New Beginning... New Roles... New Endeavors...

My Birthday aka International AIDS day...

2008-12-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

yesterday was my 26th birthday...

How nature greeted me on my special day was... when i finished brushing my teeth and looked into the mirror, i saw TWO grey hair STARING at me fiercely!!! NOoooooo..... that's the 19th and 20th grey hair i had... Ish... (yeap, i actually counted ;p)

Anyway... my day was a mundane one, or rather, a worse than normal one... :(

No second chance…

2008-09-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

Life in Ipoh is very mundane for me. It’s either I spend my nights oncall in the hospital or lying quietly alone in my room with occasional hang-outs with friends. Don’t feel pity for me, I do enjoy to quietness in my room. After a whole day in the hospital, having so many people whom I have to talk to and listen to, the peace in my room is much treasured.

Tonight, I just chose to make it different. I plugged in my laptop and watched Leslie and my proposal videos. (For those who don’t know what happened, read my previous blog to find out. We’ll see if we can show you some of the clips on our wedding day for you to share the ‘fun’).

Lo and behold, I could still feel the horror!! As I watched us fell, our parachute sank into the ocean, picturing the moment we dipped into the sea, the thought of drowning at that very moment… Eeee… We could have been dead then!! Through it all, I’m so much more thankful for Leslie and for our days together.

But, one thing I felt sorry for Leslie. After all the terrifying events, I was still so shocked and dumb-founded when he knelt down with the ring and roses. I was unable to give him THE resounding ‘Yes, I do!’ that every guy would like to hear from their fiancée-to-be.  In this, there’s no way for me to make it up to him. There’s no Take_2. How?

The “ must-try’s ” in Ipoh

2008-09-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is based on personal preference in my 3 months expedition in Ipoh:
1) Ipoh popiah
2) Bubur Cha Cha at ‘Dong-Ku-Teng’
3) Lou Wong chicken rice, especially their beansprouts, it’s simply juicier.
4) Tau Fu Fa near Lou Wong
5) Ipoh’s famous mixed fruit ice at ‘Tong-Suih-Kai’ (Street of dessert)
6) Kai See Hor Fan at old town (I still can’t find my way back there again)
7) Soon Fatt’s Restaurant’s Mongolian Mantis Prawn rice
8) Yook Fook Moon Tong’s egg tart.
9) Main MP’s Australian Lamb Chop. I thought it was nice…
10) Deli Garden’s cheese cakes.
11) Gold Vision’s Portuguese egg tart.

Ipoh… Ipoh…

2008-09-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today marks the beginning of my fourth month in Ipoh. Although the fact that I wasn’t posted to Penang GH still makes me sulk a little, I’ve kinda accepted the fact that I’ve ended up in Ipoh and will be here for the next 2 years.

Working as a houseman is REALLY no joke at all. Although I carry a ‘Dr’ in front of my name, it’s no glamour at all. Scoldings from my superiors really made me felt like I’m worth nothing and I’m the most foolish person that has ever lived. Nothing I did is ever enough for them. No matter how tiring I’ve made myself to carry out all their orders, if there’s one thing I’ve missed out, I’ll be the worst houseman ever and I shouldn’t even be allowed to graduate in the first place.

Well, some say this is how they train new doctors, to make us tougher and to humble us, to instill the fact that doctors are not god. But… I could at least be treated as a grown up, a fellow colleague… though I’m less experienced, less knowledgeable, slower in carrying out orders, making more mistakes etc. Please give me some time…

How did I survive all these? I’ve learnt to take comments selectively. I remembered one specialist told me, “Just treat as though they are your parents nagging at you, hear and forget”. That kinda helped. I’ve also coined a principle for myself – “As long as you end up teaching me something, I don’t mind being scolded or even ridiculed.”

Before this, as I’ve gathered from Mom, Bro and Leslie, I’m someone who is impatient, who just have to speak out her mind whenever things don’t go her way or when things seem unfair to her. And, they are rather amazed how I could stand quietly when unnecessary scoldings start. One thing I’m grateful for, that this learning process has really made me more patient and I’ve learnt to shut up when I know nothing much can be said or done rather than to fight back as I would previously.

Don’t get me wrong, life as a houseman is not all bad. There are also lots of good days slotted in between. Especially those days when I’m re-affirmed of my service with the smiles on my patients’ faces and the unending ‘thank you’ that they offer, all these just made everything worthwhile.

Sometimes I just wondered why I have to choose this torturing profession. No doubt I have interest in medicine since young, but the toiling just makes me puzzled at my dream of becoming a doctor. However, when a depressed lady who is dawned with the fact that she has terminal cancer pours out herself to me; when the delight shone on the old man’s face when I gave him the direction to the ward where his ill wife laid; when the injured little boy who has lost his mother in the road accident only trusted me and chose to talk to me alone; when the man who was admitted in the middle of the night unable to pass urine showed his gratitude to me just because I was the one there to put in a tube for him and helped him… all these just makes the toiling worth and what kept me going.

