogs, instead she just let me continue wearing them. She discreetly took a new pair of clogs from her cupboard, and she started taking out a knife. I was shocked when i saw her using the knife, and i instantenously asked her "Ma, what are you doing!!??"

She replied, "Don't worry, just go ahead wearing the clogs.. I'll use these new clogs, but i need to resurface it first"..

though i didnt understand what she meant by resurfacing with a knife, but i really felt so sorry for her. She looked delicate (and she has shaking hands and weak osteoarthritic knees), i really felt so bad. in fact, I silently scolded myself for wearing her clogs. I went bare-footed, and i fitted her feet into the warm clogs from my feet. I reminded her not to use the knife anymore for any reason. I couldnt have forgiven myself if my grandmother really started using the knife in whatever way.

I think i should start getting myself a pair of wooden clogs and start wearing them. By the time i reach my grandmother's age (and if the clogs are still not worn out), they will be as smooth as that of my grandmother's! At that time, i can live to tell a tale to my grandchildren that my grandmother used the exact same kind of shoes once upon a time.

A gleam of hope

2009-04-13T22:08:00.008+08:00

-London's British Museum Nov '07-

Monday blues, and if that's what you are feeling right now, go to the mirror, and convince yourself that there is always a gleam of hope somewhere!

This is specially dedicated to a person so dear to me, i know she will soon be able to overcome all obstacles she has to face right now. i don't mean this as a post-secret kind of thing, but i well knew that she may not bump into this thing anytime now or soon.

Just my way of showing how much i love her.

Someone from high school

2009-04-12T23:57:00.007+08:00

I saw her once at the psychiatric clinic a few months ago. At that time, i was following my senior pharmacist to learn more about discharge dispensing for psychiatric outpatients.

I was about to introduce my name to her, thinking that she may not have remembered so many names from school. but I was surprised when she called me by my name - she even remembered my full name!! I wondered why she visited the psychiatric clinic, she told me that she was under follow-up at the clinic. Of course, I was caught by surprise again - I'm not sure if she was on any medication, but it seemed like she was.

It was just last week, when i bumped into her again at the medical ward. She was at the entrance of the building, and she seemed as though she was lost! I greeted her, and I asked where she was heading to. She was looking anxious and tensed, and she told me one of her relatives just got admitted to the ward, but she wasnt sure which ward was it. She wasnt even sure which floor of the entire building to go to!

I asked her for the relative's particulars, made a call or two, and finally we managed to trace the ward the relative was admitted to. I could see how her face lighted up immediately when she saw the familiar face of her relative in the ward. It was a refreshing scene, at least to me.

She was my Pendidikan Jasmani teacher back in high school. And she taught me only for one month. Thank you for remembering my full name, that shows to me how a teacher really cares for her students.

I hope and pray that her relative is getting well by now.

das Paar der Rosen

2009-04-11T23:10:00.018+08:00

Finely carved, they seem so rare,
On two lean stalks, they make a pair;
An exquisite beauty, they seem to bear,
With glistening silver, which makes them flare.
.

just another day, now.

2009-04-11T18:00:00.006+08:00

a second,
a minute,
an hour,
and then a day goes by.
It's 11th again today.

I can lie to the whole world,
but at the end of the day,
i cant do it to myself.

4 ways to kill a mood

2009-04-07T01:22:00.007+08:00

4 ways to kill a mood on a Monday (The Chinese believe the disastrous figure 4 anyway!):

a mid-week presentation (and another presentation 8 days later, also unprepared yet)

stepping into a puddle of water accidentally ( in my favourite shoes, sobs! )

to be splashed with unexpected murky water from the ceiling (not drops of it, but gallons!)

going to work on a Tuesday only to see a whole messy workplace (and having to clean them up)!

Period.

Splashing Monday!

2009-04-07T01:15:00.000+08:00

Splash splash splash
It came in a flash!
Haste haste haste
I've no time to waste!

from pill-free to half a dozen of medications

2009-04-04T22:09:00.009+08:00

I could sense that she was worried from her creased face. Her husband has just survived from an unexpected myocardial infarction, and that afternoon, in the pharmacy, she sat right in front of me to collect her husband's discharge medications.

The body of the prescription was penned with a long list of medications. When I started explaining to her each of the medications the husband is to take, the frail lady did try to digest, understand and remember everything. But I decided not to go on - I asked her if I could speak to the husband directly.

5 minutes later, the husband was escorted into the pharmacy. There were a few other in-patients waiting for their medications to be dispensed at the same time, but I didn't want to rush through the discharge counselling with this particular man.

I asked for his name, and led a casual conversation. I learnt that he's working in a farm, and he has previously no known health problems - he doesnt even know the taste of taking medications every day in his entire life.

Looking at the bag of medications on the table, it was pretty tough at first to explain to him that he has to be on those pills e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y from that day onwards. I had to make him understand the indication of each medication. I had to explain the dosage and administration. I had to make him aware of the possible side effects. And most importantly, I had to make him understand why he has to comply to all his medications.

For someone like me who even refused to take a pill when i have a headache, pain or a mild fever, I can easily understand how the man felt upon seeing those medications. To be bound to one medication is already a scare to some patients, what more to consume half a dozen of those coloured pills everyday after a course of hospitalisation.

It is really a daunting daily task, because for every pill that a patient is taking, it makes the person feels that he or she is aging 5 years older.

Pounding through the rapids!

2009-03-30T00:46:00.004+08:00

When someone speaks of white water rafting in Malaysia, the first place that comes to mind is usually Sungai Padas, Sabah. I was in Sabah somewhere 2005, but after the Mt KK adventure, my hiking group had no time (and energy, of course!) to try any other roving activities there. and at that moment, i thought it was a great miss for not trying the white water rafting along the beautiful popular Sg Padas.

2 years later, in 2007, I went on my first raft with a bunch of my girl friends at Sungai Kampar, Perak. Well, i must say that the adventure itself as a first timer was good, but i expected a better one!! perhaps because i have read so much about Sg Padas, and so the river rafting in Sg Kampar was considered mild after all (plus, it was dry season at the time we went). oh well, of course I had a great deal doing crazy fun things like this together with the bunch of girls!

And now in 2009, I've heard so much about Kuala Kubu Baru - they have water rafting along Sungai Selangor! And some folks were organising a trip there last weekend. I'm really glad that i didnt miss it this time!!! There were 4 rafts altogether (a small group which is a good thing to avoid waitings and delays), with a commander, and a guide in each.

To me, a positive water rafting experience is not only about the thrills and adrenaline rushes, but also the wildlife, the scenery, the breathtaking views, the clear cold water and the list goes on. The range of mountains were simply beautiful from the river. It was all perfect, including the weather!

And right now, I'm head over heels in love with river rafting. And the best part is to get all the muscle sores after the long day. :)

The roaring water!

And this raft capsized 1 second after this picture was snapped!

Pounding through the rapids

I was in that raft!

This must be at one of the grand rapids!

*photos courtesy of Pie and Co. :) Thanks!

And i'm left here thinking, how nice if i could do it again, with someone whom i know will enjoy this as well.

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-28T20:28:00.004+08:00

it's been an awesome day after the river rafting at kuala kubu bharu today. and right now i'm going to lie down, think of nothing else, or maybe sleep for the next one hour. perhaps i'll find some answers within the darkness.

Every cloud has a silver lining

2009-03-22T00:24:00.011+08:00

I still remember taking this picture during one of the summer evenings. I still remember vividly, how a feeling of serenity instantly enveloped my soul, as i watched the quick transformation of the sky from the hillside.

Looking back at those pictures in my album, the same feelings return. i know i could not possibly experience the same rapture again, however much i want to. Surviving within this void now, I can still feel the aura, the same magical effect that has embraced me.

