T.A.C.K. SHARP

Unboxing of the Nokia X6

2010-01-16T22:37:00.001+08:00

Last week Nokia gathered a number selected participants in Royale Bintang Hotel, Mutiara Damansara for the pre-launch of the new Nokia X6 as well as the Comes With Music service (I’ll be explaining more on the Comes With Music service, which actually was the main star of this launch in a later post). Like most Malaysia affairs, it entailed first a buffet dinner, before things finally got underway. It began with an epic fail moment when the Powerpoint slide on the IBM laptop failed to respond to the frantic pushing of the presenter. The consumer division of IBM has been sold to Lenovo, China – better think twice about buying IBM laptops these days. Minor hiccup aside, the event went on to introduce the new Nokia X6, the Comes With Music service and the a step by step, video guided tutorial on how to sign up for the Comes With Music service on the phone…

The Nokia X6 comes with the phone, a battery, a 3-pin 100-240V charger, the assorted paraphernalia and a WH-500 foldable headphone with pouch.

First impression – the phone’s smaller, lighter than my current HTC TyTN II. It fits nicely in the hand, and the 3.2 inch screen is just nice for one handed usage. It’s also appreciably thinner and causes less of an unsightly bulge in the pocket. The Nokia X6 also comes with a capacitive touch screen, which means that soft sliding movements are recorded without the need for pressing hard on the screen. Zooming in on pictures in the stock photo viewing program does not make use of the pinching movements popularised by the iPhone but makes do with a simpler sliding up and down on the screen to zoom in and out. Zooming in and out on photos are rather jerky though.

Vitals stats of the X6 - 111 x 51 x 13.8 mm and 122g. It comes with a 3.2 inch 360 x 640 pixels capacitive touchscreen. Naturally, being aimed at music enthusiasts, it comes with stereo speakers that are rather loud indeed in addition to a standard 3.5mm jack for you to upgrade to higher end headphones. To keep all the songs you’ll eventually download into the X6, it comes with 32GB of storage, clearly aiming at the iPhone 3GS 32GB. Even if you do run out of space, you still have the built-in radio to tune in to terrestial broadcasts. Wirelessly, X6 supports HSDPA up to 3.6Mbps, and has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UPnP technology as well as Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP. Like most recent touchscreen phones, the X6 has an accelerometer which allows you the phone to auto rotate the screen, steer the cars in a racing game by tilting the phone, etc. No phone would be complete without a camera these days and the X6 sports a 5MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Coupled with the built in GPS, it can geotag photos. Videos can be recorded at 30fps @ VGA resolutions too. All this runs on an ARM11 434 MHz processor with Symbian OS 9.4, Series 60v5. It comes in 2 colours, white with blue trimmings and black with red trimmings.

Stay tuned for the Nokia X6 user experience and the Comes With Music service

Technorati Tags: Nokia,Nokia X6,Comes With Music,musicphone

I’m a Sherlock Holmes in the Making

2009-11-30T23:24:00.001+08:00

Pardon the cryptic post. A little contest eh. Refer to Nuffnang.my

Technorati Tags: nuffnang premiere screening,contest,sherlock holmes

Hari Raya is coming to town…

2009-09-18T15:54:00.001+08:00

It’s been three months since I’ve entered the life of a doctor. Fortunately, I had not been dropped into the deep end of the pool of Obstetrics & Gynaecology or Medicine, and instead am wading through the chest deep waters of Orthopaedics. In the beginning there were 6 house officers. Lately though, the number of house officers have been increasing and there are now 15 house officers in Orthopaedics. With 2 house officers on call a day, we currently have on-calls once a week, which is extremely great for I for one, am not a fan of RM100 for 16 hours of work, and would rather be RM100 poorer but have a good night’s sleep.

Having to report in to work at 0715H every morning, save weekends where we need to be in by 0800H, it means that at 0545H, my alarm clock goes off. I groggily come to, then start to rationale why I am not fit for work today :a tummy ache? feeling warm – fever? sprained ankle? Finding nothing really wrong with myself, I then try to think if it was possible to pretend I was sick and get a MC. By then 5 minutes would probably have passed, the angel and devil inside of me busy sparring away. Realising that I probably would be found out if I fake a MC, and not to mention that I have only 8 days off including MCs in 4 months, I usually reluctantly stumble out of bed about 10 minutes later. Rinse and repeat the next morning.

Hari Raya is round the corner, and the festivities have begun. Ward work has slowed to a crawl. Everyone’s in the Raya mood. Faces are aglow, congratulations are in order whenever a staff finishes his/her shift and goes back for the Raya holidays. Cookie jars start to build up in hidden nooks and crannies. Flashing light chase each other in circles. The air is atingling you can feel the crackle in the air.

