Bintulu adventure

Hello from Bintulu! It is one of the rare weekend day off I am having. Despite the tireness tagging overnight every other day for the past one week, it is blissful to chill around today, drive along the beach side, shadowed by the canopy, accompanied by scenic skyline with some gulls by the road side.

Yup, this is Bintulu :)

Ernest and I are pretty much settled down after putting a few nights in hotel while looking for rooms around. By the grace of God, we managed to find 2 vacant rooms in a bangalow staying with a granny. Though the rooms' size are relatively smaller compared to my previous room, but I am thankful for a reasonable price despite the sky high house value here. On top of that, this is the biggest house I'd ever stayed!

Work per se, Bintulu Hospital is surprisingly quite big as a district hospital. Workload is manageable with more personal time. I am placed in O&G department thankfully while Ernest is posted to Surgery department. Stressful and anxious undoubtedly, but performing my own caesareans, extended tear repair etc. Of course when one is still new and slow in action with a not-so-nice end product, the involving staff would give you that kinda stare with hurtful comments. Oh well, I may be slow, but I am picking up okay!

Here is where we put up the first 4 nights upon touching ground, Jinhold apartment. Good service, nice food, cozy stay!

Price: RM169 per night including breakfast

Rate: ****1/2

King size bed sea view studio.

View from the window.

The lobby and lounge.

Self service laundry!

Breakfast in Absolute Kitchen.

Check out the house we stay!

My room.

Ernest's room.

Our shared toilet.

We had also tried Bintulu famous chicken feet!

Not my cup of tea though. Ernest likes it a lot. Okay, one more week to tag and oncall there after. Till more updates again. God bless all.

Fear factor

Sago worm aka Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is one of the Sarawak delicacies. It's life cycle takes about 7 to 10 weeks metathesizes from larva to a cocoon built of dry palm fibres and then, a beetle.

So now, let's look at what Tek Jee has brought us from Saratok, still lively crawling.

The two brothers alike, weird food maniacs.

Deep fried sago worm, alive! Eeewwww...

Oh well, I'm food lover but still, not bold enough to have a worm swallowed.

New hairdo

It's my second hair perming after the first one at the age of eight. Did on my sleeping day with my head nodding away during the whole 2.5 hours.

Day 3 post-perming, hair management is so far time consuming and tedious. Anyway, I like the change though.

Oh I haven't been combing my hair for 3 days!

The end

END OF HOUSEMANSHIP

20th Oct. 2009 - 9th Nov. 2011

Sarawak General Hospital

That says it all.

Time for a celebration before another stressor starts. Hooray!

Another year wiser

It was my post-night sleeping day. Undoubtedly I spent half of my day sleeping. Midway through I got woken up by Ernest, then groggily had my birthday treat in Station 1, Hills accompanied by the jazz band made up of a saxaphone and acoustic guitar.

Check out my lunch treat:

Aloha chicken pizza **

Football platter ****

Blended chocolate chips mocha ***

It is my last few days stay in Kuching. Gai had greeted and reminded me on how we used to meet in our toughest first posting in Paeds, munching waffle for lunch in the little playground next to nursery. Oh those tough days... Time really flies. While emotionally reminiscing how God's grace had brought me through these years, the remaining days seem extra precious. For sure I will miss the warmth and the people here. The church, my colleagues whom I have gone through all thick and thin with, and the skyline.

Lastly, dinner with churchmates and my yoghurt cheese cake. I had an enjoyable one.

This year's birthday wish is not more than to be a competent doctor that adds glory to God.

Precious Jesus, I thank You for what I have got. There are things I may not comprehend and days that are tough in my eyes. Still, Your strength brought me through it all. Nonetheless, thank you guys for making my day, showering me with all greetings and blessings, time and effort in whatever way.

Happy birthday to myself :)

It's November

Hello November!

Yoohoo~ It has reached the month I like. Partly because I was a November baby. But most of all, it approaches the year end and the atmosphere of Christmasy and New Year preparations are in the air!

Had a wonderful post-night brunch with my post-night colleagues in a posh dim-sum place. Guess what, instead of playing the typical chinese style gu zheng or er hu background accompany they started playing Christmas carols with a Christmas tree blinking at the entrance to welcome us.

