scrolllock

Distraction

2012-01-22T20:59:00.002+08:00

In my previous post, I talked about distraction didn't I? Well... I had a good one with a group of friends in Shibuya a few hours back. It felt great! Really... I made new friends, one of whom was from a country I couldn't point on the European map. Basically because my geography was lousy... Anyway, the point is, I managed to forget the melancholic feeling that has been enveloping me ever since that incident...

But...

Once I am back in my cold room... the pain starts to crawl back in.. slicing every inch of my heart..God.. I really have to stop this from ruining my 4 years here. Be strong me! Another 3 years and 8 months to go ...

頑張れ！自分！

Marginilisation

2012-01-21T23:52:00.001+08:00

Of late, the above word has been repeatedly used here and there that I somehow sense that it has been abused by the users. Everybody tends to think that they are marginilised these day. Whether or not there's truth in the claims, I can't tell.

Single mothers think they are marginilised.

LGBT shout they are marginilised.

Non bumiputra scream they are marginilised.

Malays say that Chinese marginilised them at work

it just doesn't have an end......................

I guess the answer lies in how our puny human brains function. We are programmed to fear and reject the unknown for our own survival. No matter how much we preach about humanity, deep down.. we are still afraid of each other..

Melancholia

2012-01-21T23:50:00.000+08:00

It's weird you know. I thought I have grown over that feeling but apparently not...More than 8 years has passed and still... It's tormenting me from within. Why ? I hope it goes away soon enough. I really need a distraction. A big one that is! Gosh... this is driving me crazy... I am supposed to be able to write anything on this blog since it's not my fb .. but I remember some of my friends who know me in real life sometimes read this .. can't risk them knowing things that I would rather die them let them know.. oh.. that does sound scandalously juicy isn't it? *wink* It is no laughing matter..How am I supposed to spit it out? I am hurt.. deeply.. I curse the person who reincarnated this sharp throbbing feeling in my heart... curse you.... I curse you with the memory of us.. I hope I am not the only one in pain in the middle of Tokyo at this hour in this cold winter..... curse you to your grave .. you know who you are...

Faizal Tahir

2011-12-12T23:34:00.001+08:00

It"s been five years since OIAM season 1 but I still think Faizal Tahir deserved to win that night. FYI, I tried to vote for him.. but could never get through for a reason I still can't figure out till now. Perhaps it was fixed? so that the other participant won? mmm.. conspiracy? haha.. That was my only attempt voting for a reality show.. because I think he's the only talented participant so far who deserved my vote.. sadly... my vote ( and I suspect a whole bunch of other votes too) did not get through that night and he lost to Suki.

Ah well.. what past is past.. though he didn't get the Million RM prize, I think he's doing much better than the champion.

here's one of my favourite:

Good night every one!

and.. do google the translation.. it's a nice song.. with a meaningful lyrics.. and NO.. it does not have anything to do with my life.. I just like this song.. that's all..

The Best Rejection

2011-11-13T13:31:00.001+08:00

When you ask someone a favour, which rejection style do you prefer?

Being told straight to your face, "No!"

After going round and round the bush, subtly, "I don't think so....."

Ignored. No answer at all....

I think lately, i received a lot of the third kind.. I have to say, it doesn't feel good to be ignored. To me, it's the rudest kind of rejection one could have. You are kept waiting for an answer which you never know when you are going to get .. *sigh... When you can't help me why don't you just say so?! I am an adult.. I can take 'no' for an answer.. But being ignored.. is .. is..... pathetic..

To those who are reading this and actually know the real me...

I abhor people who can't give an answer and decides to ignore my question!! hate!

Take note!

Long Time No See

2011-11-12T14:15:00.001+08:00

My last entry was in July 2009. i myself wonder what caused the big gap.. after a few minutes of thinking while sipping a cold ice tea on a cold Saturday evening (it's 15 degree Celsius outside and in my room too..brr.).I think, I know the answer!

*drumroll*

The answer is-

Facebook!!

I was busy updating and following updates on fb that I didn't really care to visit blogger anymore. You know, on fb, I only accept people I know in real life to be my friends. So if you are just a friend of a friend, please, don't ask me to add you as a friend.

But what made me came back to blogging?

Haven't you had that moment on fb when you want to write something, you really had to sit down in front of the screen and think real hard whether what you are going to write is going to stir any trouble or not? And you end up editing the whole thing in your mind first and what you typed is not exactly what you wanted to say? Well, I'm that type on fb. Sometimes you just want to put up the photo of your children doing something which to you is of superstar quality but some of your friends might think that you are trying to show off your happy family?

People sometimes said that maybe I should just unfriend some and be more choosy when it comes to approving new friends..not that i have that many to boast anyway.. But I just don't have the heart to say no.. especially when they are people i know in real life..

And I have tried grouping them .. you know, those who can see and who cannot see certain items on my profile.. but after sometimes, i can't keep track on who is on what list anymore...

Things on fb are not as simple as it used to be.. now that most of my real friends are on fb.. even my sisters and nieces and nephews and in laws are on fb.. my bosses are on fb.. my students are on fb.. in fact I will have difficulty listing those who are not on fb.. fb is not longer the place where i can vent my anger, shout my opinion, express my feelings.. i think it will just be a social tool where i will be my civil self.. as civil as a civilian can be..

"how is this different you may ask?"

well.. i am quite sure i don't have a follower on my blog.. most read it by chance and they don't usually bookmark my site.. it's not worth most of people's time.. i'm writing it for my self satisfaction and I have no intention to turn this into one of those most frequented blog and get sponsored by some companies for ads etc. this is not a gossip blog with sensational stories like which Malay artist dressed like a slut or which celebrity chef faked their resume to get on a tv show kinda blog.. this blog is just about what I think.. my opinion. And my feelings. How many of the netizens are interested in that? none i supposed..

and yes, you have to ask my permission before your comments are published.. ;)

i guess fb will just be the place where i can check on my friends when i feel like i want to know how are they doing..or what's going on in their life.. or when I want some fast feedback on something..

opinons, feelings, anger, dissatisfaction will be aired here.. on scrolllock..

and my apologies for those who wanted to know more about practising dentistry in Malaysia..

I have resigned from the Ministry of Health for more than 2 years now.. I don't have the latest information anymore. Go to their webpage for more info.. you don't know what's the link? err...mmm... try.. 'google'?

Smoking Cessation Workshop

2009-07-24T14:41:00.002+08:00

just doing a favor for a friend,

SMOKING CESSATION WORKSHOP FOR DENTISTS

Welcome to the launching of the FIRST Quit Smoking Dental Clinic in Malaysia-Dental Public Health Specialist Clinic, Faculty of Dentistry, UKM.

Host:	Department of Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, UKM.
Type:	Education - Workshop
Network:	Global

Date:	Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Time:	8:00am - 6:00pm
Location:	Faculty of Dentistry, UKM
Street:	Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz
City/Town:	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Phone:

0392897850/5449

Description

SMOKING CESSATION WORKSHOP FOR DENTISTS
BY THE NICOTINE ADDICTION RESEARCH & COLLABORATING CENTER (NARCC)
NARCC is a collaborating center to fight against nicotine addiction and provides knowledge to health professionals to help their clients to quit tobacco use. This workshop is aimed at empowering dental practitioners who are interested and willing to make a difference in helping individual clients to stop smoking. The workshop is designed to be interactive. For the first time, interactive pads in small group sessions to facilitate direct contact with facilitators will be used. The program will enable participants first hand information and assistance should they wish to start programs of their own on completion of this workshop. Continued assistance will be provided for those interested to conduct their own programs in their centers.

Registration fee: RM50 only by 29th July
RM 65 by 30th July-4th August
On-site registration fee: RM 80
Please request for the first flyer if interested.

Thank you very much for your support in making our world a healthier place to live in.

Dear KFC

2009-04-30T10:33:00.003+08:00

I have been a loyal fan of yours ever since I first tasted your finger
licking good original fried chicken way back in the mid 80s. However,
last Monday, April 27th, I have experienced a series of very
unpleasant services from not one, but two KFC outlets near my
residential area.

First, we went to the KFC outlet at wisma PKNS, Bandar Baru Bangi at
around 9:15 pm. I was lining up for about 10 minutes when finally I
got to reach the counter. But, the counter boy casually told me to
move to a different line, put the sign "counter closed" and happily
sang his way back to the kitchen. "What the hell??" , just for your
information, I was the only customer left on that line and if I were
to move to other lines.. I had to go back into queues of 6 to 7 people
and god knows how long I have to wait until I get to reach the
counter. He saw me waiting there like an idiot for 10 minutes... if he
wanted to close the counter, he could just have asked me to move
earlier and not let me waste my time to reach the counter and be told
in the face that the counter is closed! I think that is darn rude !
Where is your common courtesy, man?

I was too pissed off to spend my hard earned money on you, I asked my
husband to just go to McDonalds instead. But being a loyal KFC fan, he
insisted to queue and get his fried chicken for dinner. Besides, my 4
year old daughter was so excited about getting her chicky meal. So, we
waited for another 15 minutes or so.. only to find out that they only
have twister left on the menu! Oh my god!! KFC! do something! Your
staff just don't know how to handle and communicate with customers!
The manager or one of the staff could just inform all those people who
spent their time queuing, a simple line would do... " we are sorry
sir/mdm.. but we are about to close and only have bla bla bla on the
menu" . And if they are too shy to stand there at the doorsteps and
tell the customers.. a simple handwritten sign posted at the front
door or hanged at the counter is good enough for Bandar Baru Bangi's
residents who I believe are all well read and literate people. Urghh..
Don't just think of what's in the customer's wallets, but also
consider our patience and dignity. Several customers were stunned when
they reached the counter and found out that the only food avilable was
twister. It's too simple, I don't think you need a customer to lodge a
complaint to the customer service department to improve on things like
this..

But the story did not end there. Being a determined person my husband
is, he insisted for us to go to the KFC outlet in Kajang which
operates 24 hours. There, well.. the service was better, when they
wanted to close the line , they didn't just turn away customers who
were already in the queue. Sadly, again, they didn't know how to tell
their customers about their shortfall. They promised to send us the
free toy that comes with chicky meal but it never came to us not even
until we have finished our meal. So, we went back to the counter and
asked one of the staff. But we were kept waiting and waiting and
waiting.. and the thing never came. If you don't have it or if it is
out of stock, just tell us so. We are your customers. We pay for your
service and merchandise!

I seriously hope action is going to be taken against this complaint I
made. It's not that I want your staff to be punished or what not, I
just badly want you to improve. You should educate your staff the
proper way to deal and treat your customers. Communication is the most
important tool in business. Someone like me shouldn't be telling a
giant conglomerate like KFC something as simple as that, but
sometimes, when we are at the top, we tend to forget all these little
things that are actually fundamental to our success.

Well, not all KFC staff are that bad, I have to say I enjoy dealing
with KFC at Warta, Bandar Baru Bangi as well as KFC at
Alamanda,Putrajaya. They are polite, and they always inform me when I
have to wait for some things I ordered or when things are out of
stock. Maybe, those KFC staff in Wima PKNS and Kajang could go and
learn a few things from them.

Thank you very much for your kind attention. Hope to hearing from your
management, soon.

yours truly,

scrollock

This was taken from an actual email sent to customerservice@kfc.com.my. Name was changed for confidentiality purpose . I will update the blog if there is any news from them

Parliament, Oh Parliament !

2009-03-22T18:28:00.002+08:00

My last parliament duty ended at 8.00 pm. No more such duties for me at where I am heading, I hope. I'm not sure whether I'm going to miss this or not.. but, naah.. Having to sit at the parliament for the whole day just to listen to the debate (though some were quite entertaining) is nothing but an insult to my intelligence, so I choose to opt out of the system. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on me to do something smarter than this. And I hope I can deliver what is expected out of me.

30 Days and Counting

2009-03-17T16:24:00.000+08:00

Tick Tock..

Tick Tock..

HR Sucks!!

2009-03-17T16:13:00.002+08:00

No, it's not my name, but Human Resource.

Didn't I tell you before? It's the lousiest job in this whole universe. Especially when you are just the minion in the organization. You are just a puppet on strings merely carrying out duties which are ordered by the invisible hands. And sometimes... those hands contradict each other.. which in the end will make you lost and weak. You always feel hopeless and helpless... people come to you saying that you are cruel for separating them from their families.. but at the same time, you are labeled idiot and incompetent by some for taking people away from one place to another..
Ideally, it should be balanced.. but how to be fair when there are too many hands handling my strings?

At least you know that this is one of the many reasons why I'm cutting myself off those silly strings . For I fear that one day the strings might strangle me to an immature death.

A Dispute Over A Parking Lot

2009-03-16T09:19:00.002+08:00

I'm actually surprised that I am not pissed off by what I found stuck on the wall of the space where I always park my car.

I have been using that space for almost 2 years now, and I can still remember the day it was shown to me by the officer in charge of parking lots. It was, wow! very conveniently located, easy to park , spacious, and only a few steps away from the lift.

But today, 10 minutes before 8.00 am, a bright yellow bill was stuck on the wall with someone else's name and car registration number on it.. WTF?? so i just drove on and parked my car outside the building.

Luckily, someone punched the card for me.. :))

Then I went straight to the EO and told him what happened. Guess what.. it was he who got pissed off!! Apparently, there was this guy.. Dr Is*uni who has been calling our division claiming that my car is parked on one of their division's lots. Although explanation was done, he could not take it. And then last week, some Dr Gha*ali sent a memo to us, telling the same story, attached with a proof, which was a letter issued by Khidmat Pengurusan about who owns which lots.. dated somewhere in 2005. The reason our EO was mad is, he has already told them that the 2005 letter is out dated. There's a new one we received in 2006 which he has already quoted and explained.. but mm not well digested by the honourable doctors.

Actually there is another story behind this tale.. It is true that the lot that i am using is legally under their division. It happened back in 2005 or so I was told.. That parking was actually allocated for their big boss. But the big boss didn't like the location because the nearest lift would be the one leading to the back door.. and i supposed he prefered entering the office using the front door, hence, he asked to swap parking space with one of our lots. Till now, their big boss is using our parking lot. Isn't it logical that we should be given a lot in exchange for the lot used by their big boss?? But no, they did not want to listen to us, and decided to discreetly put up the bright yellow bill.. Why did I say discreet? Because it was not there last Fiday when I last parked my car in that space. That means he must have done it over the weekend.. when no one's watching.. urgh..gross.. how childish can one be?

Why am I not Pissed Off? I am leaving this place for good, soon. So i couldn't care less.. but It is definitely unfair for our division to lose a lot just like that.. so, i hope the EO can settle this as soon as possible. .. Hopefully, we don't see people punching each other over a parking space.

However, I have only one question for Dr Is*uni and Dr Gha*ali

Why did you let me park there for 2 years before you realised it is actually yours??????

I hope that knocked some sense!

WTH??

2009-03-03T12:07:00.002+08:00

Malaysia a destination for human trafficking, says US

by Lim Ai Lee, The Star,

Tuesday March 3, 2009

NEW YORK: Malaysia has been identified as a destination for human trafficking, according to the 2008 Human Rights Report released by the US State Department here.

The report described the problem as serious, adding that the country was to a lesser extent, a source and transit point for men and women trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour.

“Victims, mostly women and girls from Myanmar, Mongolia, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Viet-nam, were trafficked into the country for commercial sexual exploitation,” the department said in its annual human rights country report that covered over 190 countries.

Foreign embassies, NGOs, and government authorities had reported that more than 100 trafficking victims were rescued and repatriated in Malaysia last year, many of whom were involved in prostitution.

Crime syndicates were believed to be behind most of the trafficking cases while employment agencies were also said to be heavily involved in trafficking migrant workers, the report claimed.

In Petaling Jaya, LOURDES CHARLES reports that the police here have had numerous successes in combating human trafficking.

According to Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, Malaysian police and their Asean counterparts had been sharing information on local syndicates involved in the trafficking.