In a matter of days, I’m gonna have to say goodbye to the short queues in McDonalds during McValue Lunch though. I’ll be sorely missing the times I could breeze through the queue, place my order and start chomping in just 5 minutes. Back to this?

To all who celebrate Hari Raya though, Here’s best wishes and a Selamat Hari Raya to you! I’ll be celebrating it too; in Ward 5A, Ampang Hospital.

Technorati Tags: hari raya,hari raya cookies,mcdonalds,sleepy

Digi Music Unlimited

2009-08-14T17:16:00.001+08:00

A few weeks back, I happened to browse the Nuffnang.my blog, and noticed a contest for a Music Revolution Sneak Peek. Entry passes were to be given to the 1st 50 respondents. Noticing that the blog timestamp as a mere 15 minutes before, I decided to take the chance and sent off an entry. Several days later, an e-mail in my mailbox congratulated me on my successful invitation.

The Nuffnang.my announced that a hot concert was coming up and that it would be a 4 piece band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma (read: All-American Rejects). Naturally, there was much speculation on the group, and with the picture showing a head watching the band performing with the work sneak peek , we thought we were going to be treated to a near private function; ie 50 guests only! Imagine the collective disappointment of all 50 guests when what transpired that night was a merely a short performance by a local group of 4 dancers, and the organisers mentioned that All-American Rejects were to be brought down for a concert, but not on that day, and that by registering for the Digi Music Unlimited package, we would likely be able to get tickets to the concert. Naturally, there were a lot of muttering and discontentment that night.

The Digi Music Unlimited package is a new offering by Digi. By paying RM5 a month, you would be entitled to download an unlimited number of songs from digimusic.com.my onto your handphone and your PC. The music catalogue promises to be large, as it is supported by Universal Music and Sony Music. There will be no data charges levied for browsing or downloading the songs.

Several personalisation options include the ability to create your own playlists as well as several Facebook-esque features. You can update friends with a status feed (extremely Twitter-like) as well as find people with similar tastes in music as well as share playlists and songs. Several benefits extended to Digi Music Unlimited subscribers are invitations to exclusive Digi Music Showcases, of which the next performers are to be the All American Rejects and Black Eyed Peas.

There were several questions of note, which I raised up. The first of note was about the DRM system. The tracks downloaded are in 256kbps wma files with DRM. Upon non-renewal of your subscription, they go up in flames aka Mission Impossible and you’re no longer able to play them after your subscription has expired. Each month of your subscription entitles you to 5 DRM-free songs though. In addition, as the songs are DRM enabled, you will not be able to stream them through you home network, which has pretty much made this a no-go, for my home entertainment is completely dependent on the streaming of songs from my main server to the DLNA compatible clients scattered around.

All in all, this is a good proposition for those whose mobiles do double duty as their main source of music, as they will be able to download songs anytime and anywhere with no data charges even. Imagine hearing a funky new song on radio, then browsing over to digimusic.com.my and then downloading the song immediately! The possibilities are endless. However, for those who plan on building up a large library, then transferring them around for use in iPods, in car entertainment systems, etc, the DRM tracks make this impossible.

Technorati Tags: Digi Music Unlimited,All American Rejects,Digi,Digimusic.com.my

District 9 Premiere Screening

2009-08-14T16:41:00.001+08:00

Made it for the premiere screening for District 9, and boy was it a treat indeed. Mark my words, this will be the movie that propels it’s South African director. Neill Blomkamp into the A-list. A different beast from the run of the mill summer blockbusters, District 9 is a complex story that turns the aliens vs humans saga on its head then adds his interpretation of the apartheid regime into the mix.

A brief synopsis of the story - Thirty years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa’s District 9 as the world’s nations argued over what to do with them. The aliens were generally looked down upon by humankind, and referred to as “prawns”, a derogratory term relating to their similarity to the crustaceans, albeit human sized.

Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens’ welfare – they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens’ awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA.

The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable – he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.

What happens next is a story of human greed, alien selflessness and self sacrifice. Not one to spoil the ending, I shall proceed no further. Rest be assured for the sci-fi geek, there remains enough explosions, mechas and spaceship scenes to satisfy the geek in you, while for the deeper thinkers amongst us, there are enough lines to be drawn between the movie and the apartheid regime of South Africa. Shot mainly via a first person perspective, the filming holds many similarities to Cloverfield, though the atmosphere seems to be more Blood Diamond like.