And this month will mark another new chapter of my life. Disappointedly, not a chapter of marriage! :p

I am completing my housemanship, thankfully! Ernest and I will be next stationed at Bintulu Hospital for a year or so effective from 16th Nov. He wants to do Orthopaedics while I prefer Obs & Gyn posting. Still praying along as we are not sure where will we be placed till the day of reporting.

It comes with mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. Exciting to start a new life, biding the slavery housemanship goodbye, while nervous for the incompetency and the responsibilities a MO bears.

Stay tuned for more updates! :)

Ernest's birthday

It was dear's birthday with yam ice-cream cake.
Specially chosen a chocolate violin deco :)

Happy birthday dear ♥

Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us
and establish the work of our hands for us.
-Ps 90:17-

I'd just done

There is tiredness that can't be cured by sleeping;
broken heart that mends only with fibrosis.

Sob, I can only pray.

Durian, again!

For your information, there was an outstanding stall in our very last annual Kuching Food Festival, known as The Durian King - which was selling only fried durian. I queued once for about 10 minutes, then took over by my friends whom they had been taking turns to queue for more than an hour. Half way through, it had sold out! And that was barely two hours of business!

Note the L-shape queue before reaching the mentioned stall.

So on this fine day post-night duty, after dinner in a drizzly cold night, we finally got a foretaste courtesy of a fried banana hawker.

The crunching bite on a sizzling hot fried fresh durian was simply unforgettable, exposing the soft-half-melting-flesh with a tad of bitterness and the indulge-able sweet pungent aroma!

With another durian maniac.

Simply superb! :)

Count your blessings

I noticed him throughout lunch. A granny sat directly at my right oblique view, alone, smiling over his newly bought book, flipped it over and over again on the lunch table. The smile was so contented that it expressed his happiness. End of lunch, he held it up with care, gently hand-wiped the hard cover. He walked away, with his lips still stretching wide with satisfaction.

A simple matter had just satisfied someone.

Forgot when exactly was my last contention. With the pre-occupation of all bothers Eg: Failed intubations, the misdiagnosis, the difficult colleague, the exam syllabus, the next loans payment, the next working placement, etc. ignoring the little good things God has for me.

Start counting my blessings with thanksgiving to His enduring mercy.

P/S: Happy birthday Chin Tek Jee, you're one blessing I have! :)

Best dance scenes

My all time favourite dance scenes ranging from the graceful modern ballet, hip-hop to the hilarious skating.

1) Center Stage ♥♥♥♥♥

The best dance movie ever! The final dance show case has just perfectly expressed the movie synopsis.

2) Step Up ♥♥♥♥1/2

Interesting fact:
The co-stars, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan met in Step Up, started dating and got married in 2009. They are real life dance couple of ballet-hip-hop fusion! So sweet~

3) Step Up 2 ♥♥♥



4) Blades of glory ♥♥♥



Any other recommendation to add to the list?

Disappointed Buntal sunrise

13th June 11, 0618H at Buntal Village

The sun wasn't visualizable till 0700H, far above the horizon.
Contributed by its cloudiness perhaps.

Mere disappointment.

Thank you

I walked briskly out from Nephrology clinic to settle a referral letter.

"Doctor, do you remember me?" Someone held me back.

He was a middle age spectacled gentleman in songkok and white collar long shirt. Well kempt, spoke fluent English. I couldn't recall who he was.

"I am A. I feel much better now. I can eat well. Thanks a lot, doctor..." He continued.

Oh, I remembered. The acute on chronic renal failing patient who presented uraemic symptoms. He wasn't friendly initially (Who will during uraemia with lousy feeling?) and refused to answer questions. I admitted him, reviewed daily, poked him umpteen times for blood taking, stab peritoneal dialysis and stitching.

"Good to hear. You look much better now that I couldn't even recognize you ." I said.

His serum creatinine has gone down from more than 700 to 238umol/L. Biding him goodbye, he waved and uttered a few more "thank you" before I walked away with a big smile, feeling contented.

At times I would compare housemanship as slavery. It is the gratitudes that still making it a worth pursue.

"Thank you", a simple yet powerful word that cheers up days, making one feels special and appreciated.

Somethings I treasure...

Fresh bouquet from a long-stayed-survivor.

A thank you card and cookies from the family of a deceased patient in Gynae ward, even after failed resuscitation.

Lastly, an appreciation from someone I would remember, the family of a late strong Paeds oncology fighter.

Thank you patients! You've showed in all forms that my works and efforts did not go unappreciated at least.