“That is why we have our own Anti-Human Trafficking law as we are very serious in our fight against such crimes. We have rescued many women and deported them to their countries of origin,” he added.

The US department was satisfied that Malaysia was neither involved in politically motivated killings nor was it linked to any reports of politically motivated disappearances during the year.

The Malaysian Government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, it acknowledged.

Although there were no government restrictions on access to the Internet, the Government was criticised for blocking access to some websites and arresting several prominent bloggers, including Malaysia Today’s Raja Petra Kamarudin for sedition.

The report also commented that political rhetoric using religion had raised tensions among different religious groups but this did not lead to an outbreak of violence.

my guesses of what we are going to do about this:

Jump up and down, shouting and cursing at each other at the parliament
Start a malicious racist sort of chain-mail accusing this and that
Keep quiet and go on with life
What Malaysia? I 'm not Malaysian...?!

So, Which one are you?

Open Answers & Open Apologies

2008-07-16T12:52:00.003+08:00

To everyone who has been kind enough to drop me a line or two... Please accept my apologies for being half dead for the past few months. I will try my best to answer all questions... (please note the word 'try'.). One more thing.. if you posted a comment and it did not appear even after one year... I may have deleted it due to various reasons... Do I have to tell you the reasons? Well, ok, just a few maybe... It's either you're rude, or maybe I did not understand what you want or maybe.. I just don't like you.. maybe.. or maybe I just don't know what to say... Go and try other blogs, ok?

I Am Not Dead, ...yet...

2008-07-16T12:40:00.003+08:00

Or maybe I am... Life is soo ebbing out of me, but only while I'm at work. It took me so long to realize that this is not what I wanted. But, then there's this question of 'what?' do I actually want? Am I just being selfish or childish? mmm I don't know, but one thing I know is.. handling human resource sucks!Big time!

photo courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/estatik/1679949457/

2008-03-23T12:09:00.002+08:00

The Star, Monday March 3, 2008

Why dental implants are costly

I WRITE in response to opinions expressed on dental implants in letters to The Star on Feb 13 and Feb 23.

I wish to inform the concerned persons that the practice of dental implant placement is a recognised procedure carried out by dental practitioners (dental surgeons) who have undergone the required training.

It is worthy to note that dental implants are fabricated abroad and imported and thus remain costly and the procedural cost of implants may vary from practitioner to practitioner in the private sector.

Government dental specialist clinics provide implants as well, but case selection often favours functional purposes.

Should there be any dissatisfaction over treatment provided by dental practitioners, complaints can be channelled to the Malaysian Dental Council, which regulates the profession.

In addition, the Malaysian Dental Association and its affiliate bodies are dental bodies which are also able to address issues related to dentistry.

DATIN Dr NORAIN ABU TALIB,

Senior Director of Oral Health,

Ministry of Health Malaysia

and Registrar, Malaysian Dental Council.

Hopefully there won't be any more dispute over doctors wanting to do dentists work anymore.. *sigh

Cosmetic Dentists?

2008-02-27T20:44:00.003+08:00

I must say, that medical doctor managed to stir our small world of dentists in Malaysia... another response here:

The Star, Monday February 25, 2008

Dental implants an expert’s job

WE REFER to the ongoing discussion on dental, medical and healthcare costs in Malaysia. In Implants Cost Too Much(The Star, Feb 23) oral implants were likened to treatment for bone fractures.

Comparing the cost of dental implants to the local price of a cup of coffee does not make sense. This is because a major cost of a dental implant is the cost of the imported prosthesis itself.

More than just the cost of materials, oral implantology is a multi-stage multi-disciplinary treatment procedure. The surgical component (i.e. the placement of the implant within the bone) is performed by the implantologist/oral surgeon.

In fact, we invite interested medical surgeons to equip themselves with the proper training and accreditation that enable them to perform this surgical procedure.

The demand for oral implants is far higher than what dentists in this country can cope with. Having well-trained medical surgeons to help out in the surgical process will be a welcome bonus.

The next step involves designing an artificial tooth over the implant. When a patient requests an implant, this tooth component is the one he or she will see and use every day.

Therefore, this stage is best carried out by a dentist properly trained in treatment planning, dental occlusion, function and aesthetics.

Based on the dentist’s exact specifications and detailed instructions, the prosthesis (tooth) is custom-made in the laboratory by a dental technician. Finally, this prosthesis is precisely attached to the implant.

Function and cosmetics are examined clinically. This multi-stage, multi-disciplinary approach is important to ensure that each stage is done by an expert in that field, to ascertain the best possible treatment outcome.

The dental implant of today is by no means the ultimate replacement for missing teeth. Further research and development (R&D) is required.

Currently, essential/basic dental treatment like extraction, pain relief, fillings, scaling, and infection management are already affordably priced. These procedures are cheaper than most medical surgical treatment.

We are working towards a time when dental implants are no longer an optional luxury but a common affordable treatment alternative, just as cars were once exclusive to the rich but are now commonplace.

We can achieve all this and more only with the understanding and cooperation of our medical colleagues and the public.

Who knows, with support from all parties and sufficient funds for R&D, the option of replacing a missing tooth with a new one grown from stem cells may soon be available.

DR FOO CHI CHEAN,
President – Malaysian Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

DR MELISSA FOO SUYIN,
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Hospital Sungai Buloh.

Now, now... I have a few things to say here.. this thing has gotten scarier and scarier each day.
It attracts all sort of people to respond to the medical officer's posting...
But these two... mm.. well.. mm...

1. Malaysian Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry???? That's new...is it registered?

2. Can a government dentist like our dear Dr Melissa make a public comment in the newspaper?
The public might thought that she is some oral surgeon working at the dept when actually she is just the normal dental officer working there.

Well,

Medical officers or dental officers,

we should not..believe everything that we see or read!

this includes the election campaign of course... but that's another story.

naa

More on Dental Implants in Malaysia

2008-02-27T20:00:00.001+08:00

The Star, Sunday February 24, 2008

Dental implants have the best bite

THE ideal standard of care for replacing teeth is not a denture or even a bridge anymore, but dental implants.

Dental implants are now used to replace missing teeth, stabilise loose dentures, straighten teeth and rehabilitate patients who have lost parts of their jaw and face due to cancer or accidents.

We refer to the letter “Dental visits a pain in the pocket” (The Star, Feb 13) and wish to express our sadness over the misconceptions of a colleague whose profession we highly respect and admire.

Dentists or dental surgeons are part and parcel of the healthcare providing medical profession and work hand in hand for the betterment of our patients.

We do empathise with his concern for the older members of the population who due to inadequate dental care in the past now require dental implants.

However, the main cause of teeth loss in older people is not aging as stated by medical doctor, but gum disease.

This means that a healthy adult who takes proper care of their teeth and gums will enjoy a full set of teeth for life.

Hardly 10% of dentists practice implantology and also because implants are all imported and costly, the cost of providing the service is still relatively expensive.

Research and development of dental implantology took a lot of time, effort and expenditure on the part of university researchers and implant manufacturers.

The cost of training is still very high because it involves highly trained lecturers, logistics and material costs.

Implantology is not as simple as it looks.

Such treatment can range between simple to highly complex procedures that involve bone grafting, gum grafting, specialised imaging, detailed planning and a thorough understanding of occlusion which may take years of experience to understand and successfully manage.

Special dedicated tools, equipment and materials are needed in implantology.

Dental implantology usually does not incur any more trauma than an ordinary extraction of a tooth, and therefore does not require any extra safety measures that are not already in place in all dental clinics.

Dental implants have helped countless people around the world to enjoy their food again. They are the best replacement for lost teeth.

Though expensive currently, the price will keep coming down due to free market forces.

Like in all professions, some dentists charge more and some less. Find one you can afford.

After all, dentists here in Malaysia are highly trained and yet are still among the most affordable in the world.

The cost for dental implants in Malaysia is one of the lowest in Asean.

This has led many from overseas like Australia, Europe, America and Japan coming to Malaysia to enjoy the benefits of dental implantology at international standards and yet at half the price or less in their home countries.

Dental implantology has placed Malaysia on the map as a major destination for health tourism in this region.

DR FIRDAUS HANAPIAH & DR CHOW KAI FOO,

President and Honorary Secretary,

Malaysian Oral Implant Association (MOIA).

7000 Cups of Coffee?!

2008-02-27T19:47:00.002+08:00

Some people in my office said this was submitted by the same medical officer.. hmm? probably?

The Star,Saturday February 23, 2008

Implants cost too much

I REFER to the letter Cheaper to do dental implants here in The Star, Feb 18. Implants in Malaysia costs between RM5,000 and RM9,000. Let us say it is RM7,000 on the average, which is the equivalent to 7,000 cups of coffee or three months' pay of a government medical officer’s salary here.

In Britain, it is £2,500 which is about 1,500 cups of coffee there or less than a month's salary of a government medical officer.

In the United States, it is US$2,500, which is about 1000 cups of coffee there or much less than a month's salary of a government medical officer. In Singapore, it is S$6,000, which is about 2000 cups of coffee there or less than a month's salary of government medical officer.

A baby delivery by Caeserean section here - which includes general anaesthesia and few days stay in a private hospital - would cost less than a tooth implant in Malaysia.

So dental implants here are among the most expensive in the world.

Suggesting other alternatives like dentures and bridges is like telling a patient with a bone fracture not to have nailing and plating and just to have plaster casts, as it will heal anyway.

Just as there is government control over food items and other products, there must be a price control over dental procedures. Dental health must be available and affordable to the rakyat of Malaysia.

As can be seen from above, a reasonable charge for an implant would be around 1,500 cups of coffee or RM1,500 by comparing the different prices of several countries. A root canal should not cost more than RM300 and crowns not more than RM300.

Technicians here should be taught to perform implants as there are other more difficult procedures that are also done by technicians. For example, there are midwives doing a good job with examinations, investigations and the delivery of babies.

Ultrasound and echo (for heart patients) are done by technicians, medical assistants are doing examinations, investigatings and treating patients while dental nurses are doing fillings and extractions. In addition, anaesthetic assistants are giving general anaethesia in rural areas.

Medical doctors should be taught to do implants as they have basically learnt all that the dentists have learned such as oral anatomy, physiology, pathology, bone regeneration, bone harvesting etc.

In my rural posting I was taught to extract teeth and do fillings. Implants have now become a common part of dental procedures, just as root canal treatment.

If there is a shortage of oral implantologists then we should recruit medical doctors. I am sure doctors here will fulfil their Hippocratic Oath to serve the public.

Dentists are also bound by Hippocratic oath to serve the public.

ANOTHER DOCTOR,

Kuala Lumpur.

And it took us years of formal training before we are trusted to use the high-speed handpiece...
With it come the responsibility and all.. what if the pulp was exposed during his treatment? Was he ready for an emergency root removal surgery if the tooth was fractured into half? Or worse, what if he broke the tubercle and the patients bleed and bleed and bleed...? Scary...
Isn't what this doctor did, illegal? Can anyone tell me?
First, he wanted to do implant, and now this? hmm might as well enroll into a dental school...and become a real dentist. I believe they will make good dentists because, well.. they know a lot about antibiotics...
(mm.. am i being sarcastic?)

naa

A Reply from an Oral Implantologist

2008-02-18T14:12:00.002+08:00

The Star, Monday, February 18, 2008

Cheaper to do dental implants here

AS A practising oral implantologist, I read with alarm and concern the polemic “Dental Visits a Pain in The Pocket” The Star, Feb 13).

To clarify matters and to set the record straight, I would like to address certain inaccuracies that were unfortunately passed off as facts:

> To qualify as an oral implantologist requires vigorous practical and theoretical grounding on par with medical doctors: a five-year basic degree in addition to a further two to four years of specialisation.

During the course of the training, many modules are identical to those undertaken by medical students, including management of medical emergencies and performance of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

> The current prices of implants in Malaysia range from RM5,000 to RM9,000, which is substantially lower than those in other countries. For example, implants in Singapore easily cost in excess of S$6,000 (RM13,662); in the UK, more than £2,500 (RM15,788); in the US, more than US$2,500 (RM8,050).

In fact, many foreign patients of mine have performed multiple dental implants in Malaysia specifically due to the equivalent level of professional competence but at a fraction of the price back home.

> Implants are not necessarily the final word in tooth restoration (even though the procedure ranks as the best among the options available in terms of comfort, function and aesthetics).

In the interest of cost, cheaper options such as dentures and bridges are available. On this note, no right-minded dental practitioner will force a patient to have implants done if affordability is an issue.

> The Malaysian Dental Association does provide a list of recommended fees for dental implants. However, as the writer pointed out, it is a free market; therefore each patient has the right to find the practitioner that he is most comfortable with.

> Government specialists have been providing dental implant services for some time now at lower rates compared with private fees. The writer seems to be ignorant of this fact.

> The implantation procedure is not as simple, nor as straightforward, as claimed by the writer.

As stated in the foregoing points, an oral implantologist has to undergo lengthy clinical and hands-on training to become an expert in the field.

There are many serious complications and adverse effects that can arise should the procedure be done incorrectly: for example in the case of guided bone regeneration procedure, sinus lift and bone harvesting.

I hope I have clarified some of the misconceptions that the writer has generated in his letter.

AN ORAL IMPLANTOLOGIST,

Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

This Is My Answer, Doc.

2008-02-17T07:49:00.007+08:00

The first time I read the letter form the guy who claimed that he's a medical officer, I immediately laughed my head off... Sick. He was too emotional and been saying things which a professional do not usually do. The next thing that crossed my mind was, hey, he can always say that he's a medical doctor but is he really is telling the truth? For all you and I know, he might not be what he claimed himself to be. And I thought all medical doctors are very busy people, they don't have the time to write to the newspapers. Just in case you haven't noticed, we rarely see a letter from doctors complaining about their work load because I assume, they are too busy to do so, Even if there are , mostly are from their parents or their relatives or spouses who felt sorry to see them working like dogs. But maybe.. hmm.. just maybe, he really is a doctor, and he was soooooooo busy with his work, he just assumed on things and did not have the time to get his facts right before he started to go public about his thoughts??

Whatever his reason is, I still want to say something regarding what he have said.

Statement number 1 : Age is the single biggest factor for tooth loss

The etiology, or cause of edentulism, can be multifaceted. While the extraction of non-restorable or non-strategic teeth by a dentist does contribute to edentulism, the predominant cause of tooth loss in developed countries is periodontal disease. While the teeth may remain completely decay free, the bone surrounding and providing support to the teeth may resorb and disappear, giving rise to tooth mobility and eventual tooth loss. It's periodontal disease and you don't have to be old to have periodontal disease.

Statement number 2: Many old folks are at the mercy of dental surgeons, especially the ones who now describe themselves as implantologist. Many of them wear doctor’s coats, carry stethoscopes and insist on being called doctors. They charge by the tooth for every implant. Current prices range from RM7,000 to RM9,000 for the implantation of a tooth. This does not include the cost of the replacement parts, surgery, X-rays, etc.

Mmmm... First, the degree conferred to a dentist entitled him to be called 'doctor' just as a PhD holder being called a doctor. My uncle was a researcher with a PhD. Although he is now happily retired, people still call him 'doctor' because, unlike proffessorship, the title doctor stays on even if you do not practise whatever it is that you are supposed to do. This Medical Officer really need to open his eyes and mind and accept the fact that medical degree is not the only degree that it's holder can be called a doctor. If you are in Japan, you won't be called doctor, but instead, they will call you 'sensei', yes, you, a medical doctor and the rest of the people who are considered to be of respectable occupation... like well, to your disgust maybe.. dentists, teachers, lecturers, writers etc...

It's white coat o.k! Not only dentists wear this but even people who work in the lab. It's a requirement in some places. Personally, I hate that white coat 'cause I think it is a perfect germ accumulator. I prefer the disposable gown, to be worn and changed after every surgical procedure or even dental procedures that involve aerosols.