Technorati Tags: movies,premiere screening,district 9,neill blomkamp

Of feet and sugar

2009-08-08T17:46:00.001+08:00

It's now abut 6 weeks into my Orthopaedics posting in Hospital Ampang. Have gotten used to the long hours, but rather often, I'm left wondering what I am working towards, as everyday just seems to blend into the other, as you wake up at 5.30am, and if you're lucky, get home at 7pm. You've not about 3 hours to get everything in order, from bathing, washing clothes, having dinner, etc and its time for bed. Fast forward several hours and it's time to repeat the cycle again. In this manner, I am extremely thankful for staying with my family as the chat with parents and occasional dinners outside help break the monotony and add some spice to my life.

We had a 1 day respite from work, as we had to attend a hospital induction course. Yay!

Orthopaedics meanwhile, is gory pictures galore. A recurrent theme is the diabetic foot ulcer. Oftentimes a middle aged or elderly diabetic patient would turn up. 99% of the time, he would be non compliant to his medication or a firm believer of traditional meds/jampi/etc. The triggering factor is usually small, maybe kicking a door, a bag or stepping on a thorn.

In the diabetic ulcer scheme, this one’s rather small comparatively, and is healing well.

Unfortunately being a uncontrolled diabetic, the wound WILL NOT heal. Sometimes pus collects in the leg, forming an abscess. For some the wound spreads and enlarges, becoming an ulcer. In some cases the wound forms a foci for a more generalised infection causing the entire foot, or maybe even the entire leg to become swollen, erythematous and in the worst case scenario necrotising fasciitis can ensue, whereupon the innards of the leg gets eaten by bacteria.

The 5th toe is completely dead, hence the blackness. Note the encircling unhealthy tissue at the base of the 5th toe.

Having seen just how deforming these wounds can be, I have now stepped up efforts to educate friends and family who have diabetes. One thought runs amok in my head though; for would showing them these photos make them sit up and realise the gravity of diabetes? Or would they feel offended; feeling as though I am cursing them with such an affliction?

A large ulcer, necessitating the surgical removal of the big and 2nd toe. Note tendons stretching to the 4th and 5th toes

Technorati Tags: diabetic foot ulcer,gangrene,diabetes

District 9

2009-07-28T19:22:00.001+08:00

Hidden amidst the summer blockbuster movie banners, I chanced upon one banner promoting a movie entitled District 9. Judging by the artwork on the banner, I immediately came to the conclusion that it was an anime/manga adapted movie, probably 100% CG, following in the footsteps of Final Fantasy. I didn’t give it much thought and instead went for the staple summer blockbuster fare, which began with Terminator 3, followed by Transformers, Public Enemies, Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince and even Ice Age 3. It was today then, that I stumbled upon the trailer for District 9.

Hidden on those webpages that automatically play any videoclips, I was forced to watch the trailer, and my, did it change my mind. District 9 is now tops on my to watch list, along with GI Joe. Deep down inside, I’m still a big kiddie. XD If the film brings half of what the preview suggests we have a very intriguing movie on our hands.

My initial impression was this was going to be a post apocalyptic movie, with humans being hunted to near extinction and aliens ruling the planet. In fact, it was pretty much the other way around. A bunch of aliens, refugee aliens to be exact, have landed on our Earth, and us humans are the ones keeping them prisoner in District 9. A large corporation called MNU have been charged with dealing with the aliens, and as always, the insatiable greed within humans make them yearn for more. MNU is attempting to gain access to the alien’s advanced weapons, with little success as the alien’s weapons require alien DNA to function.

Imagine what happens when a MNU operative is accidentally exposed to an alien mutagen that causes his DNA to start incorporating alien DNA? It’s a pretty rhetorical question – MNU comes chasing after this operative who then hides in District 9, the only place that accepts him.

What happens next? Now that, you gotta watch District 9 to find out, as will I. This is indeed, a film to be excited about.

Technorati Tags: district 9,movies,aliens

A houseman’s life

2009-07-16T23:09:00.001+08:00

It’s been really quiet on my blogs the last month or so. Been busy joining the rat race. Having left my studying days behind, I am now stepping into the world of adults, where social life becomes nonexistant, and where I’ll probably end up being single still for at least the next 2 years. Having finished induction late June, the very next day I had to report in to Hospital Ampang.

The first day was spent filling up forms etc. Quite relaxing then, and was back home in time for dinner. Spent some time looking for an apartment but finally decided to drive back and forth daily, a 45 minute journey each way. On the 2nd day, we were given our respective postings, and I was posted at Orthopaedics. Frankly I had no particular preference for any departments, but orthopaedics has always been among the top few departments of my choice so I was pretty slack indeed. We were introduced to the ward sisters, the other HOs, some MOs, and the specialists who were in charge of us. And so, the next day, at 0730H sharp we had to be in the wards.

Every morning round 0710H, I would be circling the multi storey carpark. Like all hospital carparks, parking bays are never enough, but me being there at the crack of dawn pretty much guarantees me a bay. From there it’s a lift down to the ground floor and off to the punch clock.