After all, every cloud, as the saying goes, has a silver lining. Life will be too short if we don't look on the bright side of life. We know, yes, we all know that the orb of life is always there shining.

Unexpected colours

2009-03-16T00:15:00.019+08:00

Today, the dawn broke to an ash grey sky with dull clouds over the Pearl of the Orient. It was not the most beautiful Sunday morning, i thought. I shuddered at that thought initially, but i cautiously reminded myself, "The day can be beautiful if I choose it to be".

Keeping that in mind, my sis and I finally decided to go on a morning drive around Penang. It was at Jalan Mahsuri off the PISA whereby my perception of the day changed completely... for we both saw the most beautiful tones of colours ever.

Clusters of pinks and whites were seen among the green leaves on the trees. We have heard about the cherry blossoms in Penang, but we never knew they were so pretty and the colours were so vividly overwhelming.

I've been on this road many times previously, but i have never seen anything like this before. Little did i know that those trees along this road bear such gorgeous flowers. They were the cherry blossoms, and when the flowers were all in bloom together, they offered such brilliant colours, as though reminding me that the Spring was here. It was massive, a pure joy, a true gift from Mother Nature.

As the day turned brighter, many drivers started pulling up by the side of the road. Some just watched the blooms from afar. Some started taking photos from their camera-phones. There were even professional-looking photographers with tripods, flashes, umbrella reflector and what not. I was simply amazed!

As I went on down the road, there was one particular tree which appealed to me most. It was alone on its own, well separated from the other rows of trees. It looked lonely as well - with no immediate neighbours, unlike the others. The tree shed its flowers onto its own territory, as though dotting its own shadow on the ground.

I stood silently before the tree, and I knew that it was smiling unto me. :) It was a warm greeting, and it was soothing to know that even the loneliest tree was decorated with bright pink flowers.

Unknowingly, I was already smiling to myself. I looked up the sky - the dark clouds from the dawn had cleared up, and the blue azure sky was now apparent. It was a therapeutic morning. :)

At the cost of a life?

2009-03-10T00:00:00.011+08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/world/europe/09bribery.html?hp

I know that gift-giving etiquette has been an old tradition in countries like Romania, and when i read the article published in the NYtimes, i was utterly shocked to say the least. That article has revealed that gift-giving is in fact almost compulsory in the healthcare system of Romania. In a more straighforward way, doctors, nurses and the orderlies expect themsevles to be 'bribed' in exchange of their care and attention.

Bribery has become a norm in the Romanian healthcare sector, and they blamed it on the meager salary of about $510 for doctors. Well, that is undeniably low, but corruption at the cost of one's life is not a solution at all. The code of ethics is no longer making sense anymore with such thing happening. They work not for the passion of the work, rather, for the 'supplementary incomes' they are expecting to receive from their patients. Such healthcare professionals should not be deemed professional afterall.

For a moment, it hit me thinking. man, how lucky we malaysians are to receive equitable healthcare service from the government hospitals. There is no rule that says the poor are denied of medical care, (nor is there any that prevents the rich from enjoying the public healthcare services).

The Show by Lenka

2009-03-09T20:51:00.004+08:00

was listening to this song while driving this morning and certain parts of the lyrics just caught my attention. a nice song indeed.

The Show

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze
and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go
I can't do it alone (I've tried)
and I don't know why

Slow it down make it stop
or else my heart is going to pop
'cuz it's too much
Yeah, it's a lot
to be something I'm not

I'm a fool out of love
'cuz I just can't get enough

I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze
and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go
I can't do it alone (I've tried)
and I don't know why

I am just a little girl
lost in the moment
I'm so scared
but don't show it
I can't figure it out
it's bringing me down
I know
I've got to let it go
and just enjoy the show

The sun is hot in the sky
just like a giant spotlight
The people follow the sign
and synchronize in time
It's a joke
Nobody knows
they've got a ticket to that show

oh oh
Just enjoy the show
oh oh

I'm just a little bit
caught in the middle
life is a maze
and love is a riddle
I dont know where to go
I can't do it alone
(I've tried)
and I don't know why

I am just a little girl
lost in the moment
I'm so scared
but I don't show it
I can't figure it out
it's bringing me down
I know
I've got to let it go
and just enjoy the show

a TDM house-pharmacist

2009-03-01T20:44:00.005+08:00

I'm in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) department now. will have to learn to handle real cases, patients who are on certain drugs such as vancomycin, gentamicin, phenytoin, just to name a few. Even paracetamol poisoning cases will come to us. will have to run blood samples for drug levels --> interpret results --> suggest to docs any alteration in drug regimen --> and follow-up the case. it's nice to get hands-on experience, and applying what has been learnt in uni. i always love drug pharmacokinetics.. perhaps was inspired by one of our Scottish lecturers back then. someone whom i really looked up to. :)

I suddenly remembered two cases which i have been faithfully following up for almost two weeks. Even after I left clinical department, i consistently went back to the same ward just to find out what's happening to these two patients... They both passed away just a couple of days ago. One of them was expected to have a bad prognosis (fulminant poisoning of the infamous herbicide paraquat). but the other patient left quite unexpectedly, he just collapsed anddied.

Have been up to much else than work, a good way to keep my evenings fully occupied. just a recap of the last one week.
Sunday: Family dinner in Ipoh; Birthday bash at colleague's
Monday: Seafood dinner in Matang
Tuesday: Pfizer's Viagra 10th Anniversary Dinner in Syuen Hotel
Wednesday: Dinner home
Thursday: Badminton and dinner at Noodle station and night chat with the happy tHree friends.
Friday: Dinner home
and now, just got back from another family dinner out.

for the coming week, I shall stay home more often during dinner time.

it was a fine weekend afterall.

2009-02-22T19:33:00.009+08:00

It's nice to do things out of spontaneity. I thought this weekend was going to painfully slow for me, but it turned out to be otherwise.

we've decided to drive all the way down to Ipoh for just a simple meal. It was an excellent eating-out session with family and relatives. i always love that. i still remember how granpa used to bring us out for family dinners over certain weekends. we as kids would be so excited that we would dress more properly than usual, happily wearing a smile from ear to ear on the face and jumping with innocent blissful joy. i really miss those times...

after ipoh, we dropped by sungai siput on the way back for visiting, and then shortly after dinner, we drove back to taiping. decided to use the old trunk road, and i really thought it was a breathtaking drive. it was drizzling at first, then the rain started falling in a crescendo, creating a certain rhythm on the roof of our car..

i'm home now and the rain has just stopped a wee while ago. it's half past seven and the sky has just changed its colour, telling the whole world that dusk is here. the town looks and feels clean now, filled with good fresh air. birds are out again, chirping gleefully. it's amazing how a course of rain washes away the old and brings in the new.

some pictures of family and relatives would be nice to keep, for memory sake in times to come... i notice that i don't appear to have wide smiles in pictures lately, are the braces masking it off, or i just don't do it so often anymore.

and i have promised, i'll pick up, though i may be slow.

the ball of the life

2009-02-16T00:59:00.004+08:00

i believe things happen for a reason. :) i'm glad i came to realise this after much struggle.

the ball of the life has to roll on.

the spinning fan.