Of course you have to charge by tooth.. oh.. just read what Dr Jaspall Singh and Dr Nedunchelian Vengu said about this implant thing.

And yeah , of course, if you can't afford a porsche, you can always buy a kancil. And there's always the option of using public transportation..
hmmm.. that's what dentures are for.. I hope he is not one of those shallow minded people who are jealous of other people who are richer than or happier or scored better in class than him. Such a sour grape...

Furthermore, Not everybody can use implant because it depend heavily on your bone mass and density.

We dentists learned ethics in dental school.. and i think so do our medical counterparts... Which part of ethical is there in the ethics or code of professional conducts if you dare give statements like these??

Quoting the Medical Officer,

Dental surgeons, whether specialists or GPs, work in a very narrow field of the human body. From experience, I have learnt that they know little or nothing about the wider spectrum of medicine.

The number of antibiotics they are familiar with is very few.They ask for a history of diseases that the patient may have but do not know how to assess how bad these diseases are or how they should be treated.

They have no idea about emergencies that may occur with surgery or with drugs.

They do not know anything about cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Well, I am not saying that all dentists are saint . of course there is a rotten apple or two.. ( or even more?) in the basket, but to put a blanket statement on the profession like what the Medical Officer did was very very very very bad. If you had a bad day with a mechanic, does that mean all the mechanics in the country are lousy, and just by seeing how they twist a bolt here and there gives you the right to become one too? I have seen lots of tailors doing the simple cut and sew thingy but I dare not claim that I can do it too just by watching them do it. We learned all those medical subjects in the dental school not because they want us to be medical doctors or because we are all med school rejects.. puhh leeeze... Medicine was not even on my list , ok... ( although I am not thaaat fond of dentistry either.. ) We were taught that we are treating a patient as a whole, a person, a human being.. and not just the small area of the human body. So, we need to know the whats and whos and whys of the human nature, in order to serve them better. And of course to know when to refer to the experts and not to take matters into our own hand. Oh come on... you don't need a dentist to tell you that...

I don't even want to start telling the public my encounters with bad doctors for fear of giving unnecessary alarm to the public and of course, the codes man... And yeah.. I don't want to stoop as low...If you are not satisfied with the dentists that you have seen, being a supposedly smart and professional medical doctor, for god sake... lodge a complaint through a proper channel!! If you really want it to be solved, be a man, and lodge your complaint to the Malaysian Dental Council. They regulate our profession. They can take all bad dentists to court , make life easier and safer for everybody.. no need for you to write your opinion, anonymously in the local newspaper..

One last say to the Medical doctor who complained in the newspaper and wrote all those things there... " come back to earth- before you stray to some place impossible to return."

A Reply From A Dentist- Part II

2008-02-17T07:37:00.001+08:00

The Star, 16 February 2008

I REFER to the letter ‘Dental visits a pain in the pocket’ (The Star, Feb 13). The dental treatment charges in Malaysia are well regulated by the Medical Practice Division, of the Health Ministry under the Private HealthCare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586).

This act is well supported by Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners’ Association and Malaysian Dental Association.

Dental practitioners’ in the private sector whether they are GPs or Specialists are well trained in this aspect and are supposed to adhere and practise dentistry according to these guidelines.

The healthcare clients (new terminology for patients) have their own rights. Under the Act, they have all the rights to know about the charges and treatment procedures.

If they do not feel satisfied with the dentist, there is the “Grievances Mechanism” in clinics to address the issue under the Act.

The writer also said that the dental surgeons were not well versed in drugs.

The second year of dental course covers pharmacology.

In fact, dental surgeons can treat Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (sore throat) that is a common disease treated by medical practitioners.

The third year covers subjects of general surgery and general medicine.

The syllabus clearly shows that dental surgeons are on par with their medical counterparts.

Another accusation by the writer is that implantologists are not well trained and medical GPs can place implants.

This is a joke!

My sincere advice to him is, please look at your backyard.

There are a lot of illegal and incompetent medical practitioners. Try to rectify that.

We have our own professional body to regulate competency.

In conclusion, I feel the writer was wrong in all his statements and figures.

He was too emotional in expressing his opinion and created an increase in dental phobia among dental patients.

One important phenomenon that everyone must realise is that: “What a dentist can do only a dentist can do.”

Dr NEDUNCHELIAN VENGU,
President,
Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners’ Association.

A Reply from A Dentist- Part I

2008-02-17T07:33:00.002+08:00

The Star, February 14, 2008

Get your facts right, doc

MEDICAL Doctor in his letter “Dental visits a pain in the pocket” (The Star, Feb 13) does not even know the duties of a dental surgeon and a dental technician.

A dental surgeon graduates with a “Bachelor of Dental Surgery” degree and is conferred with the title Doctor while a dental student studies anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, dental materials, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, medicine, surgery and all other dental subjects in a dental college.

The RM7,000 to RM9,000 fee is still cheap for a single dental implant. The cost to set up a dental surgery with implantology varies from RM500,000 to RM1mil or more. The material costs and laboratory charges are equally high.

The procedure for doing a dental implant is not simple. It is a high precision procedure and needs lots of training before the dental surgeon can provide such treatment. It is not just a case of cut and fix.

All dental surgeons providing dental implant treatment have undergone intensive training and attended courses and meetings like the latest Osstem Meeting 2007 at KLCC on Nov 25 last year.

Here are my replies to some of the suggestions raised in the letter:

> The Malaysian Dental Council together with the Health Ministry have set the range of dental charges for basic dental treatment under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act. Dental specialist charges have not as yet been imposed.

> All dental surgeons providing dental implants and any other dental treatment quote the treatment charges prior to starting the treatment and patients are forewarned of any other charges that may occur during the procedure should any deviation of treatment arise.

> Technicians are not surgeons. They only fabricate the implants, crowns, bridges, dentures and splints in their laboratories.

> All dental surgeons doing dental implants are fully aware of any medical emergencies that may arise and are well prepared for it. So far, not a single emergency has occurred for a dental surgeon to require a defibrillator, a heart monitor, a pulse oxymeter or an ECG machine.

> Should such a need arise, the dental surgeon will either call for medical help or take the patient himself to the nearest medical centre.

> A dental surgeon providing dental implant treatment has attended courses and is proficient in his expertise. Not all dental surgeons provide dental implant treatment.

Medical Doctor should get his facts correct before alarming the public unnecessarily. If you cannot afford an expensive car, you should buy a cheaper car according to your budget.

The Malaysian dental surgeons are doing a very good service to the public.

DR JASPALL SINGH,
Vice-President,
Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners Association, Kuala Lumpur.

An Open Letter From A Medical Officer

2008-02-17T07:28:00.003+08:00

First there was this ...

The Star, Wednesday February 13, 2008

Dental visits a pain in the pocket

ACCORDING to statistics, about 10% of people who are 55 years and older will begin to lose their teeth. Whatever the cause attributed to each individual, age is the single biggest factor.

Because of our ageing population, the number of people who would become edentulous would be a substantial number. The market is huge.

Many old folks are at the mercy of dental surgeons, especially the ones who now describe themselves as implantologists.

Many of them wear doctor’s coats, carry stethoscopes and insist on being called doctors. They charge by the tooth for every implant. Current prices range from RM7,000 to RM9,000 for the implantation of a tooth. This does not include the cost of the replacement parts, surgery, X-rays, etc.

Hence, for about four to five teeth to be implanted in the average elderly person, the price can come up to RM45,000. This is more than the cost of a complex angioplasty, bypass operation, or a hip replacement.

There seems to be no regulation to control these prices. It is a free market, with dentists, specialists, as well as GPs competing and charging whatever the market can take.

Most older people are poor and have to depend on their relatives. And few family members want to pay these exorbitant charges.

Government specialists, curiously, do not provide teeth implants for most of these unfortunate victims. If they do, it is to learn the technique before leaving government service.

While the cost of private medical care is now regulated and there are guidelines provided by the MMA, implantology is a wide open field with no control. Even the Malaysian Dental council has not tried to exert any control.

The patients who cannot afford implants are given cheap dentures or a mix of implant and a bridge (if they can afford the latter).

Having watched the implantation procedure, I think this is really a simple procedure, most of the time done under direct vision. There are no special tools required.

Most surgically trained medical GPs should be able to learn this procedure very quickly. There will, of course, be some difficult cases which can be left to the specialists.

Dental surgeons, whether specialists or GPs, work in a very narrow field of the human body. From experience, I have learnt that they know little or nothing about the wider spectrum of medicine.

They have no idea about emergencies that may occur with surgery or with drugs.

They do not know anything about cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Because of these weaknesses, I would suggest the following remedial actions:

> The Malaysian Dental Council should investigate and control prices in this dog-eat-dog business. They must impose some discipline to care for poor old people.

> The dental surgeon who calls himself an implantologist should give a written bill to the patient before he starts treatment. He should list all his immediate charges as well as charges for subsequent visits.

> It should be possible to train technicians to do single implants. These technicians should be licensed and also given guidelines on charges. Prices would come down in a free market once you increase the supply.

> Medical emergencies during a dental implant are rare but can happen. Hence it should be mandated that an anaesthetist should be on standby during any implant or surgical procedure done by a dentist.

> The dentist should buy and place in his clinic emergency equipment. This would include a defibrillator, a heart monitor, a pulse oxymetre and an ECG machine.

> The implantologist should be certified, which means going before a panel of peers who will verify if he has the knowledge and skills to perform large volume implantation.

MEDICAL DOCTOR,

Kuala Lumpur.

In Honour of Our Friendship

2008-01-28T02:34:00.000+08:00

I don't usually do tags just as I never pass any chain mail no matter how gross the mail say the consequence would be if I refuse to pass it on.. I just refuse . Mmm... no wonder I haven't got any luck with money all this while.. hmm???
But Astrid, this one is for you .. and I am still thinking whether to do the other tag or not.. too long lah dear..

WHAT IF.....

1. If you can turn back time,when it will be?
No thanks.... I don't have the energy to repeat all those things that I went through..

2. If you can undo things, what it will be?
that would be changing history.. o, i can't do that..

3. If you could go anywhere in the world,where it'll be?
everywhere!

4. If you could see anyone,everyone...who do u want to see/meet?
My former teachers in primary. Cikgu Ow Kam Weng , Teacher Hanizah, Sir Para, Cikgu Nik.... to name a few.. I think I haven't thank them yet..

5. If you have one wish,what it will be?
To .. hey.. maybe you should ask "if you have one wish to be granted" instead ..

Of Blogs and Blogging

2008-01-28T02:04:00.000+08:00

Do you blog?

I do. ( duh... you're reading mine, silly..)

Some friends still don't see the purpose of people blogging. Some make blogs as their personal diary, some make it as their traveling notes, some just use it to burst their thoughts of anger and maybe anguish? into words.. some just want to brush up their writing skills ( I fall into this category) and thousands other reasons..
but whatever the reasons may be, blogging also means you are going public about your private life. Except of course if you choose to make ur blog a private blog where only people you trust can read yours. mm.. maybe I should consider this option later..

The question is... how public can one be? or how private should u keep yourself?

My niece who just started friendster said that she purposely didn't upload any of her pics nor any infos that could lead to her real self in the real world. She's using pseudos which I on the other hand think it defeats the purpose of using friendster for I'm using it to get connected to friends whom I know in the real world. I don't simply accept people I don't know as friends.

As much as I want to tell the world how lousy I felt when things are not quite right with my husband and I.. or how I really want to blog about this certain people who just made my blood pressure shoot way beyond acceptable range, I still refrain myself from doing so in every tiny detail like some people do,... for fear of well.. being too private and too real.

I don't know..
mm maybe I'm just not comfortable when someone in Brazil knows if my husband said something very romantic yesterday, or someone in Russia is reading about how sore my breast is after pumping 2 pint of milk.. (2 pint? gosh..)

These are too private for me to share with you. i can tell you a bit about my life, a bit about my work, and ..

a lot about my thoughts.. this is after all is... a world of my thoughts.

and not a world of my real world...

I don't know, this is me and I am not the same as you

Happy New Year,1429 H

2008-01-10T08:09:00.000+08:00

So, we have survived 10 days of the new Gregorian year. What have you achieved so far? How changed your life has been compared to 2007?

Mine has been quite a 10-days.

First, there was this sex scandal of our minister, which did become one of the juiciest and most talked about in the office. We were surprised that he was still , well, you know, sexually active and the length of 55 minutes was definitely an indication of a sexually very healthy 60 years-old.

But, before the day ended, once again we were surprised to hear his announcement of resignation.

Yes, it was bad of him to engage himself in something horny like that but I still think he made a very good health minister because he really understands the ever so complicated Ministry of Health, in and out. A few of my bosses who has been working at the ministry decades before me also expressed their regret that he had to go because he was to them, the best Health Minister so far. He has served the ministry as a medical officer before and he knew what it was like to work under the ruling of someone who knows very little about the ministry but get the power to make decisions for us.

I think Ministry of Health is one of the most complicated Ministry in the country and one of the most difficult to handle and it needs a damn smart minister to handle it.

Alas, Dr Chua was not as politically smart as those who sent him down, thus he became a victim of the Malaysian political war.

Not long after they managed to remand a few guys for the sex dvd of our former minister, another pervert was reportedly lurking near the ladies in our block. It happened to one of the clerks in our department. It was about 3 in the afternoon when she went to the loo to ease her gall bladder. Suddenly she saw a hand holding a digital camera coming from beneath the toilet door she was in.

And how panicked she was, only she and God knows.

How would you feel if the same thing happens to you?

Why on earth would anyone wants to snap pictures of people peeing??

How low can one go??

One thing that refuse to go low is of course the price of goods.

One week into the new year we are already out of cooking oil. Definitely there are culprits who are hiding the goods from the public for their own benefits. I wonder what sort of problems we have to face when the Chinese New Year comes. I can imagine the price of chickens and certain veges shooting sky high. And the government will do the annual event of promising to do this and that and then everything will be forgotten as time passes and resurface again when the election is just around the corner.

But of course 2008 is not all about scandals and perverts. There are good news too, you know. Well, the housing allowance has been raised although to an amount that is still considered absurd judging on the current rent rates especially in the Klang Valley, still, it helps.
And the best news is, the raise of the critical allowance! Yay!!! Hip-hip, hooray!!!!

And today, on the new year for Muslims, I wish there will be good things ahead for everyone.

As much as I love the idea of being free to say things that you have in mind, I loath all people who never thought of what effects do their words have on others. I despise to see people go crazy and start killing or tormenting each other for the sake of say, freedom of speech or equality.I still want to enjoy going to the mall without worrying of booby traps or being shot or blown up by suicide bombers.

Lets just face it o' humble subjects of kingdom of Malaya, there will never be strict equality for everyone. We just can't have it all, can't have it all...... Who in their right mind would think that things will get better if we change the government? I truly doubt it. Well, things will definitely change, but for better or for worse, that is too subjective because no government in this world is supported by it's people, 100 %. So, there will always be people who won't be satisfied, there will always be people who grumble. And the cycle will go on and on and on and on........

Anyway, Salam Ma'al Hijrah y'all.

謹賀新年

2008-01-01T07:08:00.000+08:00

2008!

2008-01-01T07:05:00.000+08:00

Scrolllock and associates
would like to wish everybody a very happy new year and may this year bring
lots and lots of joy to all.

月灯りふんわり落ちてくる夜

2007-12-30T23:16:00.000+08:00

月灯りふんわり落ちてくる夜は
貴方のことばかり
考えても考えてもつきることもなく
月灯りふんわり落ちてくる夜は
貴方と２人きり
海のはてへと続く月の路歩きたい

南風がほほをなでてく
やさしい手のひらのように
体中が貴方色した
夕闇にそまりそうで

風にのせ伝えたい
そんな想い１人抱きしめる

月灯りふんわり落ちてくる夜は
せつない言葉だけ
何度でも何度でもくりかえす波のように
ありふれた小さな恋の物語
エピローグだけみたい
まっ白なページに笑顔のあなたがほしい

会わないでいられる恋なら
いっそ気楽でいいよね
新しい朝がくるたびに
ため息で夢がおわる

風にのせ伝えたい
そんな想い１人抱きしめる

月灯りふんわり落ちてくる夜は
貴方のことばかり
考えても考えてもつきることもなく
月灯りふんわり落ちてくる夜は
貴方と２人きり
海のはてへと続く月の路歩きたい

小川七生

Crayon Shin Chan ending theme song

So, You Want To Be A Dentist?