Ampang Hospital’s lobby has a double height ceiling with very porous windows, rendering the air conditioning there almost nonexistant, but bringing in a breath of fresh air. Not very busy, Ampang Hospital is a comfortable place to visit, though weekends can see families sitting on the lobby floor due to the scarcity of chairs in the immediate vicinity.

The Orthopaedics wards are located on the 5th floor, with Ward 5A and 5B being used for male patients, and Ward 5C used for female patients. I am currently attached to the male wards, which on average has about 15 – 20 orthopaedic patients.

At the time of writing, we currently have a total of 8 house officers (HO), though the most senior amongst us, Nik, will be leaving shortly. First thing upon reaching the wards will be checking up on our patients, noting down any changes that might have occurred over the night as well as tracing lab investigations and checking the nursing sheets to assess the patients vitals. These all get jotted down into scraps of paper which we then use for presenting to our specialists during the rounds, which occur round 0830H.

This is also the time when blood taking gets done. Round 0745H, the passover rounds begin, where yesterday’s medical officer (MO) on call will be presenting to the specialists the cases they had seen in the Emergency Department (ED) yesterday as well as the admissions made the day before. Ward rounds begin immediately after, usually round 0830H, which comes to an end around 1000H.

Nik, Asma, Aishah, me and Muhaimin

We usually get to work on charting right after that, noting down the patient’s progress and changes in management plans. Being an IT hospital, everything is done on computers, which has both it’s pros and cons; you can copy & paste repetitive sentences and templates, but with Orthopaedic HOs, Surgery HOs and nurses all fighting for the 6 computers in the ward, often you can be left waiting for a computer.

Before you know it, it’s noon. A quick lunch, usually bungkused from the cafeteria downstairs, or the occasional dine-in at the McDonalds just across the street, and it’s time to check up on the patients again in preparation for the afternoon rounds.

By the time afternoon rounds are over, it’s probably close to 1600H. Back to charting and implementing the new plans decided by the specialists in the afternoon rounds. We usually don’t finish in time to leave at 1700H, but by 1730H, we’re probably done, and I usually make myself scarce by then. XD. On the days that I’m on call though, things aren’t as rosy, as every new Orthopaedics referral from the ED MOs will usually be clerked by us HOs before being seen by the MOs. During these days, we retire to our on call room when things get less busy.

A note to all prospective doctors – the working hours of a doctor in government service is hell-like. On call days you work from 0700H am on Day 1 and only get to go back home at 1730H Day 2. That’s almost 36 hours straight!!! I cannot imagine any other profession that has such working hours. Even the nurses would have gone through 5 shifts in that same period of time! Strangely, the patient’s lives are placed in the hands of people who are so tired and probably barely competent to render live saving care. I wouldn’t trust a bus driver that has been awake the last 30 hours; so why would people put their lives in the hands of a doctor who has worked for 30 hours?

1730H, and it’s time to call it a day, or occasionally, calling it 2 days. XD. Heading over to the carpark, the most welcome sight beckons – your chariot that will whisk you off home, to cuddle under the covers and snooze the night away before the alarm goes off, and it’s time for another day.

Technorati Tags: house officer,ampang hospital,doctor's life,house officer's life

Sukaneka Hilarity

2009-06-11T22:48:00.001+08:00

Midway through our induction course, we were told that we had to organise a sukaneka of sorts. Our duly elected “ahli jawantankuasa” organised a trio of games. On the 11th of June 2009, we gathered at the seminar hall at 1800H for our sukaneka dressed in the compulsory collared T-shirts and track bottoms.

The first game was popping balloons. We gathered at one side of a line marked by masking tape on the floor. When announced, we would run to the other end, blow up a balloon, then sit on it until it bursts.

Very pumped, our group (Bipolar)’s leader, Chew Sou Chen was the first off the line. She huffed and she puffed as she blew up the balloon, then placed the balloon on the chair then threw herself atop it. A loud prueeek was heard and all the air in the balloon escaped back out. She jumped and jumped, and finally, after the other groups burst 2 balloons, she finally managed to get the hang of it and burst the balloon.

That game was a lost cause. The next game was called Lemon Rush. In truth we were using limes, but oh well...

We were required to put a finger on the floor, spin around 8 times before sticking a spoon in our mouth, place a lime on it and walk to the other end of the room to deposit the lime. Upon returning to the original line, the next person would then start spinning. We fared better in this game and managed to place 2nd.

The 3rd game happened outdoors. A watermelon was placed at one end and we were to take turns grabbing a bite out of the watermelon.

It was very messy indeed and full of sneaky people. Many were grabbing chunks of watermelons, stuffing them in their mouth then running to the back and regurgitating the watermelon into dustbins and even some poor innocent plant pots.