2009-02-04T23:28:00.005+08:00

silent road, starless sky, chilly wind. i guess it's only the spinning fan which is talking to me now... :)

Post-call

2009-01-16T16:24:00.004+08:00

post-call now. claimed time off for these two days so that i have a long weekend off. i wanted to spend some quality time at home and prepare some kuih kapik and arrowhead crisps for CNY. i was looking forward to this weekend for the past one month, but now that it's here, i felt that my festive mood has been masked, which i couldnt understand why.

i realised that i was suddenly craving for oranges and more oranges. i needed my orange therapy. my meals are also messed up coz i'm so bloated with oranges. i'm starting to talk weird things to ppl around me. i'm starting to have funny thoughts in my mind.

i have little grasp of what's exactly happening. it's sudden, hopefully temporary. CNY's approaching.

awaiting the sun

2009-01-11T19:14:00.002+08:00

it can be frail,
but if we cling on,
we will not fail,
to carry on.

when it's all done,
we shall see the sun,
breaking the dawn,
telling us we've won.

let it stay

2009-01-04T01:11:00.004+08:00

when hope is almost gone,
when the dream is almost torn,
i'll hope and pray for you,
for your strength to start anew.

Breads

2008-12-29T01:16:00.003+08:00

I am not an all-time bread lover, but i do fancy most types of breads. :) I love breads, ranging from the normal plain toast (like those in Siang Malam), to those with ingredients and toppings.

oh, provided, they must be fresh of course. :) I've never personally been to a real bakery where bread and pastry are prepared, but I once captured a video of Frau Grau (a german lady) baking fresh bread in a traditional German way. She does it not as a job, but she bakes almost every other week, and the amount she does is enormous, enough to last her whole family for many days.

Speaking of which, i find the practice very interesting. Firstly, there is no additives added (hence she bakes frequently to provide fresh bread supply for the family), it is cost saving (no electricity, no gas), and the bread can be prepared to one's taste (she has her own recipe for each type of bread, of course). On top of all, the most unique thing is that a huge stone-oven is used, instead of any other normal oven. I believe (and tried with my very own tongue!), the aroma and taste of the breads are unique their own!

Bread is said to be one of the oldest prepared foods, and it is a staple food in many parts of the world. I guess that's how the word 'breadwinner' is coined? :)

And now, time to for getting some real sleep. I need to work tomorrow and i cant seem to be bothered about not being sleepy yet at this wee hour.

My First Christmas Ornaments

2008-12-25T14:01:00.012+08:00

People say christmas ornaments are one of the simplest yet greatest way to express love and cheer of the season.

This year, WC greeted me with Christmas ornaments specially ordered from the Royal Selangor. I woke up today and decided to make a photo out of the 7 ornaments. The snowflake, Xmas tree, jingle bell, holly, pressie, candy cane and stocking... I truly treasure each of them because the beauty of the season is silently expressed in these sparkling ornaments. They create some sort of magical moments, deep in my heart. They bring memories of the past and they bring hope of the future.

And i told myself, "there is a reason to the season".

Merry Christmas. :)

The Starwalk: Dec 14, 2008

2008-12-15T01:00:00.015+08:00

I am a speed-walking virgin, and the Starwalk 2008 was indeed my first experience of such marathon. Since i've only tried long-distance running during my undergrad years, speed-walking is definitely more strenous than I thought it is!!

My sister agreed to join the competition category with me. :) This year, there were at least 14000 participants at the Penang StarWalk. That was amazingly a huge crowd! There were quite a lot of professional speedwalkers, especially the males.

i well knew that speedwalking demands lots of motivation and stamina. With only 2 weeks of last-minute training, i was pessimistic about keeping my pace at a constant speed for the entire 10km walk. And so i thought it would be a good idea to spot some speedwalkers who were walking at a perfect pace for me to catch up with.

I spotted a young lady in her late 20's with a trim and spare figure of a marathon walker; I think she is even smaller than I am!! Her arm swings were swift, and she moved with a spectacular pace, well-coordinated with her feet movement. She didnt make giant steps, but one thing was that she kept to a constant speed, so she hardly slowed down. Her graceful movement really made me gazed in awe! I followed her pace and immitated her rhythm. It was pretty strenous at first, but after a while, i found myself walking comfortably at the pace she was walking. I tagged behind her closely, but never did overtake her.

I could only manage to follow her for the first 4-ish kilometres, until an Indian guy came tapping on my shoulder. The guy pointed at my right foot, and gahhhhhhhh, then did i realise my shoe lace was loose!!! I was so reluctant to make a halt, but i knew i had to. Hastily, i went to the side of the road and had my shoelace tied up. As i looked up, the lady whom i was tailing a while ago was no longer in my sight. I somewhat lost my motivation to carry on initially. I got up anyway and continued to walk, but i knew i was going slower than i was in the first half of the course.

Along the way, I continued to follow a couple of other speedwalkers, but at some stretch, i was merely walking at a leisure speed... It's really amazing how the true speedwalkers keep themselves motivated to go at a constant speed without much slowing down. I really admire those speedwalking marathoners.

I was already sweating from head to toe when i finally saw the finishing banner. As i hit the finishing point, i heaved a big sigh of relief. My time was 1:16:14.

To my surprise, i then realised that i was under the women junior veterans category. I actually did feel strange when i saw many women in their 30's or 40's in the same category i was in. lol! My sister reached shortly after, making it to be entitled the certificate of completion below 2 hours as well (I'm so proud of her, coz she hardly had time to train up prior to the walk!)

we then checked the list of winners, and to yet another surprise, I saw my number on the 13th placing. we were both really laughing our lungs out as i would be getting a medal for the wrong category; the Junior VETERANS' category! I guess there must be some confusion during the registration... That being said, if i were to be in the Womens' Open category, my placing could have been pulled down to 25th or so as there were more participants in that category.

I was glad anyway and we had great fun that sunday. lots of free-flow drinks. lots of free gifts. plenty of lucky draw prizes, none of which were we able to grab home though. And to bring home a medal was not what i expected for at the end of the day, so i was really counting my blessings. More importantly is that i learnt to appreciate the art of speedwalking. I hope there will be a return to popularity of speedwalking among the people, so you won't get stared for walking with such awkward and strange-looking mode of locomotion!

Digress. After a tiring walk that Sunday, i thought i should just reward myself with the Elle dress which i was yearning to get earlier on. It was on sales anyway in Queensbay, so i made a second trip there just for that. :)

Some photos to follow:

December: weekdays' work and weekends' getaways

2008-12-08T20:57:00.009+08:00

was on 'haji-shift' today, so i went to work in the morning with my senior-head of department. We had to compound special nutrition drips (technically, it's called TPN - total parenteral nutrition) for babies who require them in the ward.

I went to the neonates' ward one evening last week to clerk some cases with a colleague. At first sight of the babies, my heart smiled as though they were the prettiest thing i have seen after one whole day of work. But after a while, i felt a deep twitch in my heart when i saw some premie babies crying away. These little angels are so adorable, yet being born premature, it's a tough fight to begin their lives. Premie babies usually have a myriad of health problems, and they need intensive medical support.

Currently, there are a few babies in the ward who require TPN (total parenteral nutrition) so my job is to compound drips for them. It's already been one week since i was transferred to this department, and i find that i'm learning a lot of useful techniques from my senior and the assistant pharmacist in charge.. It's all about time management, familiarity of the aseptic protocol, compounding methods, calculations etc.. oh well, it can be quite stressful, but i love the challenge somewhat.

On a lighter note, I had a great night at the Jazz Festival in Ferringghi last weekend. Thanks to 5kor for the free tickets, we really had good fun that night. The stage performances were absolutely excellent, particularly the one by the Hungarian band, DJABE and the UK top guitarist Steve Hackett.

time flies, and new year is soon approaching. :) December is going to be brisk and busy for me.. That applies to both work and activities. Will be having another work-shift on the 29th. but on the bright side, each of my weekend is now occupied, so being busy at work is nothing to complain about if it is punctuated by having great getaways during the weekends.