It’s a privilege, I would say. But, it’s also a task to shoulder such a great responsibility of handling lives entrusted to me. Everyday is a challenge and I need to be on my guard all the time. Just one slight error and someone’s life could be endangered! I’ve fumbled many times, but thank God I haven’t caused anyone’s life. Whenever I make a mistake, it’s at the expense of a person’s life… he could be someone’s father, someone’s husbands, someone’s son or someone’s brother. A medical officer scolded me “What do you mean you’ve learnt from your mistake?! We can’t afford to make mistakes here!” He’s right…

So much for my houseman life…

At this moment, I’m thankful for where I am now. I’m learning to see God’s hands in every circumstance that unfolds each day. Being here puts my family and Leslie in difficult situations, but they’ve been very patient, bearing with me all that’s taking place. I tried hard to think positively of every situation that I’m in. At times, I’m unsure if I’m only lying to myself and fooling myself. But I guess what’s true is I need to learn to count my blessings and to know that as long as I have my God with me, all will be well with me.

The ‘Change’ has arrived…

2008-06-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

It was the moment I’ve been waiting for…

I anxiously peeped into the letter that tells where I’m gonna be posted to. Lo and behold, it wasn’t Penang but Ipoh! Was very sad and disappointed but as time goes by… the pain kinda healed.

Tonight, I’m 3 hours away from my new beginning in Ipoh. And here I am, blogging about the ‘change’ which has taken place.

Life's gonna be busy there. I shall temporarily bid goodbye to my blogging hobby.

Take care!

The supposed ‘To be continued…’

2008-06-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

I wanted to complete my story but time just doesn’t allow. I just came back from a 3 weeks camp in KLIA then Melacca. And when I got home, I’m 3 days away from the day I will start work in Ipoh.

I couldn’t finish my story but my fiancé has recorded a good one in his blog (http://www.leslieyimsm.blogspot.com).

Just to add in a bit…

After the ‘tragedy’, we met up with my dad and had dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Tanjung Tokong. After dinner, we went home. I thought everything was over until…

I was holding the keys to my house, so I’m expected to open the door. As I pushed open the wooded door of my apartment, a loud ‘SURPRISE!!!’ was thundering from inside. And confetti’s were shooting towards me. I shouted and stepped back as the door shut before me. I was shock! What?! Another surprise? Goodness! Almost 10 uni friends intruded my house without my knowledge! Whoa.. If you’ve seen the video, you’d know how stunt I was.. :)

We had a great chat and I recited my para-sailing story to them. All was good but not until all of them left. Then came ‘cleaning up’!! Ish, they never show this part of the surprise in any of the Hollywood shows. :)

All in all, it was a proposal to be remembered dearly. I didn’t expect much. I never did have any idea how I’d like it to be. Leslie once asked me if I’d like it to be with friends and family or just the two of us. I couldn’t even make up my mind. But what he has given me was a perfect combination of both. I’m pleasantly surprised!

Our BIG Day...

2008-05-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On May 12, 2008 my status has been upgraded from ‘single’ to ‘happily engaged’. Thanks to my newly self-appointed fiancé, Leslie. Of course, that was with my ‘I do’ that gave him the approval. It was my pleasure… ;)

It was yet another mundane Monday. I woke up… had breakfast…bathed…lunched. Both of us were suppose to go out and run some errands at 2pm but thanks to my lovely bro, whose body has been systematically tuned to wake up not earlier than 2pm, we had to postpone all our plans to the next day. BUT, one thing was out of the norm, a family dinner at Sunset Bay Bistro.

Well, that didn’t raise any curiosity because bro is back from the States, I’m about to leave for a government camp in Melaka and later posted to somewhere else plus bro has gone there few days ago and highly recommended that bistro.

(Note: I’m as blur as a sotong. Nothing less than obvious can ever trigger my suspicion. )

Leslie suggested that both of us go ‘pakthor’ in Gurney Plaza first than take a short stroll on the beach before meeting my family for dinner. I agreed to it because we always failed to carry out our plans of spending time together on the beach.

There were tons of people calling him while we were enjoying ourselves. His conversation was rather weird and most of the time he’d turned away while talking to them. Instead of getting curious, I got rather irritated that our time was interrupted.

(Note: I’m as blur as a sotong. Nothing less than obvious can ever trigger my suspicion. )

On the beach…

He came up with the weirdest idea ever! ‘Para-sailing’! I don’t even know what it was, let alone how to spell it! We were so unprepared. We were in semi-casual wear meant for dinner, we didn’t bring any extra clothes, and dinner is just 45 minutes away!

As reluctant as I was, the adventurous side of me agreed. Leslie bargained a little with the guy as I sat on the rocks observing how the others para-sailed. One after another, I got very scared. One almost fell, one missed the shore and landed in the water, one shouted his lungs out… By now, mom and bro have arrived.

It was our turn! *scary….*

We were taught how to run before taking off, how to maneuver the parachute, how to land etc. I kept stressing the point that we didn’t bring any clothes to the man and told him to make sure we land on the shore dry. He assured me with this sentence “Don’t worry, all will be fine. You just need to enjoy and say ‘I do’.”

???

(Note again: I’m as blur as a sotong. Nothing less than obvious can ever trigger my suspicion. )

For those who know me. I am clumpsy. I didn’t run fast enough before taking off, as a result, I fell and caused Leslie to fall behind me. Good thing, it was almost time for us to take off and there were slight abrasions on my knees but it HURTS!!!

Ahh… both of us were soaring high up in the sky. Nice… Suddenly…

The boat became slower and both of us were slowly lowered towards to sea. I thought it was a joke from the boatman because of my persistence in reminding him that we need to be dry. When we realized something was wrong, it was just in time for us to shout a loud ‘JANGAN!!!!’ and down we dipped into the great big ocean.