Fortunately we still managed to place 2nd. Mr Abszra was the judge and awarded us second place thanks to having scraped the lid of the watermelon clean. At the end of an hour, we were a mass of giggling, dirty and wet doctors who were behaving like little kids! XD

In all, we placed third, with 2 points. Zen was the winner with 4 points and Taming Sari had 3 points. Manic was probably off medication that day and unfortunately did not score any points.

Technorati Tags: induction course,hotel seri costa melaka,sukaneka,melaka

Pre-working Induction Course at Seri Costa Hotel, Melaka

2009-06-08T13:53:00.001+08:00

As is the recent directive issued by the Ministry of Health, us future housemen had to report for an induction course prior to commencing our work. I got my letter from the Ministry of Health about 5 days before the reporting in date, and was send to Hotel Seri Costa, Melaka for the 15 day induction course. A quick Google search for Hotel Seri Costa, Melaka turned up their official website which showed a rather beautiful hotel indeed.

When we reached there though, a different sight greeted us instead.

Haha. It turned out to be a hotel located in a series of shoplots. Fortunately though, it was a pretty decent hotel with running hot water, air conditioning, housekeeping services and a 21 inch CRT TV that has 9 channels. XD

It’s also extremely strategically located, just a 5 minute walk to Menara Taming Sari and 10 minutes to Mahkota Parade and Dataran Pahlawan. In fact looking out of my room window, I can see the Menara Taming Sari spinnning about.

Food is included, and we have 6 meals a day – a sure fire way to guarantee immediate increase in obesity rates amongst house officers. The first night’s dinner however, was atrocious, with some dry, crunchy taugeh being the star of the occasion. It did get better over the days though, with yesterday’s breakfast being hash browns, cold cuts & sausages while dinner was fried chicken.

The first day was a long series of ice breaking sessions which started at 0800H and ended at 1630H. We had to get into groups and perform sketches, play games and run around like little kids once again.

Our group called itself Bipolar, and our sketched involved “Prof Chew” giving poor Kok Soon CPR after he “suffered chest pains and collapsed when wolf whistling at pretty girls.”

The next day, 7th June 2009, was pretty free. 2 lectures were postponed indefinitely, and as such, we were free until 2030H when we were to have a lecture. We did however have to be present at the seminar hall in the morning and afternoon to sign our attendance sheets. Most of my time was spent preparing for the night’s public speaking session, but an equal amount of time was spend resting and sleeping yesterday’s tiredness away. At approximately 1800H several of us took a walk to Jonker Street for some sight seeing.

Come nightfall, we were all gathered in the hall for the lecture and the subsequent public speaking session. We were not allowed to use the rostrum or any form of visual aids such as Powerpoint slides, overhead projection slides, notes, etc. However, finally the evaluators relented and allowed us to bring our speech notes up on stage for us to refer to in times of distress.

It was a nerve wracking moment for many, but also a very good experience indeed. I turned up a English contaminated Malay speech that somehow left the crowd in stitches… Like always though, Maria and gang still managed to camwhore despite being in a seminar room. XD

Technorati Tags: induction course,house officer induction course,ministry of health malaysia

Phuket PWNage

2009-05-31T21:34:00.001+08:00

My first semi-solo trip – Phuket. The plan was to head to Phuket for a 3 day trip (23rd to 25th May 2009), the 1st day of which would be spent with family members while the 2nd and 3rd days were solo. We took the 0725H (GMT +8) AirAsia flight out of KLIA LCCT. We arrived at Phuket at 0750H (GMT +7) making it a 1.5 hour flight in total. After much umm and ahhs we decided to rent a vehicle as it made more financial sense. There were 5 of us, and as such a normal taxi (which can only seat 4 passengers in Thailand) was out of the question. Taking a Toyota Hiace taxi (seats 10 sans luggage) to the airport would cost THB1300! Car rental in that light made much more economical sense, with a Toyota Vios starting at THB1000 – THB1500 a day. We finally settled on a Toyota Fortuner with a 3.0L turbodiesel.

As well prepared as I always am; having packed my Karrimor Panther 65 to the brim, I had actually even brought along a GPS unit with the necessary windshield attachment kit and car charger. First stop was at Phuket Fantasea where we were to buy the tickets for tonight’s show. Phuket Fantasea is rated as the No 1 thing to do in Phuket, and naturally as such we decided to pay it a visit.