2007-12-25T23:12:00.000+08:00

This one's for all budding dentists to be who are currently doing their BDS, DDS, LDS etc..and wish to come back to work in Malaysia. ( This applies to Malaysian citizens ONLY. Non Malaysians, ask and I'll post a different entry.. if I have the time and feel like doing so)

Well, I consider this as a service to the Malaysian dental community.

Someone named 'faez' posted a comment on my latest entry asking about working as a dentist in Malaysia. I hope this will answer your questions.

First and foremost, you must make sure that your degree is recognised by the Malaysian Dental Council. If it is not.. I don't see the point of you coming back. There are several types of registration and some requires you to be a trainee dentist first before you can fully register.

Well, I hope my past experience is still valid but this was what I had to go through , not so long ago.

I first headed to the Public Service Department to get a recognition letter for my DDS. If you are a scholarship holder, they will also hand you a letter saying how many years you have to serve the country or more popularly know as 'bond to the government'.

And then, together with the PSD letter and other documents like your original degree, translation of your degree if it is not in Malay or English , mykad,.. shoot.. I don't remember what else, ...?? Nevermind that, you can always call the MDC and ask. Well with the original documents, a copy of each documents which have been verified by any penghulu or government servants grade U41 and above , any govt dentist can do this for you, and postal order/money order of mm RM 150?? ( you have to reconfirm all these details later ok?), now you can go and register yourself as a dentist.

And of course you have to apply to work for the government through the Public Service Commission. You can also apply through the internet. Then , they will call you for interview. In my case, I called and asked for the nearest date available for interview.

Make sure you are well prepared for the interview. Some people think dentists are badly needed in the country they came to the interview unprepared. And guess what, they failed the interview.

That was the easy part.

Now please read carefully what I am about to write next. This is very important and please hammer all these facts into your head and never let it leave you or you will be in deep trouble.

Please be aware that dentists and dental practice in this country shall abide by certain rules and regulations. And one of the most important one for newly registered dentist is- the dental act 1971 with amendment in 2001 clearly stating that all dentists who are registered in Malaysia after June 2001 ( I don't remember the exact date) shall go through compulsory service for the period of 3 years, uninterrupted. Read: once you have registered, you must start service immediately and you can't break the service and serve the government continuously for 3 years unless you have a written permission from the Minister of Health. That also means that you can only pursue your post graduate studies AFTER the 3 years. And if you are granted unpaid leaves due to unavoidably strong reasons, your compulsory service term will be extended to the same year, months and days of the unpaid leaves that you take.

If you fail to abide by this rule, your name will be struck off from the register which means, by law, you can't practise in this country anymore. Well of course the MDC people will try their best to hunt you down and persuade you to finish you 3 years compulsory service. Oh yeah.. when I say compulsory service, that means you are to work for the Ministry of Health only. If you wish to work for other Government agencies like the armed forces or the universities, you will have to ask the permission of the Director General of Health first. Please do not blindly work at especially the universities without a written permission from the DG!

After you can accept the fact that you have to serve the government non stop for 3 years, now come the 2nd thing that you really have to pay attention to.

Posting.

I have been told by a reliable source that dental officers are being treated too nicely when it comes to first posting. According to the source, if it is a medical officer, she will not even be asked to name 3 states she that she prefers to be transfered too. They just post her to wherever there is a vacant post.

So, far, for dental officers, (dentists in the public service are called dental officers)
well, dental officers are usually asked to name 3 states that she hopes/wishes to be posted to. Her posting will be considered based on a lot of things.. priority is of course the necessity then the officer's welfare like family, health and so on so forth. But sometimes you just can't satisfy everybody. Somebody has to go and serve other states beside KL, Selangor, N9, Perak, Penang, Melaka & Johor. And if that somebody happens to be you, please... for god sake, just go! It's not like you are going to be there forever, you can always ask for a transfer later. And I think it is wise not to use politics and start pulling strings ( or the more famous malay phrase for it.. 'main cable') to get the place that you want. Imagine this, if everyone starts pulling.. then things won't move also right?

Just some points to ponder upon.

A lot of public dentists are female
Of those female dentists, a lot of them are married.
Of those married female dentists, most of their husbands are working /staying in the Klang Valley.

Go figure.

Once you are posted, you are required to fill in some log books. We do not have housemanship but we have a First Year Dental Officer Programme or FYDO where you must do or observe certain procedures and get signatures from the supervising dental specialists. Usually, you will have to be attached to specialists available in your state on rotation basis,for the period of about one year.

The first 3 years might seem tough to some but once you have managed to go through it, then there are quite a lot of things the government can offer which the private do not have.
But of course there are lots and lots of things to consider before we make the next move.
But, no need to worry about that, finish the compulsory service first. Nothing beats the experience you get from the compulsory service, seriously.

Anyway I wish all of you guys all the best in your studies and don't forget to also have fun while doing so.

Life is not just about Dentistry and Dentistry alone.

For more information, you may also visit

the Oral Health Division

or

the Malaysian Dental Council

or

the Public Service Commission

or

the Ministry of Health

you might find difficulties sometimes to access the sites. Server problems.

Disclaimer
Scrolllock is a personal blog and does not represent any government body or agency. Scrolllock shall not be held responsible for any damages done by information obtained from this entry , or any other entry for that matter....

Free Giff , everyone!

2007-12-07T11:17:00.000+08:00

Am just wondering.. is this spelled wrongly on purpose or is it because they simply just can't spell the word gift correctly... i wonder which one is it... mm?

From Conjunctivitis to Sinusitis

2007-12-07T11:09:00.000+08:00

And today, this is how my eyes look like. Syasya generously donated her conjunctivitis to me which was made worse when the infection went to my sinuses and clogged my sinuses which if left untreated , can lead to bronchitis and then an asthma attack.. again..
Thank god.. this time not only i followed all the medications schedule but i also took the doctor's advice to stay and rest at home. So here i am, home, recuperating from all the *itis and concentrating on my blogging skills...( as if i have any... )

Nebulizer oh Nebulizer!

2007-12-07T11:01:00.000+08:00

This was me last month , worst attack ever.. but i think i looked ..mm not so bad ...
This is why i want to live in somewhere like the place they have in the Sound of Music.. ahh.. the hills are aliiive... huk huk.. *cough..

Sutong Chelok Ttepong @ Pata Telok Ketapang

2007-12-07T09:39:00.000+08:00

Aghi ni seghe nok tulih dalang bahasa tghanung lah pulok.. .. tapi ghasenye susoh lah nok tulih dalang bahase tghanung sebak caghe sebok die kadang tu susoh nok eja biar bunyi molek .. dok tau la.. nok kkabor dok gheti..

Tapinye.. kali ning nok cite sikek pasa sutong chelok ttepong dekak pata telok ketapang.. dekak je nge airport llage bating.. first taing gi tera makang ssitu suami bowok.. setakat ni rasanya kalu nok banding nge tepak laing .. ssitu ah sedak sekali.. keda dia.. nama menda dok ingat la pulok.. khepok gote pong sedak.. ikang goreng ttepong die pong sedak.. mmm... maghi la tera sekali..

Rase2 kalu ade tepak hok buleh lawang keda ning.. kkabor la etek kite.. buleh gi tera..

Dang ambik gambo sutong je.. hok laing dok dang pasa sibok nok makang..

Kalu tepak awok makang tu ada napok laut ginning.. ye lah tu.. keda sama la tu..

Sedaknya !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Met Joe Black

2007-11-10T00:22:00.000+08:00

Nah... I just wanted to catch your attention there, gotcha! Neither have i met Brad Pitt nor the Death Angel himself ,not yet.. and don't know when.. and don't think so i would be able to live to blog about it...Anyway, the title should actually be.. I just watched "Meet Joe Black".For the 3rd time i think.. But.. what the heck.. now that i've gotcha..

Not that i am interested in the fantasy sort of things like.. well, you know, such a good looking death angel who actually mm.. i shall use the word 'lusted' ( ooh.. how dare him!!) over a girl whose father's soul he was supposed to take to eternity. Y not 'love'? u may ask,... well.. as the father (who is one of my favourite actor but his name totally slipped my mind right now... urgh.. me n my mini amnesia.. ) said...

" Is it really love? Have you told her who you are? Would she still love you f she knows? It is not called love. Your are being selfish, You take whatever you like without thinking of what the other person thinks.. that is not called love"
excuse me there.. i just jumbled up the sentences that Bill Parrish said to Joe Black in no particular order..

Anyway, again.. after such a lenghty opening... this is not what i wanted to highlight on tonight's entry. *sigh....

Actually, I cried. Yes .. I cried watching that movie.. not during the first and the 2nd time.. but tonight.. watching the movie..alone ( halfway, i watched it with my daughter who was not interested at all with the movie!)

It reminded me of my father. Who is now 70 years old, and is ill.. i know he is.. he's not telling.. but i know.. his heart is giving him problems everyday.. his BP is not helping either.. what more with the diabetes that he has.. he takes medicine now more than he takes his rice.The thought of him bearing the pain every morning, every night makes me feel like crying all day...I really love my father.. but I don't know whether he knows that I love him very much or not.

He has been an extra loving father to especially me.. and i knew it and i've used that advantage against my 3 elder sisters when i was growing up. My father was 40 years old when I was born. He was done with the spanking, scolding and yelling at his children that he adopted a new way to raise a child. He called it.. 'gune saikoloji'.. yup.. that was his favourite phrase.. use psychology to raise a child. He believed that nurturing a child and listening to what that child wants and not to scold her immediately and try to use other methods to overcome whatever problems or mess she created.. will help mould the child to grow up and become a smarter person. A person who is not afraid to try. A person who could become anything her heart wants her to..

Well, admittedly, it also spoiled me .. a bit.. ( huh??? a bit??? this is what my sisters will say when they read this entry, i bet ya). But i have to say.. he was right after all.. it did help me be where i am now. No offense teachers.. but to me.. my father who was only standard six educated ( or was it five?) is the greatest teacher in my entire life. He gave me the confidence i never had.
He gave me the shove i had always needed. But he was always careful not to shove too hard for he knows that might make me fall... He always try to listen to my problems although i know that most of the times.. especially starting from secondary school, he couldn't understand a thing i said. He was always interested in whatever it was that i did... He would eagerly listen to all my stories when i went back home from my school breaks..He always tried to give me everything i asked although sometimes he knew it was too much for him and sometimes he could not afford it.. but he never said no. I f only i knew better at that time.. i wouldn't have been such a brat. I would have listened more to my sisters and wouldn't have pushed him too hard.

I still remember he used to carry me to the bedroom because i always fell asleep in front of the tv . Up until i was 10 when he gave up and had to wake me up and made me go to bed myself.. i was too heavy for him then.. and believe it or not.. i have never used public transport back in my hometown for my father would drive me around anytime, anywhere i wanted to go, in his old, second hand toyota corolla..

When i told him that i was going to japan for my first degree.. and the course is for 6 years..
He was stunned.. he was shocked.. I could tell from his eyes, I knew he didn't want me to go that far.. but he never said no, you can't go.. One day.. a few moths before i left for tokyo.. he whispered.. " what if I die when you are overseas.. u will come back for my funeral, right?"
And only god knows how hard i cried that night... i almost cancelled it and decided to continue locally instead.. but then when i saw the gleams in his eyes when he talked to the village folks about her beloved daughter going to tokyo to study to become a dentist... when i saw how proud he was... when i listened to his voice.. i knew.. he was actually very happy for me.. he was just afraid that he won't see me again after i leave for my studies...

He drove all the way from Terengganu to come and fetch me at KLIA in April 2003 after I came back with my DDS. I was a bit surprised to see that he has grown very old.. although the last time i saw him was in 2001 when i went home during semester break. But he was grinning ear to ear to see me.. tears welled in his eyes. He was the sensitive one in the family. Even far more sensitive than my mother.

Little did i know that over the 2 years from 2001 to 2003.. he actually underwent an operation for his heart condition. He never told me.. and warned the rest of the family not to tell me.. he didn't want to disturb my studies.

When I started work, he was very busy finding a house and even a car for me. By then I was 25, I knew already that my father was not a rich man and i knew he could not afford it... but he insisted.. He was afraid of my safety. He knew i had to do calls and stuff.. he wanted to make sure i have everything i need to work safely and comfortable. Not long after that, I got married. Right after that, ayah seemed to stop looking after me anymore... When I mentioned anything.. he would just say.. discuss it with your husband..

But until now.. i have a 2 year old daughter and is happily ( although sometimes i do feel like kicking my husband in the butt.. ) married.. i still feel that deep down ayah's heart.. he still wants to care.. he just doesn't want to overdo it. He will call us regularly.. sometimes without knowing what to say..

So, when I saw Meet Joe Black, i thought of my own father.. will i ever be ready for that kind of thing? I know.. maybe it's me who will go first.. but let's not talk about that possibility now..
I don't know.. i have always tried to be prepared just in case.. but only thinking about it made gallons of tears poured down my cheek.No matter how natural it is to die of old age.. i don't think so i will ever be ready to see my father go... no..

Ayah.. if only u can read this..

i want you to know that you are the greatest father one could ever have.. yes we had our ups and downs ayah is not an angel.. he has his weaknesses.. i hate the fact that you are a heavy smoker... and i know that you have been a casanova when you were young , always leaving mom in tears .. trying to go after some other women.. even until when i was in the university.. ( so my sisters said..) But in the end.. you came back to us.. and.. you didn't really do something stupid.. you were just.. being... well.. a man.... a li'l bit naughty though....

I want you to know.. you will always be in my heart and only god knows how much i love you, ayah!. Please forgive me for everything that i did.. you have never done anything that need you to apologise from me. In fact, I need to thank you for being the best father ever. I hope you will have a very happy and healthy days ahead.. I wish you will be free from worries and problems..
And my prayers ayah.. that Allah will let both of us go to heaven if we die.

Your beloved daughter,
HR.

The Art Of Staying Connected

2007-10-23T23:48:00.001+08:00

How wonderful it is nowadays that we could reach almost everyone, anywhere anytime , provided we have the right tools.. Well, thanks to stuff like Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Mixi,Flickr, Yahoo, Gmail n countless other networking and www online sharing thingy..

Recently, i was able to contact an old friend whom i met in Tokyo during the 2001 APDSA or was it 2002?? Anyway, She is now practising dentistry in Indonesia and just got married...

Another lovely surprise came from Dr SY Lau.. a dear old friend from college days.. She is currently working in the USA as a medical specialist.... She helped me a lot during my first 2 years in TMDU.. I just randomly invited some names in my address book to join friendster and facebook.. and she replied to the invitation mail..

Although there are times when i felt that i wanted to be left alone in my own world.. but there are times when i want to reach out to my friends and listen to their stories and maybe reminisce about the old days.. And now is the time that I want to know what's going on with my friends all over the world..

So, if u r one of them.. do drop me aline.. and if u do have any of the account listed above... please add me as your friend.

Oh yeah.. forewarning though.. i may not be consistent in updating and responding.. but that doesn't mean that i forgot all about u guys!

lastly, before the seasons end..

happy hari raya y'all..

Sebab tu laaa....

2007-09-13T02:16:00.000+08:00

It's been a week full of frustration for me. Come on, people expect us to deliver but how could we if there are always people of so called importance always meddle with our work??? U tell me!!!
Oh.. anyway, the next sentence onward is going to be in malay, in honor of the Bulan Bahasa & Sastera Kebangsaan 2007 ( Which no one in my office knew about it.. sad huh? working at the administrative centre but doesn't know about what's going on in the country... )

Saya mulakan sekali lagi tulisan kali ini dengan satu pertanyaan.