What went through my mind was “I must save my breath, I can’t let go too fast, how deep I am sinking?”, “How far are we from the surface?” “I don’t want to drown!”. As When I got up, I looked for Leslie and held his hands as we waved and beckoned the boatman to save us.

“Oh my goodness!! Oh my Goodness!!!” were the only words I could utter. Leslie remained calm and composed and sat down quietly. Apparently, he told me what went through his head was “All my plans are ruined!”

After that, I questioned the boatman what had happened as we tried to wave vigorously towards the shore to signal to mom and bro that we were safe. The boatman said something went wrong with the engine that it could not pick up with the speed it was supposed to. He told us we were lucky because we were not stinged by any jellyfish as this part of the ocean contains many jelly fish. Then, he pointed at one which is floating just right beside our boat!! Ridiculous!!!

I got so paranoid that I started questioning him about jelly fish and its sting. “Is its sting fatal?” “Will we know if we were stinged?” “Has he himself been stinged?” “What will happen after being stinged?”

As we were approaching the shore, Leslie said “Look!”. A long banner with these words “Xe Hui, WYMM (will you marry me)?” was displayed!

Ah… =D

To Be Continued…

On Labours’ Day

2008-05-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

It was truly a ‘labour’ day for me. I had to follow my mom to the supermarket to get cheap groceries and store up some wheat base foodstuff. My role was to guard the loaded trolley and push it through the crowd. Not an easy labour though…

I like to observe others. Hence, whenever it was too difficult for me to push the big trolley down the rows of canned food or shampoos, I’d parked the trolley at a corner, stood there and started gazing…

I saw some aunties who were choosing grapes. As they were depositing the chosen ones into the plastic bag, they so conveniently placed one into their mouths. Well, if they only did that once, they could be excused for wanting to try before buying. BUT, some did that many times before they finally decided to weigh and get the price stickers.

As someone walked pass the stack of plastic bags meant for beans and grains, she took some and put it into her big handbag. I wonder what else is inside.

Next, I saw those as they were pushing their trolleys through the isles, suddenly decided that they didn’t want to buy one of the items that were already in their trolley, they took it out and placed it wherever the decision was made. So, that explains why a packet of biscuits could be found among the piles of oranges, or a bottle of A&W root beer could be seen among the bottles of detergents.

The next scene was the first I’ve ever seen.

A boy took a small packet of sweets which he wished that his mom would buy for him. When his mother realized that, she took it from his hand and directly placed it in a trolley nearby that belonged to someone who was busy choosing fresh prawns. She quickly held her son’s hand and walked up the escalator!! (I just had to end that sentence with an exclamation mark.) Ridiculous!

What are we teaching our next generation?! The granddaughter of that aunty would think that it’s right to taste grapes before buying. The grandson of that uncle would be putting the ice cream that he could not own among the shelves of flour. And the son of that lady would think that simply putting things that he doesn’t want into other’s trolley is alright!

Women exploit!

2008-04-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

I was watching the game show called ‘Deal or No Deal’. I like the show BUT I can never understand why they have to exploit women that way. Does the show really need twenty over pretty girls to stand there holding brief cases? Will the show be any worse if they weren’t there?

Similarly, I can never understand why advertisements for posh cars, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, watches etc somehow need to use sexy women to sell their products? I can never see any relation in that. Yes, I know this attracts the targeted group of customers but will it have the slightest effect on their choice?

Here’s a questions. If Carlsberg uses the sexiest woman in the world as their poster model and the Tiger Beer poster shows a cute little puppy sleeping by the oversize mug of beer. Which will you choose? Will your choice be affected by the way the poster is? Or, it is more dependent on the feeling as the fluid flow on your tongue and how it soothes your throat as it tracks down to your stomach?

I still don’t see the point!

In Between...

2008-04-19T02:05:00.000-07:00

I'm in between my previous role as a student and my future role as an employee. In other words, i'm in between 'not earning' and 'earning'. So, what happened in the 'in between'?

For the past few days, i've been running errands with my mom. We've had meals outside and we've spent quite a bit, not forgetting the digits that was shown on the petrol pumps where my car parked. I've been scrutinizing price tags more than i ever did. I was also approached by insurance salespersons and a bank advisor approached me with a credit card application form... All these just blew my mind!

Goodness... I'm a grown-up! I'm going to earn my own money and worse still, i'll be spending my own hard-earned cash. I'll have to handle my own finances. I'll have insurance to pay, loans to clear. I'll have to understand some of those alien terms like 'fixed deposit', 'mutual fund'... Ahhh...

It's certainly not pleasant to be caught in between...

No One Knows...

2008-04-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

The sound of my sms woke me up from my sleep today. It wrote, “Our friend, Dr X, passed away in a motor vehicle accident. Please pray for him and forward this message.” I was shocked and stunned! I tried to recollect the memories shared with this friend and the blessings he has brought to those around him. I was very sad. I called the person who forwarded this sms to me to confirm the validity and later I forwarded it to those who are close to him.

I shared the news with a few others. Their first reaction was “Aiyoo, so pitiful. He is a doctor.. He’s still so young..”

I thought… Is the life of a doctor worth more than a person who has less or no contribution to the society? What if he’s already 50 years old, will the sadness that strikes be less?

I guess this is normal human thinking. Only God can view life equally the same. Even the life of the criminal who died with Jesus was precious in His eyes.

So Scary...

2008-03-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

It was a Saturday. The usual practice of Leslie, my boyfriend is to hang out with his friends for supper in a usual coffee shop after church service. But, tonight, he kept on pestering me to join him.