With that matter out of the way, we made our way to our hotel, the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa and checked in. The Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa was an aging resort. It was huge though, 75 acres (OMFG!!) of lushly landscaped gardens, complete with 3 pools and several lagoons! Getting from the car park to the main hotel lobby was a chore. Before entering the hotel grounds, the car’s undercarriage was checked with a mirror. Once parked, we had to report at the welcome lobby, whereupon a tram would transfer us from the welcome lobby to the main hotel lobby, which was a 10 – 15 minute walk otherwise! The lobby was a up to date rendition of a tropical resort with a high airy lobby covered by a fabric canopy; definitely recently done, probably due to damage from the tsunami. The rooms weren’t though, and had a rustic tropical feel to it, with 4 inch x 4 inch tiles.

After a break, we went over to Patong Beach to arrange my transport for tomorrow, whereupon upon completion we decided to go for a massage. Having paid at the counter, we then proceeded inside. Dodgy looking place + masseuses old enough to be my granny + a couple of queue jumpers = flaring tempers & demand for a refund. We left the massage parlour and returned to our hotel. Oh, and on the way, we grabbed some takeaway from McDonalds, trying out their pork burgers. Back at the hotel, we asked the receptionist for some recommendations and she recommended us Body & Mind located just at the edge of Karon Beach. It was several hundred times more wholesome looking than the original dodgy massage parlour. Naturally prices were several fold that of at Patong Beach, with a 1.5 hour whole body massage costing THB950 as compared to approximately THB375 over at Patong Beach.

This was my first massage experience. XD. And I fell asleep after about 20 minutes!!! OMFGWTF!!! According to my brother, I was even snoring away. Embarrassing indeed, but as they say, the sign of a good massage is if it makes you relaxed enough to fall asleep. If you’re writhing around in pain from the pressure, it probably ain’t very relaxing indeed. Night time fell, and we made our way to Phuket Fantasea for the show. We had decided to skip the buffet dinner to have more time to explore Phuket, and save THB400 each.

Before the show started though, we walked around the theme park. It’s billed as a cultural theme park. In truth, apart from section where they showed a bunch of animals including a white tiger, the rest of the park was merely an opportunity for you to help with the local economy and part with your dollars and baht, with lots of expensive, touristy gifts and souvenirs. They did spend quite a lot on mascots though, and you had tigers, strange cannibal like creatures, clowns in top hats and more. What caught my eye the most however, was a jellyfish mascot; clad in strips of white cloth and a large umbrella with more white cloth hanging from the sides. Whenever anyone walked past, he would start swaying and it looked very cute in a very disturbing kind of way. Unfortunately I did not manage to get a photo of it but some digging around Google Images turned up this photo below. That’s not me or anyone that I know, and credit goes to Brian McMorrow for the photo.

The show was a fast paced amalgam of pyrotechnics, illusions and special effects; including rain… It was about a Prince Kamalla whom was sent to Earth to save humankind together with his magical elephant. Naturally, he develops a love interest in some Thai maiden, whom rejects his advances at first. Later, she accepts him, only to be kidnapped by Thailand’s version of the minotaur. War breaks out between Prince Kamalla’s followers and the evil minotaurs, and naturally Prince Kamalla wins, and lives happily ever after. It is a show worth watching indeed, but at THB1500, entry can be rather steep indeed. It moves at a very rapid pace except for then they all break into dance and song, which can try your patience indeed, especially when they seem to be dancing similar moves, with merely the items and costumes changing. The show lasted about an hour, after which we returned to the hotel to turn in for the night. On the way back, we stopped by a Burger King to taste the difference between Thailand’s Burger King and Malaysia’s.

The next day, was the first day of my solo segment of the trip. This was a trip to the Phi Phi Islands. A whole day trip, I was out from 0750H until 1730H. The Phi Phi Islands were the cleanest and most beautiful islands I have so far visited in my short lifespan. The waters were clear and snorkelling in the waters were surreal.

Upon returning back to the hotel, I picked up my black Toyota Vios from the car rental company. Come night, it was time to drive up to Patong Beach to do some exploration. XD Bangla Road, etc were all walked to death, and after enjoying the sights and sounds, I retired back to the hotel round midnight.

The next morning, it was time for the second day of my solo escapades. First thing on my list was to finally experience what bungy jumping was like at Jungle Bungy Jump near Patong town. It was in short, an extreme adrenaline rush, and will be one of those experiences that I’ll never forget – ever.

Next up was my virgin attempt at firing a gun at a firing range near Patong town too. I picked a more macho gun – a 0.45 calibre Colt M1911 instead of opting for the 9mm guns. Recoil was something that until then I had only read about but never experienced, and it really kicks ass.

With the adventure part of the trip done, and still some spare cash in my wallet, I decided to pick up some gifts for the family back home. Headed over to Premium Outlet Phuket which was having a sale, where a sale was going on. Apparently tourists also get to claim back Value Added Tax (VAT) of 7% but only if you purchase more than THB5000, with a minimum of THB2000 per shop!