Apa itu amanah dalam bekerja?

Saya telah mula berkhidmat di sini sejak 4 bulan yang lalu. Pada mulanya saya datang dengan penuh semangat dan hati yang ikhlas untuk berkhidmat sebagai kakitangan kerajaan yang bersih, cekap dan amanah. Azam saya ialah untuk menghapuskan pandangan negatif masyarakat terhadap stigma perkhidmatan awam.

Umum tahu bahawa perkhidmatan awam sering dipandang rendah oleh kebanyakan orang awam. Kenapa? Perlukah saya mengulas lanjut? Baiklah.. untuk kebaikan mereka yang masih kabur tentang perkara ini.

Perkhidmatan awam dikatakan lemah dalam sistem penyampaian terutama nya perkhidmatan. Perkhidmatan awam sering dikaitkan dengan dengan rasuah, kroni, orang dalam, kurang mesra, lambat, karenah birokrasi dan pelbagai lagi imej negatif. Walaupun kerajaan kebalakangan ini mewar-warkan pelbagai slogan dan kempen bagi mengatasi masalah tersebut, sejauh manakah ianya dipatuhi oleh lebih 1 juta kakitangannya?

Kali ini saya merasa sangat terpanggil untuk menulis mengenai amanah.

Apabila menyebut tentang amanah, kita selalunya membayangkan polis atau jpj menerima duit kopi , ataupun kes ahli lembaga pengarah pecah amanah.. atau pun kes ahli politik wang.. tapi itu adalah secara kasar..
secara halusnya..
bagaimana dengan kes ini?

Pegawai bawahan A ditugaskan untuk menguruskan pertukaran dan penempatan pegawai di kementeriannya. Selama ini terlalu ramai pegawai dari seluruh malaysia yang menghubungi pegawai tersebut dengan harapan permohonan masing-masing akan diluluskan dengan kadar yang segera. Pegawai A menerangkan kepada setiap orang bahawa mereka perlu mengikut prosedur yang ditetapkan. Kenapa perlu ikut prosedur?? Kerana- ini adalah untuk kepentingan perkhidmatan. Sekiranya semua orang dibenarkan bertukar sesuka hati, bayangkan kesan yang akan dihadapi oleh perkhidmatan yang ditawarkan dan akhirnya akan melibatkan masyarakat setempat.

Tapi sayangnya, masih ramai pegawai-pegawai kerajaan yang ego dan mementingkan diri sendiri dan merasakan masalah dirinya adalah masalah terhebat di dunia lantas menggunakan cara kotor untuk memastikan permohonannya diluluskan.

Pernahkah mereka ini terbayang kesannnya kepada perkhidmatan????. Ini akan menimbulkan masalah dalam penyampaian perkhidmatan secara langsung dan secara tidak langsung pula akan menimbulkan rasa tidak puas hati kepada pegawai lain yang bagaikan si dungu menunggu giliran untuk ditukarkan. Dan tentu sekali ianya satu masalah kepada saya untuk menerangkan kepada pegawai-pegawai lain kenapa si polan dan si anu dapat ditukarkan tanpa mengikut prosedur?? Pegawai -pegawai ini adalah dari golongan profesional. Mereka tidak akan dapat menerima jawapan seperti ' Oh.. si polan tu ada kabel., abang dia somebody, bapak dia kenal orang , oh.. bapak dia pengarah la! dsb.. '!!

Kesannya.. ini akan menebalkan rasa tak puas hati dan tertindas pegawai dan meningkatkan kebarangkalian mereka meningglkan perkhidmatan kerajaan dan berkhidmat dengan swasta. Ini adalah satu kerugian besar kepada kerajaan kerana mereka adalah aset penting. Jutaan ringgit telah dibelanjakan kerajaan untuk menyara pengajian mereka dan kerana sikap tidak amanah sesetengah pihak, masyarakat kerugian.

Tetapi, apa yang menguatkan rasa kesal saya adalah, yang mengamalkan sikap tolong kroni ini adalah bukan ketua yang tertinggi, tetapi mereka yang dibawahnya. Menteri sudah pesan jangan guna kabel demi kepentingan perkhidmatan tetapi menteri tidak tahu apa yang terjadi. Menteri tidak tahu yang ketua bahagian sekian, pengarah sekian, setiausaha bahagian sekian menggunakan kuasanya untuk bertindak di luar prosedur dan menolong sedara mara, sahabat handai dan rakan taulannya.Alhamdulillah , menteri sekarang belum pernah lagi masuk campur dalam urusan-urusan ini.

Persoalannya di sini.

Bagaimana dengan mereka yang hanya lah anak orang kebanyakan yang tidak punya kenalan di pihak pengurusan tinggi??? Siapa yang akan membela nasib mereka??
Harus di ingat setiap yang memohon mempunyai alasan yang kukuh dan sebab tersendiri.

Saya akan ingat mereka dan saudara mara mereka yang tidak amanah ini hingga ke akhir hayat.. untuk pengajaran dan peringatan kepada diri sendiri.

Saya tahu.. mungkin ada yang berkata, kalau tak pakai kabel, tak dilayan.

Pemikiran ini lah yang harus dibuang!!!!!

Kerana anda telah mengulang semula kitaran yang tidak sihat. Yang paling saya sedih, 100% kes kroni yang saya lihat adalah melibatkan kaum saya sendiri.

Kita melenting jika kaum kita dipersenda, kita melenting jika perkhidmatan awam dikeji, tetapi kita tidak berusaha untuk membaikkan keadaan.

Pesanan saya.. sekiranya anda berada di posisi yang berkuasa, ingatlah.. jangan menindas orang lain, dan jangan menolong kroni hanya kerana mereka kroni anda. Kaji lah dahulu alasan mereka. Dan kepada semua pegawai .. ingatlah.. nama pun pegawai awam, berkhidmatlah untuk orang awam. Sekiranya tak mampu, berhenti. Ni tidak.. nak kerja dengan kerajaan, nak cuti banyak, nak bonus, nak naik pangkat , nak cepat sambung belajar .. semuanya nakkkk.... tetapi tidak mahu menyumbang kepada masyarakat di pedalaman. eeeeee... geram!

saya akhiri dengan satu lagi pertanyaan.

Amanahkah anda????????????????????????????????????????

Shoot!!

2007-08-29T12:06:00.000+08:00

I forgot to blog about that meme I read on k. ruby's blog..
urgh.. n to think that by leaving clinical work and opting for office work will leave me more time to blog.... amainaa..( japanese word)

Blogging @ 1 am

2007-07-23T01:19:00.000+08:00

My husband sounded angry when he woke up to have a drink and found me still facing the computer, blogging at this hour.

I can't help it. I am not good at being constant .. so I can't be doing it regularly.... so when i have the time to blog, I'll blog till my eyes drop.. ( read: till i feel very sleepy and can't lift 'em eyelids anymore).

I guess I'll have to call it a night now..

I work at an office from 8:00 to 5:00.. just in case some people think bloggers are unemployed.

I will try to blog about this one meme I read on K. Ruby's blog.. when? .. Only god knows.
Till then... thank you for visiting this world of mine.

Fuss Over SP

2007-07-23T00:57:00.000+08:00

Forewarning: SP doesn't stand for Sungai Petani..

Anyway, I remember the whole dorm was punished because of a used SP in the pantry ( was that small room between our dorms in the main block called pantry? Someone help... I can't remember)
The seniors ( fifth formers) accused us for being unhygienic and not civic minded to do such a thing and locked the 30 strong of us into that small room. With the stench and pong of the unwashed laundries .. we were forced to stay there for more than an hour because nobody confessed of being the culprit. At last they asked us to make a straight line from that small room to the toilet's dustbin and made us pass that used SP ,by hand, no gloves allowed, into the dustbin. It was gross then, and I still find it gross now.

What I actually want to share here is.. we had an unfair trial!
And we were punished unfairly just because we were the youngest.
Actually, that small room was shared between 2 dorms.. One is us... the first formers.. and the other dorm was occupied by the 4th formers.

My question to the dearest seniors who did that to us..

" Were the occupants of the other dorm exempted from the embarrassment just because they were seniors? Or did you seriously think they were not involved at all????"

If you are reading this and this somehow triggered some old memory in the back of your brain shelf, please.. feed me with some answers.

be honest

the story:

SHOCKING PUNISHMENT: Cold, dirty penalty over sanitary pad
By : Dennis Wong and Nancy Nais

The students enduring their punishment in the muddy pond. — Picture courtesy of Borneo Post

KUCHING: Two hundred schoolgirls of a boarding school were forced to squat, neck-deep, in a murky pond after a used sanitary pad was found in a toilet bowl.
The girls were in the pond for an hour during heavy rain while the warden, who meted out the punishment, stood under an umbrella to supervise the punishment.

The punishment, which was described as "improper", is being investigated by the Education Ministry.

The shocking event at SMK Bawang Assan was captured on camera by the school’s parent-teacher association chairman Jimmy Kiu at 5pm on Wednesday.

Seeing Kiu taking photographs, the warden ordered the girls out of the pond.
By then, several of them complained of itchiness and rashes. Several were also reportedly ill after the incident.

Kiu claimed none of the school officials came to check the situation despite these complaints.

Most of the 500 students in Form One to Five are from the interior areas of Sungei Pasin, Batang Lassa, Nanga Singat, Sungei Lengang, Sungei Belangan and Tanjung Bekakap.

The students from the co-ed school go home on weekends.

"This kind of punishment is inhumane. And it is all over a used sanitary pad in a toilet bowl," Kiu said.

"The water in the pond is dirty as waste from the canteen flows straight into it."

A school official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the warden decided to punish all the female students after no one owned up to leaving the used pad in the toilet bowl.

"I think the warden was angry as it is expensive to fix a clogged toilet," Kiu said.

Sarawak Teachers’ Union president William Ghani Bina expressed his uneasiness with the disciplinary measure applied by the warden.

"The warden’s intentions may have been good, but she should have followed the guidelines on disciplining students," William said.

"Teachers are humans, too. This warden may have gone overboard in instilling discipline."

William did not, however, put all the blame on the warden.

He said the student concerned should also take responsibility.

"This incident would not have occurred if school regulations were followed. There are proper bins to dispose of used sanitary pads."

Sibu deputy police chief Superintendent Zamani Hamdan said they had yet to receive any report over the incident.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/20070722072045/Article/index_html

I Am Not Your Average Malaysian!

2007-07-23T00:27:00.000+08:00

Why? You may ask..

Because I have read more than what the average Malaysian read in a year.
So far I've finished reading 4 books and am in the middle of reading 4 or 5... ( and it's only July, mind you.. *grin*)
and I am going to add a new one to the list.. Of course.. the boy wizard book! But I will patiently wait until the commotion is over and will slowly read it at my own pace.

Meanwhile, I will try to finish this first..

I like this book and there are several chapters that I could relate to my own Malaysian stories.But I'd better finish reading it first before writing a review on it.

These are the other books I am also currently trying to finish..

pics are coutesy of

http://www.fusionview.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/honk.jpg
http://www.mph.com.my
http://www.malaysiainsuranceguide.com/images/New%20insurance%20book%20Cover%20Image.JPG
http://www.kinibooks.com/images/i%20am%20muslim.jpg
http://a0.vox.com/6a00c225256c85f21900cdf7e53160094f-500pi
http://mpus.com/images/stop_worrying_and_start_living.gif

This Thing About Old Boys..

2007-07-22T23:24:00.001+08:00

I just finished reading this

That actually brought my memory to this

which I read months ago but never had the time to write a review on it.

Both are written by MCKK old boys. I am not a good writer so I don't really have that talent to twist the words ( althought I can twist balloons,now... :)) and certainly not the talent to write a good review on these two books... but I really have to say what's on my mind right now.

Born and raised at the turn of the millennium ( if u consider the late 70's as the starting point of the turn of a new millennium.. ), into a moderate muslim parents, and families who tried their best to abide by the rules of the religion ( kindly note the word 'tried' which translates into: 'we are not perfect!' Ok?).. I found the stories told by my old friends who happened to be old boys themselves were rather .. hard to believe.

For example..

Most Old boys .. especially the very old ones.. are avid liquor lover and will go to any extent to get them served during the OB weekends. To the extent of having the principal transfered if he didn't do as they say .

Most Old boys only perform the mass prayers like Fridays and Tarawikhs.. and not the daily 5.

I doubted what he said because my mom's little brother is an old boy himself ( judging from his age, which is 57 this year.. most probably he was there in the 60's.) and I can assure you he is not like my OB friend claimed most of the OBs are like.

But after reading these 2 books.. I can see that these OBs( In this case,I take Dato' Hamid and friends as OBs , not Kam Raslan ).... do drink and actually love to drink. Not only that,they also gambled , had free sex, and a list of other things that are forbidden by the religion. No.. don't jump into the conclusion and start sending me hate mails and malicious comments on my blog ( which I won't approve, anyway.. ). I am not trying to say that all MC OBs are like that, not worthy as muslims or things like that .Only the Almighty could decide whether someone is a good muslim or not..

But when it comes to pork. Suddenly one is a muslim again. Isn't that funny? What is it with I am a muslim so I don't eat pork but hey.. that Dom Perignon is marvelous! A woman who covers herself are kampung -ish and backward.. under-educated.. bla bla bla.. But when they are married they want their wives to dress decently. Religion lies in the heart.. no need to show .. but why do u need real food to fulfill your empty stomach? Isn't thinking about it alone is enough?

I just don't get it.

Me..

Don't understand.. especially when these kind of people sometimes try to preach about religion to us..And when these people quoting verses from the Quran and hadiths.. and sometimes quoting the prophet s.a.w and when these people trying to impose the new Islamic views on us.. Since when do we actually have new and old Islamic views? aren't we supposed to believe in ONE God? To follow One Prophet's teaching?

Just what the heck is going on with us muslims? Or is it just us.. Malayans who refused to have the connection to the British cut after independence , hence keeping the tie through this method?

sigh*

Btw, I believe the Old Boys days are almost coming to its end..

now it's time for the Old Girls!! Yeah baby..

ps: all nasty comments are not welcomed and will be deleted by me, so please don't you even try to send one..

pps: Confessions of an old boy was a good read. very entertaining indeed. Go buy one! If u want to borrow mine.. just ring or sms me.. limited only to those who have my phone number..
A Malaysian Journey.. well.. was Rehman Rashid's journey and has almost nothing to do with me although I am also a Malaysian. Not a single point where I could say.. "ha-a la... I agree.. ". If u are a fan of him.. It's good to read it.. and if u r into literature... this is also a good one. I had to flip through my dictionary for quite a number of times searching for the meaning of certain words.. too beautiful for my simple English standard.

pics are courtesy of
1-http://tedmahsun.blogspot.com/2007/05/review-confessions-of-old-boy-by-kam.html
2-http://www.silverfishbooks.com

I have A New Hobby!

2007-07-22T23:03:00.000+08:00

I am sooo into balloon art now!

They are economical because balloons are cheap and air is free. Practical in the sense that not only I like it but my daughter is also enjoying the fruit of my twisting labor.

My First Twist
This poodle's nose is too long but hey, not bad for a first time huh? And I didn't even pop any balloon in the process of twisting this baby.

My 2nd Twist
This is supposed to be a giraffe although my husband kept saying it looked like a poodle with an elongated neck. That man has no heart for arts. Sigh*

My 3rd Twist
This poodle is sooo cute u feel like grabbing that phone and order one for yourself , right??!
My best twist so far.

A Happy Customer

I really need to expand my skill and start twisting other things beside poodles or this customer of mine will turn into one and start barking and biting for something new.

Anyone know where to get books on balloon art?

ps: Searched at MPH but they don't have it.. at least not the MPH store I went to yesterday.