When we reached the supper place, I saw a friend at another table and I sat down to catch up with her while Leslie walked towards the table where his friends sat. We chatted with our friends separately.

Half way through my conversation with my friend, I noticed that Leslie kept on looking towards my direction, hinting me to join him at the other table as soon as possible. Later, a few other people at his table were also looking towards me. One of them is fixing his camera. I gave a few signals pleading him to give me a few more minutes to catch up with my friend.

When my friend stood up and was about to leave, Leslie with 3 other friends walked towards the table where I was. I wanted to walk my friend to the exit but Leslie somehow obstructed the way by standing in front of me and said… “I know you have been waiting for this for a very long time…” While he was saying this, the guy who was fixing the camera took out his camera!

I was shocked and moved away from Leslie as quick as I could. What went through my mind was “A PROPOSAL?!?!”… “NOW?!?!” … “IN A COFFEE SHOP?!?!”… “NO!!!”

And… Tadaa… This was what happened!

Come to think of it... it was sweet of him :)

And this was his 'Diamond' T instead of a R***. What a relieve! Phew... ;)

Heavy laden

2008-03-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today, a mini graduation ceremony was held to give the students a temporary certificate that is needed for us to start work because the real cert only comes in August during the real convocation.

Today was the first time I heard myself officially being called ‘Dr Lee Xe Hui’. I’m sure my parents and my boyfriend felt proud, but I felt a heavy responsibility upon my shoulders.

Ahh... Finally!!!

2008-03-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

1st 'Finally'...
Finally i remember my password and i can blog again!! This explains why my last blog was 14months away. ;)

2nd 'Finally'...
Finally i'm graduating!! That is if i find myself passing my finals next tuesday. ;)

3rd 'Finally'...
Finally there's a 'change' in Penang. ;)

4th 'Finally'...
Finally, i'm done with my 'finallys'... Hehe...

How Technology Changed My Christmas

2007-01-30T22:16:00.000-08:00

After giving each other the usual christmas wishes and blessings, the three of us just sat there reading and replying sms-es...

That was my christmas 2006... 'Hmm...' or rather 'Sigh...'

Indonesia... Indonesians...

2007-01-29T13:05:00.000-08:00

This blogging business is reminding me that i'm such a big time procrastinator...

I said i wanted to be back in the blogging business last october, and it's already january 2007 for goodness' sake. I said i wanted to seek help in uploading the video of the crows in klang, but hey, what have i done?!?!! Sigh...

Anyway...i have something to share...

I went to Indonesia during my holidays for one week. It was a medical mission... It was good and rewarding. We went to Berastagi, Sidikalang and Medan. This was my first time going to a place outside of Malaysia, my first international flight, my first time handling foreign currencies. You should see how 'jakun' aka 'sua pa' aka 'orang kampung' i was at the airport. Didn't know what to do at a machine in KLIA. And, i was having a tough time calculating the currency convertion... Summore, this is a flight long enough for me to visit the lavatory... i took pictures also!!! :)

Facilities that they have were really basic. For example, toilet bowls without flush, no shower but pails of water, no heater but cold freezing water in Berastagi and Sidikalang, no toilet rolls etc. It really helped me to appreciate and enjoy the simplicity of life once again.

Few things i've learnt:-

1) Got convicted of my prejudice towards people not my 'kind'. This was my first time worshiping in a service where majority of the people are of other races. And we were singing in bahasa indonesia. As i was singing, i started looking at the people on stage and started commenting on them. And, it hit me that i'll be seeing these 'different' people in heaven, worship God together with them. I ought to love them as God does and see them as God sees them. Thank God He reminded me fast enough in the beginning of the trip.

2) When i was asked to pray for them during alter call. I prayed for 3 girls and as the spirit led, i felt that one was limited in her service to God by unbelieving parents, the other by the lack of intelligence and she wanted very much to pursue a degree in bible school, and the other was limited by lack of finance. I was so sad knowing that they have such a great heart to serve but yet such a limitting factor that keeps them from fulfilling their call.

That night, during devotion (Thank God for my boyfriend. He reminded me before the trip that i ought to do my devotion every day) God reminded me that 'Wait and Prayer" is the right thing to do. And the next day, during my devotion, i read a sentence in EDWj which says "despite the appearance to the contrary, God's hands is upon the whole situation and a devine plan is being worked out". Well, pray pray pray is the answer... :)

3) During our first medical session, i was stationed to play the doctor role. I was to talk to the patient, come up with a diagnosis, and give medicine to the patients. OOoohh....this was my first time giving medicine to people and can you imagine the great sense of responsibility i felt on my shyoulders??!! Anyway, it went on well with the first 3 patients, but the fourth patient was a 2 years old girl with kidney problem. Her face was puffy and her legs were swollen. It's something called "Nephrotic Syndrome". Nothing in our medicine list could help her. All we had was vitamins, pain killers, cough syrup, calamine ect. Remember, referrals to hospitals will not work for these people because it's too expensive for them and they'll not go to the hospital at all. I didn't know what to do and consulted a doctor beside me... he calmly replied, "Ask Pastor to pray"..

It dawned upon me. YES. Prayer is the answer. Prayer should be the answer. Medicine can cure, but in circumstances where medicine fails, my God will not fail, my God never fails. How could i be so ignorant about the power of prayer in such situation?!

4) Always, people who have gone somewhere, they'll bring back a message that says "i went there wanting to bless, but i was blessed many folds in return". This is exactly what i felt.