A Bullfrog's Game

2008-11-29T15:08:00.008+08:00

I used to play a lot of Theme Hospital when i was much much younger. The CD game went missing for a long time, and when recently my brother found it again in an old box, i was in fact silently beaming with joy!! then did i realise how much i used to love playing the game.

It isn't a game which is entirely thrilling, but as a child/early teen, i was really excited at the thought of serving and helping to treat or cure each patient who came in, managing a busy hospital, keeping the hospital clean and providing every facility possible.

To inject a dose of reality to the game, the game-maker designed it in such a way that the patients may lodge complaints.. eg: the hospital building being too cold? (extra radiators would be needed), the waiting queue being too long? (more rooms should be set up), or the staff being ill-mannered? (pay rise may be necessary to keep the staff motivated to work)..

the exciting part is that there are many departments which you can set up in your hospital, especially as you progress towards the higher levels.. the basic ones are the GPs' rooms, Diagnosis rooms, Pharmacy, Ward, etc.. There are other more specialised departments such as the Inflater units for the "bloaty heads", Slicer machines for slack-tongue patients, Fracture Clinic for bandages, etc... :)

you'll get to see each patient's diagnosis, thirst level, warmth level and general health condition. If the hospital is badly run, the patients may end up dying!!! I am not sure, but these patients usually die after taking their medications from the pharmacy. well, it could be due to any wrong diagnoses or simply, wrong medications given!! bad news? the death rate will be accounted into the annual statistics of the community that the hospital is serving to.. :)

in short, this would remain one of my few favourite childhood games. Now that i'm working within a hospital setting, it was as though watching the reality version of the game everyday. :)

VENICE: The No-Car-Zone

2008-09-29T20:55:00.021+08:00

Venice was one of the places which i enjoyed most. perhaps it was because of the company i went with. three cranky boys (weichung, chicken-back-side and benni), as well as my cousin sister Lea.

Venice is all about rivers and canals...

Also, gondolas and vaporetti...

And not forgetting, those gondoliers at their service...

The whole island is in fact a strictly no-car-zone! Ohhh, with exceptions like this below:-

~the only car seen on the island throughout our stay~

Besides, Italy is famous for its gelato. And among all the gelati we've tried in the four cities visited, Chicken-Back-Side and I agreed that this particular shop in Venice offers the best choice. :) we visited this shop at least twice! The picture below shows how CBS swooned at the sight of the italian gelati!!

There is a place in Venice which nobody could have possibly missed. It's the Piazza San Marco. Here's a picture of cousin Benni, feeding the famous pigeons at the Piazza. (credit to cbs for the picture :p)

Oh, feeding the pigeons may seem exhilarating, but it can turn out disastrous sometimes!!

Seems fun at first...

Gradually, when you attract more pigeons, the number increases exponentially!! Like this...

And before you knew it, you are under attack although you have nothing else to feed them!!

And the flock will feed until NOTHING is left!!!

16th September 2008: First day of PRP life

2008-09-16T18:39:00.002+08:00

Was so anxious that i kicked myself out of bed as early as 5am today. Took a quick 'bull'-shower, took a light breakfast and stormed to Ipoh very early in the morning. I was plainly anticipating my placement as a PRP!

What's a PRP? It stands for Provisionally Registered Pharmacist. Life of a pharmacist for the first year. It is going to be a tough year, but i will be earning lots of working experiences, skills, techniques and knowledge before i can be fit to be fully registered with the Board.

I could now thank my lucky stars for having able to work at my choice of placement. I asked for the Taiping Hospital and I'm very happy to get it!!! After receiving the letter of approval from the Ipoh department, I rushed back to Taiping and reported to the Pejabat Kesihatan and then to the Taiping Hospital.

Colleagues and supervisors are very nice ppl, i can tell from first impressions. :) Many familiar faces too! mostly are seniors from high school.

Will work hard, play hard & earn hard from now on! Man, I do start to miss the life of a student now! Good luck to all the other pharmacists-to-be!!! :)

Answers

2008-09-04T02:07:00.001+08:00

When the whole world is sleeping,
I ponder,
What have I done today?
What have I said today?
What have I learnt today?
How did I feel today?

Then, I ask myself,
Have I done the right thing?
Have I said the right words?
Have I learnt a great deal?
Did I feel virtuous?

It's a self-reflection, and i know, i have these answers in my own world.

Priceless expressions

2008-09-04T00:35:00.014+08:00

Animals are as interesting as human beings are.

They portray basic instincts. They strive to survive. And most importanly, they show gestures and expressions too!

These are some of my favourite inhabitants at the Wilhelma... Their exprssions and gestures truly speak a thousand words!

affection between a baby and mummy monkey

idleness of a baby polar bear

reaching out for the next step

The dominance of its own kingdom?

Meerkat looking steady and guardful

and lastly, this is my all-time favourite:

A frog, expressing his hopefulness to turn into a prince charming?

I heard the lakes calling

2008-07-21T06:08:00.007+08:00

Will be back home very soon.. The lakes would be one of the first few places which i will go to when i'm home. I do miss them sometimes...

On the other hand, there are still much experiences in Europe which i would like to reminisce. And i know when i am finally home, I will start to miss this place a lot.

Going home can be a happy event for some, or a sad one for others. To me, it's neither. I just know that it's time for me to be home soon. to go back to where i am from. coz home is where i will do some self-reflection, to think of what i really want in my life, and to do what i need to do to achieve my life goals.

Cant wait to be home. cant wait to see my family. to see my friends. and all the folks back there.

The Goat kao-peh at me

2008-07-15T17:27:00.007+08:00

Today got this goat beh-shiok me, (Today, a goat dislikes me)
On first look, it's veli chu-bee, (On first impression, it looks really cute)
Wa just ka the goat sio-chio-mui, (I just want to greet the goat)
Then it start to kao-peh me lor!! (Then it started to show its anger!)

He think he veli en-tao, (The goat thinks that it's very handsome)
In reality, he looks like a lao-kao, (In reality, it looks like a monkey)
He looks like he very tu-lan, (It looks as though he's very annoyed)
I see him oso I beh ta-han! (I can't even bear the sight of it!)

Ee suka show-off his horns, (He likes to show-off/boast his horns)
So excited, siang-ka ti kua porns, (so excited, as though watchng porns)
Blady sharp la, eh chiam-si-lang, (They were so sharp, can stab kill ppl)
Wa cuak sai la, kia-si-lang! (I was shocked, almost scared to death!)

*** Could it be that he's hungry for some sort of sexual intimacy? hint: note the female goat at the other side of the fence! ***

Schweizer Alpen

2008-07-13T06:46:00.003+08:00

And I'm missing the Alps now. On that very day, the mountains were especially spectacular. they spoke to my heart. they sang to my ears. they dance to my eyes... They were simply beautiful.

My very first experience with the Alps was actually at the Untersberg in Austria, a place so fond to my heart thanks to the the Sound of Music. And this summer, I'm glad to be at the Swiss Alps, right from the bottom of the hill to the top of the Pilatus Mountain, overlooking other parts of the Alps range of mountains.

The Golden Round Trip was enriching, bringing us around with different modes of transportations.. from the ship cruise to the bus and to the world-steepest cogwheel and finally to the cable-car. The only thing that we missed out this time around was the Tobogan! But it was okay that we missed out the Tobogan, for we had a good slow ascent to the top of the mountain!
It was unforgettable, it was as though seeing the familiar Alps pictures coming alive with my very own eyes.

The summer crops

2008-07-08T03:14:00.009+08:00

It's been many months since the last post.. It's a wonder how the days passed quickly since exam finito.