No Wonder Smokers Are Reluctant To Let Go Of Their Smoky Sticks

2007-07-22T22:50:00.000+08:00

Dan??

Shoot! What is that supposed to mean? Dato' Seri Dr Chua..... some help here please..

Upside Down

2007-07-22T22:46:00.000+08:00

I wonder what is the view like from this car driver's eyes.

In the Wrong Business

2007-06-16T22:28:00.000+08:00

1 month has passed since i moved to P town from B town. What i like about this P town is.. it's so damn near to where we are currently renting.
And i don't have to do calls anymore. I purposely refused my lecturers' advice which was to do medicine.. because i hate getting work calls after office hour. To me, having to get up in the middle of the night to go and sew people's face because they were too drunk to see that the road actually bended is really a pain in the butt.

Just FYI, most call cases I attended so far were either due to drunk drivers or drunk men fighting and injuring each other.
Little did i know when i joined the service that i had to do calls as well.
At least now, I am temporarily safe from that ... But I really have to pursuit something.. a specialty i mean.. or else when i am out of this place, i will have to do calls again.. urghhh.

Now that, is my main concern, or rather , my main problem.

I am currently attending a 3 day convention at Sunway ... but the more i learned about the industry... the more i feel i am in the wrong business. So, if i basically do not like what i am suppose to be.. how, please , tell me how.. can i go further?

I have other options like.. go private and make money$$$. But i don't want to take the risk because going private actually really means business.. and a softie ( i am soft hearted.. only u don't know about it.. ok.. laugh all u want but it's true!!!)like me has no place in the business world.

Maybe i should just continue doing whatever it is that i am doing and try to enjoy the joy of life God has given me so far...

Let the main breadwinner do his job first. I'll see what I can do when the time comes..

Yeah.. when the time comes.

Sean Ghazi - A man of his words!

2007-06-01T00:11:00.000+08:00

I came back from Terengganu yesterday and found this in my mail box!

I opened the envelope with great care and there was another envelope

Inside this red packet.. was a lovely red package with a postcard.

Inside the red package was this..

Come on, by now you should know there's a CD inside.. no need for me to tell what's inside the cd case la huh..

Such a sweet guy this SG is.. Not only he's multi talented, but he's also sweet kan?

At first , well you know , he got several nominations during the last AIM and actually surprised a lot of people because he got only the best new artiste award. The crowd expected that he would get more. Meaning- he was the favourite or shall i say popular . And became more popular and well known after winning that award. ( Btw, if u r reading this and still don't have the slightest idea who SG is, either u r not from Malaysia or u have been living under the tempurung (coconut shell) all this while.)

But this is the proof that he actually remembered, and kept his words.
You have my respect for that!

A review of the album:

Concept- It's unique.. not like the usual local album u can find in the market
Music- Pleasant, nostalgic, yet refreshing.
Voice- I like it.
Favourites:- Lets never stop falling in love or it's malay version- ku impikan bintang

Personally, i find the song 'dengar ini cerita' kinda horny... i know i am married and have a daughter , and too old to feel shy about the story but.. i dunno, i felt a bit 'malu' listening to that song..'malu' as in blushing kind of 'malu' . Y? I have no idea.

For those who love P ramlee-ish or you can say Michael Buble-ish if u want to ( I'm sorry, my music vocabulary is not that good, mind the improper choice of terms, and words. I wanted to say it more beautifully.. but, alas.....).. I highly recommend this album for you to enjoy.

Even to those who are not sure whether they like it or not.. give it a try..
Those who do not like it.. get outta here you.. you..!

Last but not least, many many thanks toMr Sean Ghazi for being such a generous man and took all the trouble to send this signed CD, FOC , to someone you barely know.

And not forgetting Kak Ruby Ahmad for playing fairy god mother and made it happen.

You guys rock!

ps: for the real blur ones.. (I copy-pasted from wikipedia.)

Sean Ghazi (born 4 April 1969, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) is a Malaysian actor, singer and dancer.

Ghazi is best known for appearing in the 1999 movie Anna and the King (in the role of Khun Phra Balat), alongside Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat. He has appeared on stage in London's West End and in Europe, in productions such as Miss Saigon, Rent and The King and I (in which he also played Khun Phra Balat). He has also appeared in several television and theatre productions in Asia.

In 2006, Ghazi released his first music album, Semalam, which features jazzed up versions of classic Malay songs. The album earned Ghazi the 'Best New Artiste' award at the Anugerah Industri Muzik (Malaysian Music Industry Awards).

In 1995, Ghazi won a nationally-televised talent competition in Singapore called the Fame Awards.

pps: check out his website: http://www.seanghazi.com/

Thank You, Dr Z.

2007-05-14T13:38:00.000+08:00

A lot of depressing things happened these last few days. Before I turn sour all over, I want to wish my lovely dentist, Dr Z , thank you for her help last Saturday.
A filling I had for more than 9 years ago fell off leaving a cavity on my upper left first premolar. Dr Z was very kind to help me re-do the filling ,F.O.C!
Considering the clinic's location, I think the cost would have been around RM 100 or so..
It was very good to see her again though.She was my junior back in dental school.
Well Dr Z, thank you for your kind gesture.
May your life be blessed with alll kind of good things.

WHY???!!

2007-05-14T13:15:00.000+08:00

My current boss is holding back my transfer!!
They even kept the letter and there's no sign of them passing the rightful letter of mine to me.

Sucks!

Sucks!

Sucks!

urghhhhhhhhh Why???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????!

I am supposed to report duty to the new place this wednesday, man..
I never knew i am that good, now everyone wants to have me work for them. Sigh*

Kurang Ajar!

2007-05-14T12:01:00.000+08:00

Is there any word in English which gives the same meaning as the title above? The word rude did come across but I don't think it is strong enough to describe the emotions involved. Insolence? Maybe..

This story is about a one very 'kurang ajar' patient of mine.
'Kurang Ajar', directly translated means 'not having enough education'
I don't know whether he was a bad student or his guardians or parents who whoever they are, slept on their job.

The out come was this one kurang ajar young man.

I know we're not supposed to talk about patients, we have to keep the secrecy , but this one, is not really about his health condition nor about his social status, but his attitude.

He was very rude towards the counter staff, he did not cooperate during examanations, he gave different answers to the same questions when asked twice, he didn't want to listen to explanations regarding his conditions, he just wanted us to do what he ordered! And the way he talked was so damn rude i felt like punching him in the face and kicking him in the ass. If only I lost my professionalism at that time and purposely mistreated him..
that would be one very painful event for him, Payment for being very kurang ajar to us. Thank God, my sanity never left me even for one second. Kalau tak.. naya ..

Come on la, You may call me a government servant, but I am NOT YOUR SERVANT, OK!

gerammm

Mama's Day!

2007-05-13T23:11:00.000+08:00

It's mother's day today.

Who should I give my love to?
My respect and my honor to
Who should I pay good mind to?
After Allah
And Rasulullah

Comes your mother
Who next? Your mother
Who next? Your mother
And then your father

Cause who used to hold you
And clean you and clothes you
Who used to feed you?
And always be with you
When you were sick
Stay up all night
Holding you tight
That's right no other
Your mother (My mother)

Who should I take good care of?
Giving all my love
Who should I think most of?
After Allah
And Rasulullah

Comes your mother
Who next? Your mother
Who next? Your mother
And then your father

Cause who used to hear you
Before you could talk
Who used to hold you?
Before you could walk
And when you fell who picked you up
Clean your cut
No one but your mother
My mother

Who should I stay rigt close to?
Listen most to
Never say no to
After Allah
And Rasulullah

Comes your mother
Who next? Your mother
Who next? Your mother
And then your father

Cause who used to hug you
And buy you new clothes
Comb your hair
And blow your nose
And when you cry
Who wiped your tears?
Knows your fears
Who really cares?
My mother

Say Alhamdulillah
Thank you Allah
Thank you Allah
For my mother.

song by Yusuf Islam

I dedicate this song to all mothers in the world especially to my mum Meriam and my mum in law, Fatimah.

Ladies out there, our children are not our toys nor our possession. They are not for you to use when you want to play with and throw away into the dustbin or down the drain when you don't need them anymore. Do appreciate them and love them with all our hearts. If not, please, you have no right to be a mother.

In short, think before you say yes to your partner's seduction. It will turn your life upside down if you aren't ready!

Happy mother's day y'all!!

ps: Btw, not everyone celebrates mother's day today. For more info on this, log on to wikipedia,
Interesting read.

K. Pi in the News.

2007-04-30T08:33:00.000+08:00

I was flipping thru the Sunday Star yesterday when I came across this article.

Blogging on

By DAPHNE LING

Lately, Malaysian bloggers have been on the receving end of bad press. Sadly, the work of a few bad apples has given the millions of other bloggers a bad name.

There are some, like the ones I will share, who despite the turbulence in the blogsophere, keep at what the love most: To share their stories.

Pi Bani, of ‘Pi’s Twist’
www.pistwist.blogspot.com

Pi Bani, 44, is one gutsy lady. Having been a volunteer with The Buddies Society of Ipoh for three years, Kak Pi, as she is fondly called, started her blog early March to share the stories of her work.

The Buddies Society is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) providing moral and emotional support to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Besides sharing her experiences, Kak Pi also writes her blog “to reach out to more people to enlighten them about the plights PLWHA’s”. She also hopes to slowly debunk the social stigma that comes with it.

By profession though, Kak Pi is a certified Company Secretary.

“I now work on flexi-hour basis with a friend of mine in a company providing secretarial, accounting and management services,” she says, adding that she is happy with the arrangement as it gives her time to indulge in her voluntary service.

Through her writings, people are able to read about the little triumphs that PLWHA’s achieve in the face of struggles, and their unfortunate treatment by some members of society.

So guys, click on her name ( she's on my link list) and read for yourself what wonderful things this lady has done and still doing. You too , can make a difference.

He Won!

2007-04-30T08:25:00.000+08:00

I don't really know why, but I felt very happy when I switched the channel of my telly and caught Sean Ghazi holding the trophy for Best new artiste.

Congratulations.

Now that he became more famous than before,I hope he won't forget his promise.

My story for today

2007-04-25T13:30:00.000+08:00

Time really does fly. It's been more than a month since my last post. It's not that I have no stories to tell, but I just couldn't find the time to do it.

Early March
I got my transfer letter from Pahang to Selangor about 3 weeks before the transfer date. Amidst all the excitement, my daughter got 'poxed by chicken' .. chicken pox laa.. A week later, she generously donated her varicella viruses to her mama. So, I had to bear all those itchy blisters for more than one week. And some of the marks are still visible especially on my forehead.

End of March
We moved to Selangor wth all our furniture and stuff. We rented a small single storey terrace house about 10 km ( via highway) from my husband's office. My daughter is so used to living in government quarters which were big and spacious, she kept saying 'nak balik' ( wanna go home ) for the first few days. We could have rented a bigger place but then, there were only the 3 of us. Plus, the rent is not cheap.
For this house, we are paying RM 500 a month. And the house is I think just an 18 'x 65'.

2nd of April
I reported duty to the state deputy director in Shah Alam. I noticed that she always wear a smile on her face no matter what the situation was. Quite a friendly face for someone of a higher rank. I was told to go to work in B town, which is about 42 km from where we are staying. My husband suggested that we move again to B town and he'll commute to work to C town. But I disagreed. B town is so far away and quite hot because it is quite near to the coastal area.

Today
Well, I have been commuting for about 3 weeks now. If I exclude the long commute, everything is just fine in this new place.

But secretly, I am waiting for another offer, that is to work in P town. The boss in P town gave the green light already but she is yet to issue the letter. When the letter comes, then I'll kiss B town bubbye! If any of you knows my current boss or staff in B town, please don't mention anything ok. Lets just wait for the letter from P town to arrive.

Till then, have a nice day!

Words of Wisdom

2007-03-19T16:51:00.000+08:00

These were the words my fortune cookie blurted out when i cracked it open:

"career is great, but you can't run your fingers through it's hair"

thank you fortune cookie dear, i really needed that. Lately, I have been arguing with myself about my future, about whether or not i am wasting my talent just by doing whatever it is that i am doing now when i can actually do more and achieve better things in life, career wise.

Thank you again for reminding me why i stick to the decision i made almost 4 years ago.

1977

2007-03-19T13:01:00.000+08:00

In 1977 (the year you were born)

Jimmy Carter becomes president of the US

Most of the 10,000 Vietnam War draft evaders are pardoned by President Carter

Singer Anita Bryant starts her "Save Our Children" crusade against gay rights

Elvis Presley dies in his Graceland bathroom

Congress creates a Department of Energy

Anwar Sadat flies to Jerusalem in a dramatic gesture of willingness to discuss peace

Orlando Bloom, Shakira, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liv Tyler, and Ludacris are born

New York Yankees win the World Series

Oakland Raiders win Superbowl XI

Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup

Swedish music group ABBA passes The Beatles as having most records sold

Star Wars is the top grossing film

The Shining by Stephen King is published

"You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone spends the most time at the top of the US charts

Three's Company premieres

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

The Things

2007-03-16T16:50:00.000+08:00

It's 4:50 in the afternoon. 10 more minutes before the office hour ends. I've wanted to write about something but i just don't know where to start. a lot of things happened lately, around me, around malaysia, around the world.
things like, my work place was just audited by 'XIGHIM' yesterday. and how we all worked hard to prepare for that bloody thing. sleep deprivation, a lot of yelling and depressed souls.

And there was this Linda onn and Star Movie-red carpet thing, where i find it quite amusing for most of the journalists and those in the business were all like in unison whacking and banging her, calling her act as 'divarism' and how unprofeesional she was for rejecting Radzuan's baju kebaya ,thus refusing to do the interview. As someone from the 'outside', i say we have to question the other part's professionalism as well for making a very last minute change and would not budge for even an inch.

And then of course, the 'women bloggers are unemployed and liars' thing. This put a smirk on my face. too tired to be angry and not at all .. funny. Fine, call me an unemployed liar for who the f**k cares. most of the women bloggers on my link are all professionals with a degree and a handsome-above-the-malaysian-average income.
Now who's the liar here?

Oh Come on sir, grow up.. everyone by now should know that we are living in a world flooded with infos. Yes, admittedly not all infos are reliable because anyone can write anything and can pretend to be anyone online. Who knows, that this naa might actually be the Queen of England who pretends to be what she's not? Our duty is to educate the public to be selective and to be smart and not to blindly believe everything they see and read. And i don't think so this should be done by calling other people names or accusing them of spreading lies. and certainly not by banning things. How pathetic some people can be..

And then there was the rat race for As among our secondary school students. Well, i don't think we should condemn them students.instead, i think it's about time someone has to do something about the education system in this country. When I read in the papers about htese kid s getiting lots and lots of As.. i would think back of my own SPM result. My result was nothing to be proud of compared to the kids' today. But i have to say i really enjoyed my schooldays.. with all those extra activities and living in a boarding school made it more fun than ever. It's not that living in a semi prison environment was fun, but living with the 'inmates' were. Because back then, the race was not that bad. Although the headmistress kept saying that we were 'creme de la creme', we didn't really care... we studied yes, but we didn't forget to have fun.
People tend to forget that a good education is not measured by only how many As do u get in ur exams. As are good , no doubt, but there are things greater than that. What about the quality of the As?.. if those As scorers can survive in the unis and in the real world without someone spoonfeeding them , telling them what to do and how to succeed, giving them step by step manual on how to live their life.. then, i shall rest my case. I shall say, 'The As are good, our education system is excellent.'

This brought me back to my memory a month back when I went to send my niece to her school after the CNY break. She was one of the top student in her primary years and always scored straight As in her exams. As expected, she got straight As for her UPSR. What she didn't expect was, she was not accepted into my alma mater , which she wanted to be in so badly. Nevertheless, she was offered a place in a local boarding school back in our hometown. This is supposed to be a very good school. My niece is the 3rd batch. The school only accept straight A students in.