Miri, Brunei trip

Date: 27th Apr - 1st May 2011
Venue: Miri, Brunei

Sum up of visited places:

Gua Niah
Luak Esplanade
Marina Bay
Petroleum Museum and Miri look out point
Jee and Alice's residence
Taman Awam
Miri Parkson
Miri Gospel Chapel
Brunei:
- Excapade Sushi
- Kampung Ayer
- Jerutong Theme Park
- The Empire Hotel and beach
Town walkabout and food hunts

A short get-away from work to any place is always awesome! Mainly because it is alarm-free, get up everyday with the expectations of where to go and what to eat instead of how many patients to poke or cases to review. So here we were, to Miri and Brunei with our very own host and hostess, Tek Jee and Alice who made a perfect couple!

Thank God it was indeed a rejuvenating one. I felt one step closer again to the nature, working up with my camera to record all precious moments. As well as the heart-to-heart talks, the time spent together and of course, the food hunting. Thank you mates, it was memorable.

If God's willing, I would like to go back again for MO-ship! :)

永别，朋友

悄悄的你走了，正如你悄悄的来；

你挥一挥衣袖，不带走一片云彩。

生命，是如此脆弱；
死亡，让我学习了更要珍惜眼前人。
安息吧朋友，您会被铭记于心。

Horror of the day

Doggie bit only my slippers.
Car is growing cockroach.
And to my horror, shoe is hiding a rat!

Oh well, I am that attractive!

The old couples

The eighty-three-year-old granny is the only person taking care of her husband, the eighty-six years. He is down with myelodysplasia syndrome and requires monthly blood transfusion. They speak only Hakka, but acquired sentences of broken bahasa due to the frequent hospital visits.

This time around, he suffered from pneumonia. It has been day 2 of hospitalization, she remained by his side. Her care never cease to amaze me. From feeding, dressing, clearing up phlegm, tepid sponging to each tender touch that reflects true actions of love.

"For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, till death do us part."

How many of us do mean it I wonder.

Getting along is a rough ride. Selflessness would ease sailing through. I am a tad envious of the old couple actually.

Dear God, let our relationship mounts more of You and less of ourselves.

The tale of Brownie and her newborn

Once upon a time, it was raining season in Kuching and my dog-lover housemate decided to let a bitch, called Brownie into our house for shelter. And there after I noticed my comfy padding Adidas slippers bought by mama from US appeared with multiple teeth-biting holes, with one big torn out hole measuring 3x3cm. Sobbed, but thank God it is still salvageable after toilet and suture.

One fine evening after my sleepless call, I came home lethargically opened the grill as usual. Some slipper-like-object flung down with the grill and started to move.

"Oh gosh, what a big rat!" To my shock.

After the short stare in dark since the car porch's light was not switched, my conscience told me if it was a rat, it would have run to hide.

Yup, a newborn puppy instead.

Male puppy!Puppy and his new house.

Out of excitement, I made it a house from my newly bought Honey Star box. As what we expected, it was Brownie's newborn as she turned up shortly.

However, the story doesn't end here. It happened in a hot afternoon the next day when I heard puppy screaming before I witnessed Brownie attacked her own son and left behind a spot of blood. He tossed and turned in pain for more than an hour and screamed upon movement. He limped thereafter. My provisional diagnosis is, opened fracture of left fore limb :(


The cruel mother did look guilty in the end but too late, she ruined the whole life of her son! I am tempted to put him on a POP cast.

Pinky wasn't pink

Pinky, her sister and mum look alike. Exactly like clones. But to see all three of them together is heart-aching. As Pinky would appear outstandingly pale.

Today, she has gone. A used-to-be cheerful young lady in her sweet 17, who was supposed to chase after her dream just like any other school girls had bid goodbye with her metastatic bone carcinoma. Underlying primary site remains undiagnosed.

Everyday, there are people living and dying. It isn't what they can decide or in control but it's how they choose to handle what they can't change that makes the difference.

I am upset with some issues today. And I'd chosen to let those small fuss ruined my day.

Rest in peace, Pinky. You are now free from needles.

Second anniversary

After a long working day, dinner is the only thing to look forward to. And yet it's another day to remember.

Post meal dessert was some self-bought mangos. I found out the reason why was he giggling away while cutting mango.

Ernest and his handicraft.

Ugly but sweet ♥Happy anniversary dear!
Only two years but counting :)