I'm all set for another mission trip. :)

will be back in the blogging business...

2006-10-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Was taking a break from my books and read up Leslie's blog and a few others'...

Clicked on mine and saw the last post was like ages ago...

Have been very very busy. 4th year's final exam is in one week's time!!

Ohya... Klang is over for me! Yeap, it's been one year, well spent with the crows.

6 months ago, I took a video of an annual activity in Klang to get rid of the crows. Notice it's "annual"...means the multiplying rate is greater then the death rate. Anyway, the point is, i was so occupied that i didn't have the time to upload the video... some have seen and were amazed.

Anyway, i don't even know how to upload stuff.. hehe... i'm a big time computer dumby :) Will get some help..

A Quote

2006-03-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

" Not many rivers flow into the sea. Most rivers run into other rivers. The best workers are not those who demand a seperate sphere of influence and prestige for themselves, but are content to empty their streams of blessing into other rivers."

~Dr. A. B. Simpson

Mathematics

2006-02-24T17:05:00.000-08:00

It's so easy to get the multiples of 11.

11 x 11 = 121
12 x 11 = 132
13 x 11 = 143
14 x 11 = 154
15 x 11 = 165
16 x 11 = 176
17 x 11 = 187
18 x 11 = 198
19 x 11 = 209

See the trick?

For example... 12 x 11 = 1(3)2
The (3) is actually (1+2). Once you add the two digits, insert the result between them.

Next... 16 x 11 = 1(7)6
The (7) is (1+6). Then, insert the (7) between 1 and 6.

Get it? Hmm...

Sponge facts

2006-02-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

A dry sponge will soak in as much water as possible when it's thrown into a bowl of water.
~ We are like sponges. An encounter with God in a church service; a personal miracle; an encouraging verse from the bible; a graciously answered prayer; a wonderous manifestation of God's power is like the bowl of water. When we are thrown into any of these experience, we'll be soaked and be filled.

A dry sponge always has gaps within it waiting to be filled.
~ We ought to always have an expectant heart, that's awaiting for the renewal of the Holy Spirit.

A sponge needs to be squeezed to drain away the dirty water first, before it can be filled with clean water again.

A sponge is always under the control of the one who wants to use it.

A sponge will take in whatever fluid that it has been thrown into.
~ we've got to be careful of the influences that we choose to expose ourselves to.

Ponder on. Hmm...

Breast-feeding

2006-02-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

I had a 2-hour lecture on breast-feeding today, and discovered shocking facts about it and its immense importance. I'll just list out the interesting facts that i was taken aback by.

1. Animals feed their young with their species-specific milk, knowing that it's the best for them. Sadly, humans don't. We choose to feed our young with milk from other species.

2. A farmer stated that if a pony or a piglet is not fed with their mothers' milk, they'll not grow well and the piglet would even fall sick in the early years of life.

3. Generally, breast-fed babies have better growth and development in all aspects.

4. Breast milk has the most complete nutrition, with the most suitable proportion of all its content, with the most digestable and absorbable recipe, and provides needed immunization for the baby. It is so good thata baby can live exclusively on it for the first 6 months of life.

5. Babies who are breast-fed has stools that are different from those who are fed with formulated milk. Breast-fed babies will have softer, brownish stool that smells sweet.

6. Amazingly, its contents evolves throughout the duration of pregnancy. If the baby is born preterm, the milk produced is suitable for him. If he's born full term or any other time, don't worry, nature has it all under control.

7. Best still, there's something called fore milk and hind milk. Meaning, with every feed, the milk produced changes from start, which has more fluid and less protein, until the end, which has more protein and provides more energy for the baby. Imagine the baby having appetizer, main course, followed by dessert. Hence, breast-feeding mothers, please don't switch breast with each feed for the baby. Let the little one finish it's whole meal at one breast. If not, he'll end up having too much fore milk, which has lotsa fluid but little protein and energy.

8. Milk bottle is a NO-NO. Extracted breast milk is best fed with a spoon and not a milk bottle. In order for the baby to suckle well from the breast, he has to learn how to open his mouth big enough to cover the areola (brownish area of the breast) and not only the nipple. That's why the habit of suckling from the milk bottle will accustom the baby to suckling from the nipple and not the areola.Hense, it'll cause pain to the mother.

9. The more the baby is allowed to suckle from the breast, the more milk it'll produce. Breast-feed evenwhen the mother or the baby is ill. By this, antibodies can be passed on to the baby. There's also a recent article that encourage HIV mothers to breast feed their babies to protect them from HIV with the antibodies that the mother has acquired.

10. Breast size doesn't affect the milk production. Big or small, all have the equal amount of breast tissue to produce adequate food for the baby.

11. Make it clear to the medical staff in the hospital that you wish to breast feed your baby, and no milk bottles are allowed for your baby. Once the bottle is introduced to the baby, he's 'corrupted'. You'll need patience to spoon feed him and help him to re-learn how to open his mouth big enough for the mother's breast.

12. There's no such thing as 'the mother cannot produce milk la...' Every mother can. So, dont give up. Continue to breast feed until your brain gets enough signal to stimulate milk production.

13. Breast feeding reduce risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer.

14. Breast feeding helps mothers to slim down.

15. Breast feeding has contraceptive effects up to 6 months after giving birth.

16. Breast feeding strenghtens the mother-and-child bond.

Isn't it amazing how God had all these planned out? Hmm...