The thing that bugs me is.. i think they only prepare their students for the major exams, SPM and PMR that is... The school really concentrates on producing straight A students. Their facilities were very modern and up to date but they only care about getting more and more As. The sutdents go to school only to get more and more As!
They don't have to clean their rooms nor their showers and toilet because the makcik cleaner will do that for them. They don't have to wash their clothes because there is a laundry service available. It made me worry. What if the only thing my niece is going to learn after 5 years is only how to study? I remembered we had to scrub the glass doors of the living room every sunday during the house cleaning. we had roasters to do chores, daily and weekly roasters. It was not that fun, but it helped. All those house meetings and cleanings taught us how to live in a community.
I hope my niece's school authorities will realize soon that education is not just about getting straight As.

And one more thing. About me getting transfered to Selangor. I am quite surprised to find myself feeling bad and sad when ithink of leaving Pahang.

I hated the people who sent me to Pahang almost 4 years ago. But now, i have to thank them for sending me here. for here, in pahang was where i

found my love who now is my husband

gave birth to my darling angel.

became in charge of an organization, although not that big, to think that the people in pahang actually trusted me to lead a team is really an honour to me.

i hope selangor will aso be a good place to live in.

urgh...

2007-03-10T12:28:00.000+08:00

i am trying to compose my entry but i think there is something worng with the site..
i can only use the 'edit html' box to type my entry. sucks man...
i've wanted to write about sooooo many things but at the same time, in the real world, things are moving a bit too fast for me. i have a lot of catching up to do..
march is one busy month for naa. i don't think i'll have the time to sit down , face the computer and wirte all the things i 've wanted to write since chinese new year break. sigh*.
hopefully after the audit is over ( yes, i'll be audited , no.. not an idol type of audition.. but an ISO audit)i'll be able to hit the keyboards again.
meanwhile, do enjoy my mobile blog. i'll send in pics of the reporter a.k.a syasya going places, learning new things and having fun via my sony ericcson.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

2007-02-16T15:04:00.000+08:00

Wishing all those celebrating, a happy and prosperous year ahead
On behalf of my daughter, ang pow lai la! hehehe..

I am going back to Terengganu for one whole week starting from tomorrow.
Yippi!!

Miho is Getting Married

2007-02-16T14:38:00.000+08:00

Contrary to my last post on the song by Johnny Soul,
I think Miho is a beautiful Japanese lady and Yousuke is one lucky guy to get to marry her.

She was the first person who dared to talk to me in my class back in Tokyo, when everyone else was just too shy to try.
She tried her best to make sure that I felt at home in her country.
She didn't mind the fact that my Japanese was very minimal at that time.
She also didn't mind the fact that I looked different because I was covered from
head to toe even when it was blazing hot. She showed me places, she introduced me to her family.
Her mom, one of the nicest obachan I have ever met. Her Dad , who helped me with my wisdom tooth and my teeth grinding problem. Her brother, who was also very nice and never ceased to try to talk to me about anything.

But she didn't force me to follow her wherever she went. When she saw that I could take care of myself, she let me go, she let me explore the world around me, made new friends.
But at the same time, she was always there whenever I needed her help.
Thank you.

I wish Miho and her husband to be, Yousuke,

Congratulations & Omedeto.

Oshiawaseni.

Semoga bahagia ke akhir hayat.

Dental Tip Of The Day

2007-02-16T12:41:00.000+08:00

I thinkI want to start sharing some of
my professional opinion and experience with everyone who reads this blog.

Today's tip is:

Please brush and floss your teeth properly before you go see a dentist.
(please ask all your friends, your friends'friends, yourfriends'friends'friends and so on so forth to do the same too)

The reasons why you should do as I suggested are :-

i- It's hard to properly detect cavities and decays if your teeth are covered with food debris. This is important during your first visit.

ii- it will take longer treatment time because the dentist will have to do extra work removing them prior to original treatment. Longer time means, the longer you have to open your mouth. I don't know about you guys but I hate the state of having to open my mouth for a long time. It gives me a painful TMJ ( temporo-mandibular joint: the joint that connects your mandible to your skull)

ii- It's just simply not that nice to see laaa.. Especially when u are so smart on the outside, donning branded clothes and looking very up to date kind of person. But once you open your mouth.. ah yo!

Well, that's all for today folks.

I'll bring you another tip from the dental world whenever I feel like doing it.

If You Wanna Be Happy

2007-02-15T16:23:00.000+08:00

No wonder it's hard for pretty women to get married. There is a song advising the guys not to do so. I am married and am not pretty. But hey.. I don't think I'm ugly either!

If you wanna be happy

For the rest of your life,

Never make a pretty woman your wife,

So from my personal point of view,

Get an ugly girl to marry you.

A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall.
As soon as he marries her
Then she starts to do
The things that will break his heart.
But if you make an ugly woman your wife,
You'll be happy for the rest of your life,
An ugly woman cooks her meals on time,
She'll always give you peace of mind.

Don't let your friends say
You have no taste,
Go ahead and marry anyway,
Though her face is ugly,
Her eyes don't match,
Take it from me she's a better catch.

Say man.
Hey baby.

Saw your wife the other day.
Yeah?
Yeah, she's ugly.
Yeah, she's ugly but she sure can cook.
Yeah?. Okay.

Song: If You Wanna Be Happy

Singer: Jimmy Soul

Not True

2007-02-15T13:52:00.000+08:00

No way ! Am I ? Oh No...

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I Am Pretty Happy

2007-02-15T13:12:00.000+08:00

You Are Pretty Happy

You generally have a happy, fulfilling life.
But things could be a little better, and deep down, you know it.
Maybe you need more supportive friends or a more challenging career.
Something is preventing you from being totally happy. You just need to figure out what it is!

How Happy Are You, Really?

What is Your Favourite Pastime?

2007-02-14T12:47:00.000+08:00

These days I realized that between balancing a career and a family
( and a pay TV , named ASTRO),
I have lost the time to do one of my favourite pastime : reading books.
After what felt like ages, I managed to visit a book store yesterday.

Living in this part of the world really made it hard for me to continue my hobby. Why, you may ask? Well, it is simply because the nearest bookstores ( which sell the kind of books that I want to read ) are not very near.
The bookstore that I visited yesterday was in Kuantan. Some 200km away from home.

Well,of course there are bookshops here in the area that I currently reside , but they mostly sell either school textbooks, references or those mushy malay novels. It's not that I hate novels, but sometimes I think my time is too precious to be spent on reading novels, especially mushy love stories. But I did finish all the Harry Potter series though. Fantasy and Magic,
they come under a different chapter.

Upon entering the store, I felt a tingling sensation, a feeling which was very difficult to be transfered into words. Excitement was in the air. Non book lovers will never understand this, I guess. Books, books, books.. they were everywhere. They had everything in store. From text books to references, from novels to biography, from politics to religion, from language to cooking, everything.

all I had to do was , choose the ones that I like.

Now that was the problem.
At first, I heard myself complaining that it was hard to get a decent book to read.
And when I finally get to 'the' place, I still had a problem. What to buy???

I have a dream of setting up my own library at home . At this age,
I still don't own a house simply because we don't know where to settle down , yet.
So, Most of the books I have , I keep them at my parents'place .

I learned a lot from reading books.
My parents did not have enough time and knowledge to teach me on most of things. I am not accusing my parents of
neglecting their responsibilities. NO.
But they only finished darjah 5  ( standard 5 of the primary school ).
I never expected them to teach me on things they didn't know.
I realized a long time ago that my parents were just
human beings who worked hard and did their best  for their children so that we could have a better life than theirs.
They have taught me a lot. More than any teacher could ever do.
They taught me to continously seek knowledge .
They taught me that knowledge could change life.

Well, back to the bookstore,
I remembered reading on suhaimisulaiman's blog about him reading a few books.
I tried to remember the titles but to no avail.
So I just browsed through the shelves,
from bestsellers to the latest to the forgotten corners.
And after series of debates with my own self, I decided to buy these 3 books
( the thin blue book was taken from the state director's office waiting space,
It was very interesting to read, I decided to take its picture too.)

I will elaborate on each one of them when I'm finished .

I also had a tough time choosing which CD to buy yesterday.
I wanted to buy both but my allowance , ironically did not allow me to do so.
I had to set a limit to myself when it comes to buying cd or else
I will end up buying the entire store.
Music, apart from books is also one of my favourites.

Blogs really do have good advertising effects .
One of my regular read is  k.Ruby 's blog, and she mentioned more than once
about Sean Ghazi.
Initially, when I entered the CD shop I wanted to buy Sean's CD, Semalam.
But when I set my eyes on the regional artiste section,
I noticed one of my favourite singer was there.

I think I stood there holding both
her CD and Sean's for more than ten minutes,
not knowing which to choose.
After considering the odd of finding her CD at other shops,
I had to say goodbye to Sean and promised
to buy 'him' on my next visit to a CD shop.

This was the CD that I bought.

Ultra Blue - by Utada Hikaru.
I like most of her songs. I think she is a very bright young lady.
Some info on Utada.

She sings.
She writes her own songs and lyrics.
She's bilingual.
She's a billionnaire ( if not a millionnaire) because she earned it
and not because her parents are oil tycoons nor 'towkeh balak'

Well, I have to stop writing and get back to being a mum.
I will listen to utada on my way to my daughter's babysitter's place.
And tonight, after she goes to bed, I will try to ignore my pals
on ASTRO ( namely, HBO, STAR Movies, Cinemax, AXN etc)
for a piece and quiet time of The Five People You meet In Heaven by Mitch Albon.

Jueya, my friend.

2007-02-08T14:15:00.000+08:00

Forewarning: This is going to need concentration reading because so far, this is my longest post and somewhat emotional. Only read it when you are physically and mentally ready.

Last week, Wednesday, I had dinner with Jueya.
Who's Jueya? well, we went to the same secondary school. We had a few 'kyoutsuuten'
that made her one of those persons I still remember strongly after
(believe it or not, sigh*) almost 13 years having left secondary school.
#1: we were both from Terengganu
- although she was from Kuala and I was from Hulu, we spoke the same dialect. We boarded the same night bus back to Terengganu every semester break.
We even attended the same computer class after SPM.
#2: We were in the same English set since form 3.
- We made fun of the same teachers. Miss Choy with her clock tower story and her bulging eyes and strained neck whenever she tried to explain something to us.
Miss Choy was always upset when none of her students wanted to be an English Teacher .
Well, we were very ambitious young ladies then, right Jueya?
I myself wanted to be at least, a cabinet minister then.
Hahahaha.. now, no more politics for moi.
I am trying to live in denial of whatever it is that I (politically) disapprove . I don't want to be angry no more.And of course, Puan Ashidah. How could we ever forget her.
Well, Jueya and I weren't really her favourite, I think. But at least Jueya got better treatment. Puan Ashidah remembered her name! Where as for me, Puan Ashidah only remembered me as 'mm.. the one with 'r' or 's''? ' Well, my deskmate was another girl that went by the name almost similar to mine except for the difference in the 3rd letter in our names. Hers was 'r' and mine is 's'. And to think that she taught us for 2 years in a row. Tsk..Actually, I admired Jueya 's talent when it comes to creative writing. She was full of ideas and imaginations.I still remember one of her 1119 essays.
She wrote about the Titanic.
I forgot the details but it was about the love between husband and wife. I liked it.
And I think she had more emotions than I did. By the way, just for fun, I am going to list
Puan Ashidah's favourites here. They are: ( in no particular order)
Haireen, Fern, Liza Fisal, Linda Noordin, Suri.. and a few more.. but never me, not even once.
#3: Our third language subject was Japanese:
I was very lazy when it comes to Shukudai. And I think Jueya was not very keen either.
But I like the fact that we actually had actual Japanese for senseis.
We got to learn all those Japanese songs, ate Japanese food. We had our own T-shirts.
T'was fun. Once, when we were in form four, the sensei deducted 20 marks from my exam result because I didn't send in shukudais on time ( and sometimes never even send any..)
# 4:We were classmates in upper secondary.
- We were both in the pure science class : form 4C and 5C
( C , not because we were stupid, Ok! C was for College)
For I don't know what reason, Jueya had the most front seat when we were in form 5.
I can still picture her mountain high textbooks and references on her desk, almost covering herself from the teacher's view.
Our upper secondary teachers were also one of their kind.
Encik Ahmad: Taught us Maths only for a few months in form 4, then he surrendered? Hehehe..
Mr Tan Jhi Seng: Very funny add maths teacher. But half of the class had to re-sit for the year end paper . And I think Jueya was one of them ,together with yours truly.
Puan Romas: Also a math teacher, made us stand on our chairs for not doing our homework . Sometimes she powdered our face with blackboard eraser when we were very naughty. But that was more than a decade ago. Puan Romas never got sacked because we knew we were wrong. Why should involve parents in this matter?
Mr Lim Kim Oh: Actually, he's one of my favourite add maths teacher. Very strict!He was our school's discipline teacher. I still remember his favourite motivational line: ' do u want to wave to your friend, on the tarmac or from the tarmac?' Something like, do u want to wave to your friend bye because that person is going somewhere far because they succeeded in their studies and get to board the airplane but u just get to go to the airport and wave from the ground, or.. do u want to be on that plane instead, waving to ur friends on the ground.?
Another favourite line is.. ( while staring right into our eyes, and his face was just like 10 cm away from our face) : "are you with us?". Thanks to him, the whole 5C passed add maths! with quite a number of distinctions.
Mr Nathan : Oh, who could ever forget the late Mr Nathan. Our beloved physics teacher. It still hurts me to think that I never got the chance to see him and thank him after I left school. To him, we girls were all 'hopeless la..'. Well, the average marks for our physics paper was around 45 ..
Encik Zainal: I still blame the school for assigning Encik Zainal as our BM teacher in 5C. Encik Zainal was ok.. but not for an exam class. please.. He was not the type that we would be scared and rush to do his homework. He was fun because he talked a lot, and he rarely gave homework. And even if he did, I rarely finished them. Ok, partly my fault la.. I didn't get an A1 for my BM. But if he was as garang as Mr Lim, I could have done better!( go on naa.. blame other people for your failures.. .. hehe..). And if Jueya ever read this, I am sure she could still recall the images of the stories.
The list is still quite long. I think I will write a different post dedicated to these teachers, later.

Jueya and I weren't really the goody two shoes type ( or were we? nah.. no.) We talked a lot, we made noises, disturbing other people who were busy studying. Together with other samsengs from 5C , we once organized a 'gusti rambut' ( hair wrestling- I'll try to write about this later ) and Miss Vicky the discipline teacher shouted our names from across the block, begging us to shut up. We were that loud, She didn't have to come and see who were the culprits. She recognized our voices.

But the memory sharing stopped because we took different paths in life.

We went to different universities. Took different courses. Now we have different jobs at two different places. The 13- year- gap is huge I think. I have changed. Jueya has too.

I am now married with one daughter. Jueya is still free to go anywhere she wants, do whatever her heart tells. Though I never asked, I think I am only getting paid less than half of what she gets monthly. Well, me working for the government, and she, a consultant for a private company. She spends more than my basic salary a month.
We live two totally different lifestyles.

To me, she looked and sounded very ambitious, with lots of thing to do in life.
And me, myself? Mmm.. I think I am not as driven as I used to be. I remember when I was , 'younger' ( if you consider 30 is old),
I believed that I could do anything that I wanted to do,
provided I work hard enough for it.
'Yareba dekiru' or the famous malay equivalent: Yakin Boleh.
I have proven it right through various stages of life.
The sweetest was when I was the first malay who passed the Japanese board of dental practitioner license exam ( shikaishikokkashiken). After several seniors failed , after being mocked by those damn prejudists and racists saying that malays are stupid and can never achieve anything, After being emotionally disturbed by questions from japanese friends who were fed stupid racist infos from non-malay , after being insulted by one of the dental school teacher saying that we all malays must never sit for the kokkashiken because we will fail anyway and that would bring the university's ranking down.
After all those nasty remarks, I proved them all wrong!
At first I didn't want to sit for the exam because the license was only valid in Japan. Furthermore, we had to pay to sit for the exam. But I was so sick and tired listening to those people, I decided to take it. And I thank God for giving me the strength to fight. To prove that, victories (or losses) do not belong to only one race.
They belong to those who deserve.