Have grown even more over the past two summer months. Many things happened. I witnessed many occasions for the first time in my entire life. I learnt a great deal, especially about my roots. about relationship, about family, about myself.

it's difficult to express these experiences verbally, it's difficult to let these kind of noble feelings to be manifested in words...

And today, my aunt and I stopped by the fields where the summer crops are planted. She was eager to show me the differences between the barley, wheat and oats. As the wind blew across the vast fields in all directions, the crops swayed freely, in sync with the wind... i stood silently and watched. the crops seemed so free and unimpeded.. But, it's amazing how the roots held them strong to the ground despite all the chaotic and unpredictable movements on the aerial part.

And now i know, how important it is to understand our own roots. I am the type who loves to venture out. to try new things. to witness new stuff. to embrace new experience. but at the end of the day, regardless of which ground I am on, I know that I must always hold on to my roots; just like how the summer crops do.

Thank you for the music...

2008-04-29T16:18:00.008+08:00

Little did i know that the Mamma Mia musical play was a hit at the Clyde Auditorium Glasgow until 16 of us attended the final night of the play..

Mamma Mia is a contemporary and whimsically comical play which exploits an essence of romance... The cool thing about this play is that it is interwoven from the ABBA group's songbook, and none of the story plots has anything to do with the group itself!

A little review of the recent Mamma Mia musical play in Glasgow:

Cast : Awesome acting and singing skills. i love Donna's character in particular!

Songs : What more can i say about ABBA's songs? :) I especially fancy the song "Thank you for the music"!

Orchestra : hmm. i noticed only a few stringed instruments and some musical keyboards. not a very extensive orchestra, yet the music and the songs were beautifully delivered. perhaps it's a touring musical, so i'm sure the Mamma Mia theatre in London offers an extremely good one!

Plot : Funny, romantic, catchy, ironic??. But i personally think mamma mia is not entirely about the plot, rather its songs!

Setting : hmm, rather mundane despite a pretty mythical Greek island.

Venue : SECC Clyde Auditorium is an amazing venue to hold plays like this. Apart from the long queue at the washrooms and the cafeteria, it was all good!

Before the play...

At a bridge which reminds me of the Penang jetty!

And some candids...

And... after the play... That's the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) Clyde Auditorium at the background!

The moon that we both saw that morning

2008-03-31T12:43:00.005+08:00

The moon that we both saw that morning,
Has never left, nor will ever leave;
It may not appear during the coldest nights,
But we know that it's always there.

And the moon that we saw that morning,
Is your faith and strength;
Because your faith and strength,
Have never left, nor will ever leave;
They may not appear during the toughest times,
But I know that they'r always there in you.

A Change in Mood

2008-03-03T16:28:00.011+08:00

I woke up on a March morning,
to a white brilliant snowfall,
It was indeed a pretty sight,
with snowflakes on my window.

As I stretched my palm out,
the feather-weight flakes landed,
and melted quickly in the blink of an eye,
while I smiled silently in my own bliss.

And before soon the snow was gone,
It was here as though to say goodbye,
on behalf of Mr Winter;
And now the azure sky's returned,
lined with bright white clouds,
It's spring, and yes it is.

Scotland Road Trip - Day 4

2008-02-27T08:15:00.005+08:00

Total distance covered: ~760miles

Day 4 - And back to Glasgow

We had a hearty full Scottish breakfast today at Bill’s place (the white and black puddings were very tasty!) We drove off and made a short stop at the Neist Point, but the weather was a little too harsh for us to be out of the car! Neist Point is indeed a beautiful place. If not for the weather, we would have eagerly taken a stroll down to the light house and admire the highest cliffs in the UK as well as the sea views to the outer hebrides..

We made our way to the SkyeSkyns, a family business of sheep skin manufacture. The funny thing is that we thought we would be able to catch some hands-on experience to see how a sheep skin is processed etc, but we had not the slightest inkling that they don't do such activity until summer! For obvious reasons, the sheep perhaps need their fluffy skin to keep them warm in these few months? :p

We took the main road passing by Fort Williams and Glen Coe. Driving across the tranquil valley of Glen Coe reminded us of the settings in The Land Before Time.

It was conclusively a wonderful trip with a myriad of experiences and sights. During the four days, we moved from the coastal route to the highlands, and later on to the lakes, islands and finally across the grandeur valleys. Scotland with its rich unspoilt geographical features and breathtaking scenery, is indeed a paradise for any traveller in seek of pure serenity.

Scotland Road Trip - Day 3

2008-02-27T08:04:00.010+08:00

Day 3 : Over the Sea to the 'Skye'

mooooooooooooooooooooo~~~~~~~~

Five of us had a good breakfast in the hostel before siu and jWerne left for their tour to Loch Ness. Sarah joined both of us and our first stop was the famous Loch Ness. The legend of Nessie has never faded away until now. Urquhart Castle was about 2miles away and it was a beautiful drive along the long narrow lake. One word for Loch Ness : mysterious!

ROAR!!!!!

Lochness

Urquhart Castle

After a pretty long stretch, we reached Eilean Donan Castle. Perhaps the most interesting about this castle is that it is situated on an offshore islet connected to the mainland by a footbridge. It is a spectacular feature of Scotland especially on a bright sunny day with its reflection shimmering on the surface of Loch Duich.

several shots of Eilean Donan Castle

We left the castle and entered the Isle of Skye from Kyle of Lochalsh. The scenery of Skye somewhat offered us a different feeling altogether. We made a couple of good stops at the east coast of Trotternish peninsula (the Old Man of Storr pinnacle, the Kilt Rock cliff and the waterfalls, just to name a few).

old man of storr ( just above WC's left shoulder)

Peeka-baaaaa

highlandcow

Kilt Rock Cliffs (behind the waterfalls)

I tried to write on our experience in the Isle of Skye but I found it especially a difficult task. Personally, I feel that Isle of Skye is a place of which its beauty is never complete to be described in words alone because travellers have to be there to experience the rapture radiated by the scenery themselves.

Some pointers to travellers interested in going to the Skye :
(1) you may need to consider your mode of transportation in the island because it is huge and we hardly notice public buses on the roads. Driving (or cycling if you have more time to kill) is perhaps the best choice on the Skye as you can just stop at any convenient point for the breathtaking views.
(2) There are many Bed&breakfast and other accomodations (e.g. hotels, self catering cottages, camping sites etc.) in the main places of Skye with reasonable range of price. But do book before hand especially in the summer!
(3) The crime rate in the Skye is basically close to nil and you don't have to worry about leaving your cars unlocked whatsoever.
(4) Just beware of the wind especially if you are standing somewhere near a cliff or the beach! If glasgow’s wind is able to blow and invert an umbrella into a “mangkuk”, Skye’s wind can perhaps blow an elephant off the cliff!

We had quite a good chat with Bill and Hillary (the owners of the B&B we stayed in) that night, and we exchanged many stories about Scotland and Malaysia. Their place was a cozy croft house situated in Glendale, and we really miss it now!

Scotland Road Trip - Day 2

2008-02-27T07:52:00.009+08:00

Day 2 : Embracing the Highlands

Did not manage to catch sunrise today thanks to the cloudy morning sky. We left shortly after breakfast and we dropped by The Old Course for some tiny golf souvenirs...

The hallmark of St Andrews!!

The road heading west from St Andrews were dotted by small little villages. After passing by these villages, we thought that Perth was an overwhelming town to visit. It’s relatively a big town (but not any bigger than Glasgow), and it used to be Scotland’s capital back in the 12th century or so... We spent quite a couple of hours not only exploring the town, but also did some shopping at esprit (final of the final clearance which was simply irresistible!).