See for Yourself

2006-02-01T01:05:00.000-08:00

Wanted to share this with you guys long time ago, just didn't have the time to do so. It was taken when Leslie and i were waiting for my aunt 'somewhere'. Not nice for me to mention the exact location and get the guy caught...

HoHoHo...Merry New Year!

2006-01-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

Blessed 2006, everyone!

On new year's eve, i invited all my friends to the tv room in my campus to have a mini count down. We brought along a big clock and i brought my alarm clock with me. We set our HPs' alarm clock. When the big clock was about to struck 12, we realised most of our watches and HPs weren't showing the exact same time!!

Ofcourse, we weren't that stupid. We switched on 8TV, then followed their time lor. But, one question still remains... "Which clock is correct?"

Were you ever caught in a situation where your watch, your HP and the clockSSSsss that hang in your house are not showing the same time? Did you feel a sudden lost of security and confusion, thinking " Which one!!??! " Especially when your watch had just failed last night, and you woke up in the morning late for work?

Missing home...

2005-12-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

Wah...i haven't missed home so much in the past 3 years. The thing is, i went back last week wor...?!!?

Originally, I didn't plan to go home this weekend. But, when i was eating my green apple this afternoon, i heard my friend saying " Let's go liao...!" Wah, a sense of home-sickness dawned upon me!!! :(

Well, i guess i have no choice but to welcome 2006 with the crows in Klang.

Breaking the news

2005-12-29T01:56:00.000-08:00

I have an elderly male patient with lung cancer. I'm following up on his progression. Today, when i was at the ward to visit him, i saw a doctor breaking the news to him and went on to check other patients.

I went to talk to him to find out how he's feeling. Truly, he was not taking it well enough. Who would?!? He was denying those facts and repeatedly said he's been very healthy all these while...

Then came another doc. This time, he was more skillful and caring. Took time to talk to the patient and adviced him on what he can do.

Then, i realised i too treated the patient as the first doctor. I used to looked at his X-ray and say, "Ooh, he has lung cancer. There's this mass here and opacity there..." But, when i heard the doctor breaking the news to him,i felt for him and was guilty of my lack of realisation that the patient is not just another case on the X-ray.

Got 2 things i have to learn.
1. How to break bad news to patients.
2. To remember to see patients as humans, and not just another case of disease.

First Week In Klang

2005-12-13T02:08:00.000-08:00

I'm now posted to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, KLang. Will be here for one year.

Have been here for 1 week since last Sunday. All is good. It's not as bad as what my seniors have described to me previously. My room is nice, but there are quite some roaches around. I have seen 4 ever since then. :) The food's nice. One thing about Klang, there are many crows around. There are 'swarms' of them, serious...

Every weekday, my schedule is almost 8am to 6pm. Sometimes, i'll have to go to the wards from 7:30pm-9:30pm. Well, starting to get the feel of how my working life will be. Anyway, despite the hectic schedule, it has been very interesting.

Geli lar...

2005-11-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

Was surfing the net and the Gatsby ad popped up. They show Gatsby ads in the cinema before movies with the background song "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands... " I always thought it looked evil and choose the close my eyes whenever it's screened.

Hmm...

Colours Don't Matter

2005-11-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's encounter, i decided to play with colours. I wore a bright pink blouse with a pair of blue slacks to class this morning.

Today was my first day as a class representative. I got everything ready before the lectures. The first one went by smoothly. The second one started off well, the lecturer was very clear and funny in his explanation until... he started hunting for 2 students to demonstrate neck examination in front of the whole class. He picked a guy and THEN... pointed right at me!

See! It wasn't about colours afterall. Hmm...

‘Black’. Is it really a bad colour?

2005-11-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of class after a week of Raya break. I decided to be the ‘Lady in Black’ and wore a black blouse and a black pair of slacks.

Out of nowhere, my class representatives said they want to step down and find someone new to replace them for the coming year. And, out of nowhere, my ‘dear’ friend shouted my name. And, out of nowhere, I got the highest vote among the 6 nominees and became the Class representative!

Well, now that it is already a fact, I am trying to overlook the heavy responsibilities that await me, and focus on the blessings that I can give and the benefits that I can gain.

When Cantonese say ‘hak’, it could either mean ‘black colour’ or ‘bad luck’. BUT, mine was purely based on my capability ler :P . This could happen on any day, even if I were the ‘Lady in Red’. Hence, it has nothing to do with ‘luck’, ya.

Hmm…

Mushi Mushi...

2005-11-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

I saw a book “Learn Japanese the Fast and Fun Way” on my cousin’s bookshelf, took it out and brought it home. That night, I went through the book with Leslie, learnt a few common phrases. He actually knows quite a bit!

Excuse me = Chotto sumimasen ga
Glad to meet you = Ha-jee-meh-mahsh-teh
May I help you = Nahn deh-shoh
How are you = Ogenki dehs-ka
What is your name = Anata no onamae wa
My name is = Watashiwa no namae xehui dehs
Thank you = Domo Arigato
You’re welcome = Ee-eh, doh ee tah-shee-mahsh-tek
Good morning = Ohio go-zai-ma-tse
Good afternoon = Konnichiwa
Good evening = Kong-bang-wa
What = nahn-dehs-ka
Where = do-ko
Who = dah-reh

Thought these will help me if I ever meet a Japanese patient.