Premium Outlet Phuket was an alfresco shopping concept. Not sure how well it’ll do in the tropics though. Reaching there just after the rain stopped, it was cooling to walk between the shops outside. However, the floor was waterlogged and staff were seen busy using large squeegees to push the water into drains. In contrast, as soon as the sun came up, it became sweltering just to walk from shop to shop, and people were seen hopping from one shop to another.

Having bought most of the gifts, I then made my way to the Tesco Lotus in Patong town. Here I had some Thai KFC Original Recipe which had some slight differences from the Original Recipe of KFC Malaysia. It tasted a little more powdery and the batter was thicker than that in Malaysia. Driving a little further, I came across shopping central of Phuket, where a cluster of shopping centres caused a traffic jam. I turned into the most modern looking one – Central Festival Phuket to have a look see.

It was rather tastefully decorated, and as luck would have it, a sale was going on too. Picked up a Billabong belt at 70% discount. The structure reminded me a lot of The Gardens MidValley, with it’s curved design and skylight that ran the length of the shopping centre.

Before I knew it, it was already 1730H and I began to make my way back to the airport. I had to return the Toyota Vios before boarding my flight. Total running cost for the car was THB250 for fuel. Amazingly parking charges in Phuket was non existent, even in the shopping complexes! In short, should you ever travel in Phuket, renting a car/motorcycle is definitely more value for money then a cab! Got on my flight at approximately 1900H, and soon found myself in the backseat of a Proton Waja taxi heading home from the LCCT Terminal.

Technorati Tags: phuket,thailand,fantasea,hilton phuket arcadia,karon beach,patong beach,phi phi islands,jungle bungy jump,shooting range,Colt m1911,Premium Outlet Phuket,Central Festival Phuket

Of Flat Tyres & Spares

2009-05-30T21:07:00.001+08:00

Came back today and noticed

WTF!! And I just had the tyres rotated, balanced and wheel alignment done yesterday while repairing the air conditioning unit which cost a pretty penny too. Sigh… Opened the boot and took out the jack. Tried to remove the wheel nuts but they were bloody tight. First I tried loosening the nuts with my arms, leaning over the spanner to use my weight to help. It did not budge. I then used my foot to push down on the lever. Still no movement. In desperation, I hopped on the lever arm of the spanner, finally loosening it. After jacking up the car, I removed the tyre to see a bolt embedded in the tyre.

It does not seem deep here, but at the tyre shop, a 4 inch bolt was extracted from the tyre… The hole was too large to seal and had to change the tyre. As the tyres had already been through 13,000km, I also had to change the other tyre, or there would be uneven treadwear on each side. Opted for a pair of new Bridgestone QR10 for the front, and brought the old Michelin XM1 to the rear. Total damage today was RM450, yesterday RM1471.05. Sigh, the price we pay for a set of wheels in Malaysia…

Technorati Tags: car trouble,punctured tyre,flat tyre

The Price You Pay For Air Con

2009-05-30T21:03:00.001+08:00

While rushing my grandmother to UMMC after a fall which resulted in a fractured leg on 27 May 2009 the air conditioning system in my car failed. We were steamed like char siew pau in the car but necessity meant that we had to push on. Finally, had some free time on the 29th of May 2009. Decided to send the car in to see what went wrong at the nearby Honda 3S Centre – USJ Car Express Sdn Bhd. Dropped the car there round 1000H and went back. Around 1100H, I got a phone call from them, and was told that the magnetic clutch, magnetic coil and expansion valve. Apparently it was also time to do air con servicing and that meant I needed a new dust and pollen filter too.

The car was finally done at 1700H. I saw the total… RM1471.05!!! If only we lived in cooler climates and didn’t need to use air conditioning… In Malaysia though, driving your car mid afternoon without air conditioning is akin to asking for a death sentence, and you’ll probably dehydrate before you even reach your destination.

Technorati Tags: car trouble,air-con,air conditioning

A Fall & A Fractured Leg

2009-05-29T01:26:00.001+08:00

At 1400H on the 27th of May 2009, I got a call from my mother. Apparently, my grandma had had a fall back home. She sounded rather distressed, and asked me to go have a look. En route, I got a second call. It appears that my grandma is now unable to stand. At this point in time, I was getting worried, and two things came to mind; stroke and fracture. The worrying scenario would be a stroke, but further questioning via phone revealed that she was able to move 3 limbs, with merely her right thigh being very painful, swollen and tender. She was alert, conscious and had not had any loss of consciousness. Her fall had been caused by her slipper’s tongue folding over, thus tripping her. It had not been caused by a loss of consciousness. She did hit her face though and she had several lacerations on her right cheek. She did not have any past medical history of diabetes or hypertension. Couple with the fact that she has osteoporosis, and at this time a voice in my head was screaming fracture!!