As we were moving on towards north, we conveniently decided to drop by the Edradour Distillery, the smallest distillery in Scotland (it’s awesome to take pride in the smallest things sometimes!). I bet that it’s not only the smallest, but also the prettiest distillery coz it’s quietly burrowed in the serene highlands valley, in the hills above Pitlochry. The free tour was both enriching and informative. It is in fact Scotland’s last distillery to produce handcrafted quality malt in small quantities!

The Edradour

Inside the distillery

Continuing on the A9 further north towards Inverness, there were many scenic places that were worth dropping by. There were not many cars (unlike the highways in Malaysia!) on the roads, but if you do intend to stop at any lay-by along the road, just becareful because some cars in Scotland do indeed travel on high speed despite the 50 to 70miles/hour limit.

We reached Inverness and had a hearty dinner with my three housemates (they reached earlier on by a bus). Five of us stayed in Bazpacker, a hostel near the Inverness Castle. Good credits on the accommodation in Inverness. :)

From left: me, Jin, Siu and Sarah

Inverness castle

Scotland Road Trip - Day 1

2008-02-23T06:44:00.008+08:00

Day 1 : Kingdom of Fife

Set off from Glasgow at half 9 today. Decided to go on the M8 and make Queensferry our first stop. The Forth Rail Bridge was what we wanted to view. It's majestic cantilever built standing above the high tide of River Forth was amazing... And the wind (or perhaps gale) was inevitably strong!

We then followed the coastal way along the Fife's beaches and fishing villages. Sandy Beach and Kirkcaldy were one of our first stops along the coast. Elie was very pretty with some ruins sitting on its unspoilt rocky beach.

Lady's Tower

Lady's Tower was built sometime after 1750 as a summerhouse for Lady Janet Anstruther who enjoyed bathing naked in the sea. It is reported a bellman was sent round Elie to warn the villagers to keep away. The seashore between Lady’s Tower and Elie Lighthouse is called Ruby Bay as garnets (Elie rubies) are found on its beach.

Elie Rubies

Inside Lady's Tower

Following destinations were St Monans and Crail and several other brief stops in little quiet villages.

St. Andrews Cathedral

Upon reaching St Andrews (The Home of Golf), we were both greeted with beautiful evening sunset at the backdrop of the little town. We walked around the historic town which houses the oldest university in Scotland before checking in at the St Andrews Hostel. The hostel is a cozy homely hostel with friendly staff, though the place should be made warmer by better central heating.. internet access is awesome and the self catering kitchen is just what we needed (though we had a two course meal at the Grill House restaurant for dinner).

St.Andrews Castle

Plan on Day 2? Are plannin to wake up before the sun shows its first ray beyond the horizon tomorrow. Then have a quick self-prepared breakfast in the hostel and head north for the Highlands. Will be meeting my dear housemates tomorrow in Inverness, hopefully by the afternoon if the journey was smooth and easy with good weather.

CNY + Valentines = Chinese Valentines

2008-02-07T08:33:00.002+08:00

we are going to miss CNY and Valentines' celebration together.
but on the bright side, we are going to celebrate Chinese Valentines together!

Chap Goh Meh is the date i am looking forward to now. ;) It's just 15days away and wc is coming to scotland again.

Happy New Year and Happy Valentines to everyone.. The month of February has never been more lovely, and the year of Rat has never been more graceful.

To all malaysian buddies here, let's make JBC the most happening place on tomorrow;
To all buddies back home, pls don't make me jealous with all the angpows you guys are collecting, and yeah sorry for missing our annual gathering;
To mum, dad, sis, bro, sis-in-law, nephew-to-be, ah-ma, ah-em, ah-pek and everyone at home, keep some kuih kapik for me. :p
To chicken-back-side in US, you can prolly start to hao-siao your kwai lou frens into giving you red packets loaded with dollars. don't forget my share ;)
To everyone else, happy new year again!

Paris 2008

2008-01-01T20:54:00.002+08:00

The blinking lights of the Tour Eiffel, the fireworks display, the cheers from the crowd and the camaraderie that was created was what made everyone feel light hearted upon ushering the new year. It was all a night to remember.

Happy new year to everyone and may 2008 be a year full of peace and joy.

A White Christmas

2007-12-27T02:20:00.001+08:00

Here I watched in delight,
Fallin' snowflakes being in sight;
Christmas tree and candle light,
Warmin' the house, glittering bright.

A lighted Christmas tree in 4th Aunt's lounge

A close up view of the Christmas tree deco.

A white christmas is what I have longed for. And to spend it with dear ones is the best reward i could ever grant myself. The christmas eve dinner was splendid and fun. Exchanging presents and chatting away were equally rewarding.

Dinner at home with aunt, family and wei chung

And with lots of good food.

Roast goose with glutinous rice stuffing

Paprika Salad

Chinakohl Salad

Cucumber Salad

A serviette in silver ring holder

Surrounded by thick woods, Grossglattbach is a pretty village especially during winter. it has been snowing for the past few hours and i hope tomorrow there will be chance for sledging. the kids are already shaping their snowman out there. the bare trees in the woods are now all covered with pure white snow.. it's indeed a white christmas.

A white christmas doesnt always happen every year here. This year the Snow Luck was just here. :)

After a pleasant stroll in the woods

When you just don't get enough sleep

2007-12-02T11:21:00.003+08:00

you will start doing weird things
you will start having funny thoughts
you will start talking crappy stuff
you will start staring at the ceiling blankly.

This is what you get after taking a 12hour journey bus to and fro in a day.

but being swamped within an enormous number of Malaysians at the Nottingham's Game feels good. This is the first, and perhaps the only time that we get to be with so many Malaysians in the UK..

i wonder how did everyone manage to drag themselves through the whole day with the lack of sleep.

cheers to all, Viva Glasgow contingent! :) and many thanks all for all the support during the table tennis matches. :)

zzzzzzz.

My brein : Now and Then

2007-11-28T03:12:00.000+08:00

my brein has been on the frying pan for the past two days. I have no choice but to treat my poor brein this way. Two dead-lines to rush this week. I'm quite sure almost everyone is in the same situation too.. but frying it last minute and with hot blazing fire is not good. coz it turns out this way in the end:

In Chinese, we call it CHOW-HUI-TA.

ahah... Thank god it's a non-stick pan. if not i'l have a hard time gettin my brein outta it. :p cant weit for this week to be over, then will be free again!

images were photoshop edited. click here for original images : brain + fryingpan

Our lovely french lecturer

2007-11-22T10:37:00.001+08:00

click here for original unedited image

Immediately after the lecture last Friday, i asked quite a few of those who attended, "Did you hear her mispronounced the word ORGANISM???" and mostly giggled and responded "YESSSS!!"

it's so funny that my initial intention was to draw this lovely young lecturer together with a *speech bubble "...******..."

:) but on second thought, i wouldnt want to spoil her image, she's just too adorable you see, especially with her fluffy hair and 24-7-smiley-face!!! she shall be depicted as a lovely lecturer, so people, no speech bubble for this picture okay.... ahhaha. mispronounciation is common, and i don't blame her. after all it was an entertainment when words are mispronounced as something hillarious!! Organism without the "end" and the "eye". ahhahah.

a bunch of us were just talking about mispronunciations after jayee's birthday surprise just now... so i guess it's normal. but but but, you guys gotta see this if you havent seen it okay.. about how Kenny Sia picked up a funny huge mispronunciation. see his Zam_Rap post... take note of the word "election". =p

Angel of Music

2007-11-17T03:32:00.001+08:00

SiuAnn and I, for the first time in the four days, were left to wander around on our own in London. We had elaine, glen and shenhan as our dear tourguides throughout the trip, but on Monday night, both of us decided to go for our most exciting awaited plan, the Phantom of the Opera musical play...