“Ee-toh…” (Hmm…)

Uniform for Tin-Kai-Catch

2005-10-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

This is the 'uniform' i talked about in my previous post. :)

Didn't Know

2005-10-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

“We do not need the grace of God to stand crises, human nature and pride are sufficient, we can face the strain magnificently; but it does require the supernatural grace of God to live 24 hours in everyday as a saint, to go through drudgery as a disciple, to live an ordinary, unobserved, ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus.” ~ MUFHH Oct 21

This whole week, I had many trying situations to convince me that I have serious problem with my character that I have to deal with.

I was wrongly accused in 2 separate occasions, waited for some friends for about half an hour, had to change my plans which I worked on for the past 2 weeks, discriminated with a second class treatment because of who I am. In all these occasions, I complained a lot, was angry, frustrated, and even hated some of them who were involved.

I thought I was right to feel the way I felt, and I did not notice something was wrong until Leslie spoke. He said “I’m sure you know what the Bible says. Things are like that. Try to look from their end. Pray for them.” That struck me real hard and I realized I have changed a lot ever since I entered the ‘world’. I have grown to be impatient, less merciful, bad tempered, self centered…

I thank God that He puts this realization in me, hinting me through scriptures and friends. I read 1Cor 13 and found out that ‘LOVE’ is not that easy after all. I am still so far behind. And, I realized that it is His supernatural grace that I need to live everyday as a saint, and to go through drudgery as a disciple.

Hmm…

"Gynaecology"

2005-10-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

I had my very first Gynaecology practical session. I was taught how to examine the vagina, cervix and the uterus. Ofcourse, on dummies only lah…

It was exciting. But, stupid me, I didn’t prepare before the class. I forgot how the anatomy looks like (Did it 2 years ago, ok…). As a result, my group was scolded and we were called monkeys by the lecturer! Hehe, but the lecturer turn out to be a funny guy after all, thought us a lot of stuff. He was just thinking of building a ‘rapport’ with us in the beginning.

The lecturer said that in the UK, one is paid 40-50 pounds per year to be a model for such examination. So, calling for females…anyone who needs a free examination, please leave a message. I need to practise on you for free.

Hmm…

Life’s a Role Playing Game

2005-10-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

In life, we have 101 roles to play. A Christian; a son or a daughter; a grandchild; a student; a teacher; an employee; a big boss; a friend; a girlfriend or a boyfriend…you name it.

Have you ever faced any dilemma, having to choose between two equally important roles in a particular situation? Like, whether to be an obedient Christian or a respectful daughter in a given occasion? God definitely has to come first, but sometimes situations really don’t allow us to do so. Then how? Hmm...

Whose life means more?

2005-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

That night, the grand daughter of the ‘Mak Cik’ who invited me for ‘Tin Kai catch’ came along. They were so concerned about our safety that they gave us all the protective equipment, while the girl went without any.

After my encounter with the snake, I discussed some issues with my foster family. I asked them if anyone in the village was bitten before. They said one villager was bitten before and he died soon after that. The nearest hospital was too far away.

And, thoughts came to my mind, “Are lives here less valuable?”, “Was the grand daughter’s life less valuable compared to mine?”

This further leads me to… “In the future, will the life of an injured murderer mean the same to me as the life of an injured policeman? Will I put in the same effort in saving them as I ought to? Will I despise the murderer and thinks that he deserves it?”

Hmm…

Catch ‘em, girl!

2005-10-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect night to catch ‘Tin Kai’ (a frog-like Chinese delicacy). The rain has just stopped and the sky was dark. The moon was no where to be found. To the Ibans in the long house, ‘Tin Kai’ is very expensive. One of the few ways they get to eat it is to catch them on their own in paddy fields.

When a ‘Mak Cik’ told me this, I said “Let’s Go!” immediately without any hesitations. But, just 3 seconds after that, as I looked at the paddy field, which laid in complete darkness in front of the long house, I realized I was out of my mind. I asked them if there were snakes in the paddy field; if there were any leeches, rats, any other creatures other than paddy. They assured me that there weren’t any. And so, I went.

They have a suit for catching ‘Tin Kai’. A pair of Phuah-Chu-Kang boots to protect my legs from mud which was 5 inches deep, a plastic bag to protect my hands from any direct contact with the ‘Tin Kai’, a jacket to protect me from mosquitoes and the cold wind, a torch light…what else?

When we were almost done, we accidentally came across a 5 feet long snake, it has thick black and white bands on it, and it was about 2 meters away from us! It freaked me out and before I could take any photo of it, I had already run back to the long house! All my life, I’m a ‘snake-o-phobia’. I can’t even stand watching the reptile on TV!

Anyway, we had a fruitful catch. Here they are… BUT, when my foster parents cooked them the next day, only the one circled was ‘Tin Kai’, the rest were all ‘Tin Kai wanna-bies’. Meaning, only one was edible!

Hmm… (Nothing to ‘hmm…’ about, but just la…)

My life-time adventure…

2005-09-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

After nearly 1 month of break from blogging, it sure is difficult to get back on track. Anyway, just imagine that this was written 2 weeks ago, when i first returned from my Sabah-Sarawak Trip. Sit back, and relaxed. This is gonna be loooooong…

Let me see what have i accomplished. I will add in what i have to say about each of them la...

1) I've fulfilled my main purpose to Sarawak, which is to give public health check-ups with my fellow coursemates.

Well, taking blood pressure is not as easy as it seemed. When i had to do it, my table was placed in front of a music shop that plays noisy songs throughout the whole day. It was always the same Gwen Steffani song, some “Hollaback gurl” song. I couldn't even differentiate whether it was the person's pulse or was it the beat of the music! Confusing..