Time has passed. I have changed.

I have decided to be the best mother to my daughter and the best partner to my husband.
This is my choice. I chose to obey the rules of Islam. I am not a preacher but I also don't want to be someone who talks a lot about Islam but at the same time refuses to follow the doctrine.
It is not that I am 100% contented with life, I just want to live my life happily with my family and friends. I had the choice of between continuing my studies to the higher level and be a successful career woman but will have to sacrifice my time with my family ,or, have a decent job but I get to be with my family all the time.

I chose to be with my family. I have calculated and gave a lot of thoughts,
I could never have both.
No matter how positive I wanted to think of the outcomes,
I know my limitations.
I don't want to be the sore old woman who regretted not spending more time with her children when they were young.

I hope this change will not intimidate any of those who knew me before.
Just because I have decided to wear tudung, doesn't mean I am going to strap myself with bombs and be a martyr. Just because I don't do karaoke anymore doesn't mean I don't like music anymore. Oh, I still do sing, dear friends.. I just don't do it in public anymore.

I don't really know how far the 13 years had widen our gap, but what I really know is, to me, Jueya is still the same bubbly girl whom I spent 5 of my most precious years in life together.

And I also want her ( and all of my long lost friends, wherever u are) to know, we may have different views in life, but that doesn't stop me from being your friend.
Lets respect all the differences but that doesn't mean that we
must agree with each other all the time.

I love all of my friends and I cherish all the time I have spent with
them. They have became part of my history. I have never erased or deleted the cookies and files of my friendships throughout my life. And I never will.

I hope you won't erase me too.

Insaf

2007-01-29T12:50:00.000+08:00

This happened last Saturday.

My daughter who woke up earlier than me came into our room screaming.

"Ma.. angun.. olat!" ( read: mama, bangun solat!)
and my daughter is not even 2 year-old yet!

orang2 tua yang mengaku Islam tapi tak solat tu.. malu lah ek.. insaf lah diri.

this is a reminder to all muslims including myself.

my favourite sushi neta

2007-01-19T13:50:00.000+08:00

I love salmon! Or it's japanese name 'sake' , sometimes 'shake' (no.. not pronounced as sake as in for your own sake or shake as in shake the bottle.. but like sun and cake.. without the 'n' and 'ke'.. and shunt and cake.. minus the 'nt' and the 'ke') and i also love Ikura.. salmons roe.

Awesome combination for donburi. I absolutely recommend everyone to try these 2 fabulous items. These are the pics of nigirizushi with sake and ikura as neta which i bought at midvalley's jusco.. tasted quite good. Almost as good as those that i used to have in Tokyo. Of course u can not beat the freshness of the sushi sold at Tsukiji market.. but this one is definately a great deal considering we are now living in the tropical Malaysia.

So, what are u guys waiting for? Go! Have a try..

For the uninitiated:

donburi- japanese rice bowl dish

nigirizushi- a type of sushi, hand form clump of rice with toppings

neta- sushi toppings.. like raw fish or fish eggs..

Tsukiji- fish market in Tokyo.

Sushi- oohh.. come on, don't tell me u don't know what sushi is..

Korban

2007-01-05T13:48:00.000+08:00

I had a great time during the last eid -adha. My sisters bought a few parts of cows for their sons 'aqiqah'. They also bought a goat , just for the meat though. It was really fun to work together . actually, I just watched them do all the work. I am so used to having 4 elder sisters and not doing any housework ever since I can't even remember. Thank God my sisters' daughters are a very helpful lot. The menu for that day was 'gulai kambing' and 'ayam merah'. And also 'daging singgang'. We invited our neighbours and relatives to come by for lunch. Even my in laws came all the way from Kuala Terengganu to taste my sister's 'gulai kambing'.
My sisters gave away most of the uncooked meat to our neighbours. But since most of the neighbours also sacrificed cows and goats.. we got back almost everything that we gave away. Nevertheless, it was a good thing to do I guess.
The main chef whom i fondly call "kak" had the worst headache of a life time after eating her own 'gulai kambing'. I took her blood pressure reading and it was disturbingly high. 168/110. OMG! No wonder ... She was down ,sleeping for the rest of the day..

This is Kak, preparing the meat to be given to our neighbours

My brother in law and his daughters. Very rajin.

My husband savouring a goat's mandible. Complete with teeth.

Kari kepala Kambing

A few weeks before that, my lovely daughter was diagnosed with 'head-lice'. gross.. we tried 'A-lice' shampoo. It worked for a few days. But after one week, the nits re-appeared. We shampooed her hair again with the same thing. Still, her lice were very stubborn . as stubborn as she could be at times.
My whole family was very relaxed to hear the news that my daughter has lice on her head. Her cousins even enjoyed looking for her lice and nits.

But my husband and I hated the whole lice and nits thing.

We decided to shave her head. My husband once had a friend whose hair was so full of lice that her scalp was always red and smelly. Of course, we don't want that to happen to our daughter.

But,our daughter has one of the shortest attention span I ever knew.

The result is this.

Her cousins, enjoying the 'kutu' hunting.

We tried again. Much better this time..

Then my husband decided to shave his head. He said 'teman anak'..

And guess what, a few days later, I followed suit. Oh yeah.. believe it or not.. I had the shortest hair style ever ...Only a few mm longer than Sinead -O- Connor. My husband said I look like one of those monks from Tibet. Amazingly, at the time I am writing this .. ( it took me almost three weeks to write this entry for I was busy preparing reports and plan of actions for my department) my hair has grown to a considerably decent lenght.

Ok.. stop scrolling.. nope.. sorry to disappoint you.

I am not posting my photo here.

I'll let ur imaginations run

Instead... here are my daughter's pics from her pre-lice era.

Syasya.. don't hate us for doing this. We Love You! and ur hair will grow back! Promise.

Consider it as our korban for this year's eid-adha.

Cemerlang oh Cemerlang! *sigh...

2007-01-04T13:43:00.000+08:00

A few days before the new year break, I was called by my boss to sign my 2006 performance appraisal. She gave me a very good mark for someone who just worked for 3 years. And she also said that she 's going to nominate me for the Anugerah Khidmat Cemerlang . Wow, truthfully, I am very honoured. Even if I don't get the anugerah, at least my boss thinks that I 've done an excellent job through out the year. Looking at my records, she said that I am a strong candidate and most likely I could get the award. But on the other hand, ... ahhh.. this 'on the other hand' thing really made me sad.
Well, on the other hand, she said she doesn't know how to defend me if the state director doesn't want to reward me for I don't portray a good image to the department. Most of u will be wondering by now, what kind of person this naa is? hmm ..performed excellently in her work but her image is not good?? hmm.. ok.. , it so happened that i am working for a department where we are all supposed to be very healthy people. why? because our job is to treat sick people, and i guess being unhealthy or not having a healthy look is going to tarnish the name of the department.
And now u must be wondering how bad my image is?
Brace yourself for ..guys, actually....
>I don't have the ideal weight for my height!!<
ok.. stop laughing .. enough... yeah.. really funny..
but this is the truth, whether u want to believe it or not.
We have goals for body mass index and mine is a far cry from the new ideal BMI for asians.

maybe the state director is right.. i should shake off some pounds for a start. that would make a good new year resolution!

but the truth is.. deep down in my delicate heart.. ( ouch.. why am i being touchy here?) it hurts.
it hurts when people do not want to recognize your good work and effort just because u don't have the ideal weight.
it hurts.

banjir

2006-12-22T13:51:00.000+08:00

i used to like banjir. why? maybe because i've never experienced a real one yet. I grew up in Terengganu, a state famous for flood during the rainy season. But my parents' place were never affected by flood. Not even flashflood. I used to envy those who got to ride boats for evacuation, those who didn't have to go to school because their schools were flooded. To my tiny little brain, they looked like they were having fun splashing in the water.
Silly, huh.
After I grew bigger and older, I realized how bad and dangerous flood can be .
Seeing all those damages done, and some even claimed people's lives.
Like what we have in Johor and Malacca now. I feel sorry for all of them.
I wonder, will the government give any financial help to those poor people?
Or will the media starts collecting donations from the public? I hope they do, and do it fast for the new school semester is going to start soon. And do it fast for they are Malaysians!
I believe that we must put Malaysians need before everyone else in the world. Don't go helping other people when your own people is suffering.
This reminds me of one Malay saying-
" kera di hutan di susukan, anak di rumah mati kelaparan"
( Am I right or not Mr Karam Singh Walia?)

So, kids, listen to ur mums and dads. don't play -play ah..

but i prefer my roti canai - banjir.

between 'pullah' and 'biyyuk'

2006-12-18T13:27:00.000+08:00

I am proud of bearing the number 11 in my IC number. Well, proud to be born in Terengganu that is. And I thought I am one hard core Terengganu citizen. But I will have to take that back for now I realized, at the age of almost 30, there are still a lot of things I don't really know about my beloved state. I just have to upgrade myself I guess .

It all started with this;

mom-in-law: Aku tengok, K.XXXX mung tu pullaaahh je nok tido sining

me: pullah tu mende mok?

mom-in-law: Pullah tu.. mmmm macang 'biyyuk'

me: (more confused than before) haaa??

I used to laugh at my Terengganu friend for not knowing
what 'jo-ong' (not Ju-on ok!) meant.
Now I know.. there are still more things to learn.

"mada-mada da naaa..." ( This one is in Japanese)

Those who wish to know the translation of what was being dicussed between me and my mom-in-law, can try ask other Terengganu bloggers who are definitely more expert than me like awang goneng or rangikangkering.

budougari

2006-12-15T15:47:00.000+08:00

I have to say, I love Fridays! It is the day when I usually have sometime to myself.
Thanks to the more than 2 hours lunch break. And thanks also to the remoteness of the area I currently work at. There is literally no place to hang out. Well, I have to admit I am not that young to 'hang out' anymore, but heck, it's just an expression ok .Of course we do have everything that is necessary to live a decent life, but there is nothing fancy about this place. Just the basics. Maybe if I say it this way it would be easier to comprehend.
Nothing to do and nowhere to go means: during the Friday lunch break, if u r in big cities, u can just go window shopping, or just sit at any of the coffeshops like starbucks all by urself witout getting stares and glares from other people around you. ( unless of course u r alone, naked or doing something ridiculous.. then that is another story). But here, I don't think so I have the guts to go to the warung, order a coffee or teh ais , and sits there for hours, killing time . I don't think so... Can you?
Back to my appreciation session, one more thanks to my previous boss that is now happily working in Sri Kembangan. Thanks Dr V for installing the broadband internet service in my office. Life has never been better.

And why am I being very thankful today?

Because of these factors, I am able to update my blog, to check my emails, to surf whatever it is on the net.

Once again,

the slideshow below are pics taken during my visit to a vineyard in Yamanashi, Japan.

My prayers are for you, ayah.

2006-12-11T14:06:00.000+08:00

Innalillahiwainnailahirojiun.
After 8 days in the ward and 8 days in the ICU, my father in law passed away last Thursday, December 7th,2006.
The cause of death as stated on the death certificate was " multi organ failure secondary to lung sepsis" . All his children were there for the burial ceremony. How tough all of them were. I could only see pools of tears in their eyes. But none actually did cry. It must be very hard to stop yourself from crying when someone who is very dear to you leave you, never to return, forever.
His wife, children, cousins, relatives never ceased to leave his side during the 16 days of hospitalization. They continously read the Yaasin verse by his side, day in, day out. I think he must be one of the luckiest man on earth to have such a great family who was always there for him although they knew that hopes for him to get better was almost nil.
One of the specialist at the ICU was my cousin's daughter. She told me that there was nothing much that the hospital could do for him. When I told his family, one of the brother suggested they bring 'ayah' home. But bringing him home means cutting him from his life support machines- in meaner words- killing him. Because, at that point, most of his organs failed to function, except for his heart and brain. He was on dialysis machine and ventilator. And his heart- depended on 3 drugs administered to help it beat. The brother said it's not that he wanted to end 'ayah's life. He just didn't want to see him suffer anymore. He was the one who barely left 'ayah's side. He was there when 'ayah' struggled to breathe, he witnessed the painful look on 'ayah's face everytime the nurses had to change all the tubes. He just couldn't bear to look anymore. But the two sisters strongly opposed the idea. They didn't want to 'end' their father's life. At last , they all agreed to wait, and continued praying for him.
At the age of 61, 'ayah' died leaving behind a widow, 5 sons, 2 daughters, 4 daughter in laws, 9 grandchildren and countless family members and friends who love him dearly.
I hope 'ayah's soul will be in peace and blessed by Allah.
My prayers are for you, ayah.

CSI & The Mad Bull Story

2006-11-21T12:36:00.000+08:00

Yippii!!
My name is on the list for the course entitled "Forensic Odontology-Role of Dental Officers".
One month ago,I was just thinking about continuing my studies in that field and voila! the golden opportunity landed at my door steps. Well, of course by attending this 3-day-course will not make me a certified CSI. But it will certainly open doors to the forensic world.
It's going to be held in Kota Bharu from the 22nd till the 24th of November.

Now it's time for the non-yippii news.
My father in law was attacked by his own bull!
Her loved that bull so much but in return, the bull attacked him till his rib broke.
His lung is also damaged.He is now hospitalised in HKT. I don't know how bad thing really is, but we will stop by my in-laws place in Kuala Terengganu before going to Kelantan tomorrow.
I hope he's ok.

Moral of the story: A forensic officer can't do anything to help patients when there are no legal matters involved.

More updates on these stories after I return from Kota Bharu.

My Heart Is Red

2006-11-17T14:07:00.000+08:00

So, my heart is red,huh.

Your Heart Is Red

You're a passionate lover - you always have a huge fire in your heart.
Too bad it's hard for you to be passionate about just one person!

Your flirting style: Outgoing and sexy

Your lucky first date: Drinks and dancing

Your dream lover: Is both stable and intense

What you bring to relationships: Honesty

What Color Heart Do You Have?

Don't call me "mama"!

2006-11-17T12:55:00.000+08:00

This post is dedicated especially for my husband ( and husbands all around the globe)

No matter how much I pleaded my husband not to call me "mama", he just can't seem to stop himself from doing so. He started calling me "mama" after our daughter was born.

At first, I didn't mind. In fact, I was thrilled to be called by that name. Well, it is indeed wonderful to have my own child. But after sometimes, I began to feel awkward when he address me as "mama" . Am I to him just the mother of his child? I am also his wife!

Some people might not care about this. I know it sounds trivial , but I think this kind of thing can affect our relationships with our spouses.

To my husband, if you ever read this. Love me not only as your child's mother, but also as your friend, lover and wife.

pic: our beloved daughter , 2 month old at the time photographed.

why scrolllock?

2006-11-15T13:08:00.000+08:00

Because I've never used that key for my whole computer life.
I was forced to learn computer eversince I was twelve. I hated it.
Those days, microsoft's windows were not yet created. Computer was just this big bulky ugly machine with black screen ( some were blue) with boring letters and a blinking cursor.
We had to type the command to get it working. The only thing I remember now is how to open the directory.. hmm well, come to think of it, I don't really remember it after all..
I remember we have to type " dir://" ,
but I think there's something missing here..
well, what the heck.
Now, even the not so smart can learn computers.
And we can even write our thoughts for other people to read without having to pay proofreaders and publishers!
Isn't that a WOW?
Here, I'd like to express my utmost gratitude to those who made it happen.
Thank you guys!! I may not know all your names .. ( except Bill Gates),
but from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.