"If you only see one show this year, make sure it is this one!"

This is their punch line in their official site. and i agree with that!

It was seriously one of the highlights of our trip. coz we both have always wanted to watched it, otherwise we wouldnt have crazily scouted for flights to london over the weekend. and to thank god that we have got the flight for as cheap as 2.02 pounds including tax, we didnt mind spending good money on good seats at the stall of the theatre, so we were basically just a wee distance away from the stage. It was spectacular. songs, music, orchestra, background, props, actors and actresses, so on. and to listen to the songs so familiar to my ears was perhaps the best part of all.

I am loving every bit of it. ask me to go again, i would say YES. :)

Warm Stay

2007-11-15T07:15:00.000+08:00

Folks in London are cordially warm and friendly. elaine, glen and a bunch of their hospitable housemates and friends were kind enough to let us in to their new halls. shenhan was also pleasant to recommend siu and i good foods around the city.

The picture was taken during the housewarming party in their new halls at St George's.. It was a good time to get together. :) Thanks a bundle folks, we do miss the weekend spent in london!

London in the morning and at night

2007-11-14T07:14:00.001+08:00

Weather was a darling over the weekend... These are a few of London's main attractions :

London Eye

Tower Bridge at night

Parliament & Big Ben at night

London Eye at night

We used to read, hear and see so much about these places in story books, movies, tales, songs and so on. Being there and seeing those places with my own eyes were as though returning to yesteryears when I was first told about them... It's an experience.

Foods and more foods

2007-11-14T06:11:00.000+08:00

craving is indeed hard to be satisfied.. but London is the best place to be if you are craving for Malaysian foods. seriously. Thanks to all the buddies studyin in London, they do really know how to find good foods!

Nasi Lemak

Char Koey Teow

Hokkien Char noodle

Wa-Tan-Hor

Right here at this time, foods like these do remind me of home. Precious ones. :) Siu Ann and I spent a good 4 days in London, having good foods for almost every meal. Big eaters we are. :p

Crappy Stuff

2007-11-03T00:53:00.003+08:00

WC is on board now. and he's heading home to Malaysia!!! lol.. His brother's wedding dinner is next week, so he gonna skip MANY MANY days of classes... How'd i wish i could do that too!mannnnn. what do i miss right now? foods? home? Sunlight? people? ahah...

can't wait for him to be back. I'm SO BORED. ahah. This boredom is really eating me up. It's evident, if not i won't end up with such crappy stuff. ahah.. our teachers in Convent school used to make us draw map back in Geography classes.. now i draw it with a mouse instead of a pencil! by the way, those pics are real photos.. dated years back. i hope WC doesnt kill me when he sees this. Nobody has seen his baby pic before!! DON'T CARE. compensate for the nasi lemak that i'm going to miss!!!

Hell-o-ween?

2007-11-01T05:03:00.000+08:00

Was just musing over the word “Halloween”. As far as I know, to "hallow" is to make something sacred or holy. It is so contrary to the meaning what most people perceive “Halloween” as, is it not?

Perhaps it would be a good idea if we start calling it "Helloween"? :)

p/s : It may be an old movie, but if you havent watched it, "The Nightmare before Christmas" is a good movie to watch in conjunction with Halloween. :) brilliant in both visuals and audio.

A metaphorical measure?

2007-11-01T03:58:00.002+08:00

On the way back from Table Tennis trainin’ ystday, a german friend brought up the topic of the “Ladder Theory”.. I don't know, but i find this theory partially true, yet awkwardly untrue.

The theory dictates that each man has a ladder. On this ladder of his, he ranks his women friends according to how much he desires to have sex with the girl.. So obviously a girl whom he loves or dreams of being with, will occupy the top of the ladder, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, women are said to have two ladders, unlike men who have only one. This is to say that women see their male counterparts in two possible ways. One is the type whom she may regard as a possible candidate for her to commit a sexual relationship with. While the other type is a man whom she regards as mere friend. These two ladders are termed “Good Ladder” and “Friend Ladder”.

As a truncated summary, a man has a ladder, while a woman has two ladders. What implication has this concept drawn on male-female attraction?

Let’s first talk from a guy’s point of view. If a man has only one ladder, then he would find it rather impossible to be just mere friends with girls whom he ranks on top of his ladder? Personally, I disagree with this point of the theory more than i do agree. Why do I agree? Coz I see that most (but not all) men, after breaking up, will find it very difficult to be friends with their ex-gf whom they are still very much in love with. That’s pretty true how this ladder theory applies in this case. But like i said, I disagree with this one ladder concept, coz I believe there are many guys out there who are sincere in just being friends with more-than-plain-looking girls without having any slightest intention of those sex elements. I dunno, but i hope what I said is true and applies to some guys.

What about from a girl’s perspective? The theory says that a girl sets up two ladders to rank guys, the “good” and the “friend” ladder. My friend, who brought this topic up, said that most guys who are already sitting on the “friend” ladder will find it very difficult to hop to the “good” ladder. For e.g. if a guy who is a very close friend to the girl, and he one day confesses that he has likings towards her, this guy is considered to be jumping from the “friend ladder” to the “good ladder”. And in most of the cases, it is said that girls will not accept these kind of relationship, and that’s how the word rejection comes about.

But, I beg to differ. I have seen many relationship blossoms from years long of friendship.. I have seen girls who eventually gave in to plain-looking-good-hearted Jack instead of strong-muscular Tom.. Most girls do get touched by the things the goody guys do, they are swooned by the sincerity they show, they are melted by the patience these guys show. These guys who are initially in the “Friend Ladder” may one day be on top of the “Good Ladder” with the efforts shown. It’s possible, so one should not render those guys on the “friend ladder” from being unable to climb up to the top of the “Good ladder”.

When i first heard of this theory, i do find it more like a satire, but well, it does emit some smells of truth in certain circumstances.. The ugly truth about human is that we naturally tend to judge people on first impression. But I believe that when it comes to friendship or relationship, there is more than this outward perspective. In essence, the ladder may come in handy to describe BGR matters, but one must not forget that it is also merely just a metaphorical gradation.

Perhaps they should run some evidence-based trials, since this hypothesis has never been validated before, as far as i am concerned. :P

This is what i found on Internet, the original Ladder Theory http://ladderwiki.com/wiki/Original_Ladder_Theory or

http://www.intellectualwhores.com/masterladder.html

Daylight Saving

2007-10-28T00:52:00.000+08:00

Today is the last weekend of October. I thought i remembered seeing sunlight at 6pm just last few days back... and today, I see sunshine no more at this hour.. The sun is gradually setting earlier by 2 minutes each day, how amazing.

and, what more with the daylight saving starting tmr, we have to say goodbye to the sun at 4pm!!

but on the flipside of the coin.... weeeeeee, we are earnin' an extra hour of sleep tonight. :)

In Sync with The Nature

2007-10-21T22:17:00.000+08:00

Autumn leaves shedding away,

Colours emerge in fine arrays;
Crimson, red, orange and yellow,
Dancing away, rich and mellow.

As the birds flock in resonance,
The spirit floats with buoyance;
As the breeze sings in harmony,
The soul rises with the melody.

Europa-Park, a continent of fun and play!

2007-10-15T03:55:00.001+08:00

To those who love thrill and excitement, do not ever leave out Europa-Park if you are plannin a trip to Germany. This is an authentic theme park with many fantastic roller coasters, and this includes the largest and the tallest megacoaster in Europe! The rides and attractions are themed according to many countries in the continent.

"Atlantica Supersplash" against the cloudy sky; weather was superb for both play and photog!

"Euro-Mir" roller coaster, a twist of a life!