2) I've tasted the life of sarawakians in one long-house for 4 days.

I'll write about this in my next blog. It stirred up a thought...

3) I've done white-water rafting in Padas.

Wah... This! After 30 minutes of rafting, we got bored with it and purpopsely asked the rafters to capsize our raft. Lo and behold, he did! But, he didn't do much in saving us back into the raft!!!! Notice the many many exclamation marks. When I fell into the water as the boat overturned, the paddle I was holding knocked my back real hard. After that, one of my friends got caught in what they call "a sucker". He couldn't move at all, but the raft was moving very very fast down stream, away from him. I was the nearest to him and i tried pulling him with the handle of my paddle, but failed. After that, I had no choice but to save myself then. I was trying hard to float myself towards the raft, but I didn't seem to move! The boat was getting further and further away from me and a rapid (parts of the river where the water hits against rocks and the water current is super frightening) was approaching! I didn't even know where was i, water kept splashing onto my face, i forgot to pinch my nose, and when i remembered to gasp for air, all i got was gulps of water. My butt hit against the rocks and my sandal was slipping off. I was struggling to swim towards the raft with only one hand because i was holding my paddle and my sandal with the other. As i looked backed, my friend who was stuck in the sucker was ‘released’ and he was already in the raft. I was the only one left in the water, and i was the last one left behind. All of the other 60 over rafters, even the professional kayakers, who were suppose to safe people are way...way... in front!! That time, I was really scared!. Many things went through my mind, like crocs feasting on my legs, anacondas, piranhas... Wah...i tell you! Really feel like no hope!! After all the struggling... i called out 'God!' and relaxed myself. Really couldn't do much, swimming seemed vain. Anyway, to cut the long story short, i slowly flowed back to the raft. Phew... It was truly exciting, but will I do it again? Negative…!

Shades, this was worse than the mountain.

4) I've conquered Mt Kinabalu.

Like anyone else who have made it to the top would say " It's beautiful!' Too much to talk about, it'll take another blog to write this. So, i'll go by voting system. Anyone who's interested, please send your comments to 32777 and i'll blog about it if there's a demand, even if there’s only one. :)

5) I've shopped around KK Town, had a taste of bargaining on ANYTHING i wish to buy. I was so desperate that i tried bargaining in the supermarkets as well. I forgot that i was in a supermarket, where bargainings don't usually occur. :P

6) I've ‘hopped’ from Pulau Sapi to Pulau Manukan.

I snorkeled, got bitten by mean fishes, chased by wild monkeys, stood as close as 2 meters away from a 2-meters long monitor lizard. Saw sea-urchins and freaked myself out. Su yin, I don’t know how you can swim with those aquatic creatures??!!

7) I've banana-boated.

First time swimming in the middle on the ocean with a dead fish floating beside me! EEEeee....

Hmm...could the xehui i know done all these?

Away...

2005-08-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'll be away for the next 3 weeks, 18 days to be exact. I'm going to Sibu, Sarawak for a week of community service in a shopping complex, schools, and the orang asli settlements.

After that, it will be 1 week of tour around Sabah. The 8 of us will go around KK town, Hop on 3 islands (which i still can't remember their names), water rafting (intermediate stage, ok...) AND... ofcourse TRY to conquer Mt Kinabalu.

I read up a few testimonies on the internet, and most of them made me doubt the possibilities of me succeeding on that, but with the help of Alvin and Mike, and the photos Aunty Soh Chin compiled, I guess i can do it... Let see what i'll say in my next blog when i get back.

Some of you may not see how can this post make you go "hmm...". Well, you can always go "Hmm...can she do it???" :)

Why it’s always the girls’ fault?!

2005-08-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Wah, 14 comments! Not bad for a start. J

Okay, some personal thoughts…

Why is it that when a guy rapes a gal, the society will somehow automatically thinks that it is the gal’s fault. They will come out with all sorts of ideas to point their fingers at the gal like... “The girl shouldn’t have worn clothes that are too revealing, she brought this on herself!” or “The girl should know how to take care of herself, she shouldn’t this, she shouldn’t that, blah..blah..blah..” What about the guy?!?

Why is it that when a guy with a smaller stature pairs up with a girl, who’s of a larger stature, comments will usually be made against the female counterpart. Such as “hmm, the girl’s too tall la..” or “The girl should seriously consider losing some weight!” Is this a fault of anyone in the first place?!?

Why is it that when divorce occurs, the wife will usually be the one to blame? Well, you know, guys’ hearts are to be won, the wife should have learnt tips and ways to capture her husbands heart. She’s not doing enough to satisfy her husband’s needs. What??!! She doesn’t know how to cook? She doesn’t even do the chores? No wonder her husband gave up! No wonder la… Husbands have a fair share of honoring their wives, while their wives submit to them. Both are to love each other until the end, isn’t it?!?

True? So, did you go “Hmmm…” ?

My 1st time...

2005-08-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Let us welcome a new born blogger!!! Yay... BUT, notice the word "Infrequent" ya, that's right, i'll be an inferequent blogger. So...don't expect too much,ya. Will try to post in thoughts that make you people out there go "HHhhmmm..." And, these kinda thoughts don't come often, so, you roughly know how often i will blog la :P What to do, a nerd like me.. what else except books, right..?
There you have it... "My 1st time".