Following are more pics of us girls. We look horribly fun on coasters and rides!

On Euro-Mir; This is a funny picture. The mat-salleh in front look damn cool and with little expressions. and we were like a bunch of soh-poh. From the last row on the left-Siu Ann&Sarah; 2nd last row-Me and chuey Ee;)

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

"Vindjammer"; the ship swings from end to end! Second row from behind; Sarah, me, ChanSee, SiuAnn, ChueyEe

Chan See and Jun Wei at the front row!

The birthday girl (Siu Ann) in her birthday hat.

Just outside Europa Park

Hint and advice : ONE, check the weather forecast before you go, a bad weather may sometimes tear the fun apart! TWO, set off as early as possible, Europe Park is massive, so you wouldnt want to spend a good 35euros just to cover a small area in the park, would you? THREE, make good decisions on which rides you would want to try, the entire park is a home to more than 100 rides and attractions, perhaps? and i assure you, one full day is not enough to try on every single ride. (hint; Silver Star is a must in your list, if you are all frenzied over getting adrenaline rush). LAST BUT NOT LEAST, lift up your hands and scream the hell out of your lungs when you are on a ride, it gives you the real flavour of flying in air!! Like this picture below :

That's Siu Ann (in white) and Chan See (in dark green-brown)

"Silver Star" this is the only picture that is not taken with wc's camera. ;) it's computer generated picture which wc bought at the end of Silver Star ride. (back row : me, WC, chueyEe, sarah)

*More about Silver Star : It's the largest megacoaster in Europe, height 73 metres, and it moves at a speed up to 130km/h. Sliding down from the highest point really made us feel weightless!

After an eventful day...

A picture of SilverStar, sillhoutted against the bright evening sky to conclude the day.

Pictures of us at Glasgow Science Centre

2007-10-10T03:23:00.001+08:00

Lan-yeng pose from left; chueyee, siuann, jennette, sarah, jinwerne, michelle

butt-ery pose (pun intended) from left; pLing, chueyee, siuann, jennette, jinwerne, michelle.

*Both were taken after exiting GSC. Yeah, we looked innocent, didnt we?

Such system BOLEH survive-kah in our country?

2007-10-10T02:17:00.002+08:00

Have been in Glasgow for quite a while, and I realised something very different about the general public system here (UK and a couple of other western countries we'v visited) compared to the type we have back in our homeland.

I mulled over some incidents lately, three examples to follow...

1) I visited Glasgow's cinema twice so far. Havin' the reputation of being the world's tallest cinema, i thought there would be a strict and rigorous system here. Surprisingly, we were checked for the tickets only at the ground floor before the elevator.

And even more surprising to us was that the door to enter the cinema screen is also the door to exit the screen.

Hey, DOES THAT SENTENCE PROMPT AN INSPIRATION IN YOUR BRILLIANT BRAIN? The corrupted part of us (perhaps “naughty” is a nicer adjective) would have immediately cooked up with some cheeky conspiracy yea? Pay for a ticket worth a movie, and get in and out of the cinema screens as you wish and watch as many movies as you can in that one day. Wow, how cool could that be??

Nah, we didn’t do it.

We don't have this kind of things back in Malaysia, do we? (that is why we exit a cinema screen to some other part of the mall or a car park). Correct me if otherwise. If we do, our cinemas will chap-lap very very soon huh?

2) okay digress. Let's take the train as another example. You see, most (but not all) of the train stations here do not have the check-in kinda machine like the ones we have in Malaysian's LRT/KTM stations.. It's fairly different here. There are some trains which you can board without having to punch your ticket until the conductor comes to you, that also being infrequent sometimes. My own statistics : Out of the 10 times i boarded short-journey trains, i was checked on my tickets only perhaps 4 times? Hey, that is like less than 50% of chance man!

And in this city where i am located right now, there are even trains of which you can just board without a ticket, and buy it from the conductor in the train itself. (If such system were to be reproduced in our country, what would we possibly do if the conductor doesnt come to check on our tickets? Feel lucky, smile silently, and walk out of the train like nothing happens??)

3) Next, this is a classic example. So, one of my housemates’ friend was here in Glasgow for visiting lately. We decided to bring her to the Science Centre since we had not been there before. At the parking lot, we saw the price quotation to enter the Science Centre.. It was pretty expensive, so we decided not to enter the Science Centre, and just walk along the nearby river while enjoying the scenery.

As we walked towards the rear end of the huge building, we saw a cafeteria and we thought of we could find some toilets in there. As we walked in, nobody was really bothered and finally we found toilets, around 200metres down the cafeteria.

After easing ourselves, we noticed a flight of elevator up and the signboard says “To the Science Mall”. We thought, “Hey, sounds interesting wor. Shud be for public view eh? Heck, just enter-lah!” Elated, we went up and it was really cool, we spent so much time in there and played with all the canggih stuffs and experimented almost every gadget we could find in the Science Mall.. After an hour or so, we decided to leave...

Hey dudes out there, have you forgotten mums always tell us NTH IS FREE!? So you could have guessed as much what had just happened yeah?? We, 7 girls, were actually in the Science Centre building itself! Those things we saw and played with were part of the Science Centre! And we didn’t know until we walked past the ticket counter just before exiting the entire building.. lol.. We couldn’t believe it, so we were trespassers for that two hours without knowing?? Blissfully ignorant??

So moral of the story???
1. Keep all your movie-time and watch them abroad in one go?
2. Pretend innocent in the train until the conductor comes to you?
3. next time to any places of interest, enter it free from the rear door?

NO, peeps. They are all wrong. I don't even mean to corrupt anyone. I just want to raise up a point, a very important point, right here. You see, such systems are applicable in western country. Ever asked why? Well, it can survive here because people here are civil-minded. They are brought up in such an environment so much so that they have a more refined mentality. They are generally better educated.

Wow. Taken a deep breath??? Really, education is the key thing. We need education to be civilised. We need civilisation to be developed. We need development to advance. We need advancement to live in such globalised world. If such a basic thing is missing in our lives, how do we progress?

A Blend of The East and The West

2007-10-07T06:24:00.000+08:00

Sometimes a mix of two different elements may seem awkward. Not in the case of 4th aunt's lovely home. She remembers her roots, and this is evident in this picture of her house common lounge.

Common lounge

At dining table, we would have several languages in our conversation. This is also a nice blend worth noting.. My aunt would speak to me and WC in english and hokkien.. She would then automatically switch to her German tongue when she speaks to Uncle Siegfried (her husband) or to my cousins.. WC also speaks to my cousins in German, and it's fun to hear them converse and i always try to catch their conversation. most of the time, i would know the gist of their conversation, but not the entire story. then one of them would have to translate the whole thing to me. ahah..

i always love to see how different cultures mix and match. my extended family is huge, and i am fortunate to have many relatives who introduce new culture to the family. WC always says that he would be drown within my big family. ahaha.. Many pictures to follow.

Aunt's Haus (house) from the garden view

Chopped firewood, for winter use.

An apple tree in the garden, a birthday present for Uncle Siegfried from family.

Flowery and Fruity Talks

2007-10-07T05:54:00.000+08:00

When we are at a new places, we tend to look at the bigger things rather than the smaller ones. Let's make this post a testimonial to the smaller things of nature. Feast on the following flowery and fruity talks. (taken by WC in various places; Ludwigsburg, at Uncle Siegfried's farm-Muehlacker, and Esslingen)

The truth:the pumpkin has already been there in the green house for a few months!; Muehlacker, Germany.

A fly on a flower; Ludwigsburg, Germany.

Raspberry; First shot with macro lense

Green juicy tomatoes; Muehlacker, Germany.

Raindrops on leaf; Esslingen, Germany.