I made good time and reached her place soon after. After having a look at her condition, I lifted her up and carried her into the car and sped back off to UMMC reaching UMMC at close to 1530H. Halfway en route from Klang to UMMC, the air conditioning in the car gave out; and hot air was billowing from the car vents. WTF!! Rosak at this juncture in time!!?? We pressed on, steaming ourselves in the car like dim sum on the stove for I knew that getting her to UMMC at this moment was all that mattered, and comfort be damned. At the Accident & Emergency Section, she was immediately wheeled to the Acute Treatment Centre aka Yellow Zone. Her left leg was shorter and externally rotated. She was unable to bear weight on the left leg. This pointed to a likely fracture of the neck of femur, which unfortunately did not have that good a prognosis with possible complicating avascular necrosis of the head of femur. A brief history and physical examination was done, and an X-Ray was arranged. We did wait quite a while to be called into the X-Ray room and by the time we were done it was about 1700H. Being the busybody that I was I kepohed and had a look at the X-Ray too. As you can see from the photo below, surprisingly, it was a midline shaft fracture of the femur, which due to the much better collateral blood supply, recovery would be faster and the prognosis better.

A call was made to the orthopaedics MO on call who was not able to see her until 1900H apparently due to another case in the Resuscitation Centre aka Red Zone. She was subsequently admitted to the Orthopaedics Ward in UMMC where a availability of a bed was confirmed by 1930H, but she was wheeled up only at 2045H. The treatment plan would be to start her on heparin to prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), analgesia via Tramadol and 4kg skin traction. The definitive management would be decided during the morning rounds the next day and I was requested to be there between 0700H and 0800H the next day to talk to the doctors in charge of her. Finally at 2130H, I left her to sleep and promised to return the next morning.

Little did I expect that after I left, my cousin returned to accompany her for the night, which she refused and insisted he return home to sleep. Went back home, had my lunch cum dinner at 2300H and finally turned in at 0100H. 4.5 hours later, at 0530H I woke up and had some cereal for breakfast, before returning to UMMC to visit her. Reaching there earlier than expected, I bought several packets of nasi lemak and grabbed a copy of The Star (a local daily). She was still sound asleep and I took a seat at the lobby of the ward and perused the newspaper while waiting. At 0730H, I was joined by my aunt. It was at 0830H when the doctors reached our bed, and the options were laid out.

Take a number join the waiting list – the operation would be done in 6 days time. Estimated costs would be RM5000 – RM6000.
Transfer over to UMSC (Private Wing) – the operation would be done tomorrow. Estimated costs would be RM8000 – RM9000.

Meanwhile we were asked to buy a pair of compression stockings to further minimise the risk of DVT. After discussion among the family members we opted for the latter option, as we wanted to minimise the risk of

DVT and pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary oedema and pneumonia (due to fluid build up in the lungs as a result of long hours in a reclined position)
Bed sores (due to long hours of immobility)
Joint stiffness from days of immobility
Anxiety and discomfort on her part

The doctors had meanwhile decided to fix her fracture via internal fixation. In an effort to reduce costs he directed us to source for a broad locking compression plate (LCP) 8 holes and the locking screws which was expected to cost in the region of RM1500. Several calls later, we found ourselves at Menara Sunway, the office of Synthes Malaysia, the medical device company that manufactures the LCP. The sales staff there showed us the LCP that would be used, and there it was – a metal plate the size of the handle of a spoon, which costs RM1000…

We were about to pay for the LCP when we were told that they did not accept credit card. And so, we went on an ATM seeking hunt and returned with the necessary cash. A short break for lunch, and it was 1400H. By then, exhausted beyond belief, I flung myself onto the bed as soon as I got back home and snoozed happily for 5 hours… XD

Technorati Tags: fractured femur,locking compression plate,internal fixation,osterporosis,fractured leg

Terminator Salvation Movie Premiere

2009-05-27T01:03:00.001+08:00

Happily made my way to Cineleisure today, reaching there at 2010H. I know I was early for the Nuffnang Terminator Salvation movie premiere but I was a bundle of nerves. My first ever movie premiere screening in my life – sigh, how sad can that be…

Right sharp at 2030H, I glimpsed 2 Nuffnang staffers making their way to the booth struggling with a huge cardboard box. Yay!!! Freebies were given out, and I managed to get my grubby hands on the last copy of “The Art of Terminator Salvation by Tara Bennett” It was a very thick and heavy book – how Robb managed to carry a whole bunch of them in that big box of his is beyond me; full page colour pictures, diagrams and drawings of the conceptual art of Terminator Salvation. A real revealing read indeed, especially as there were some scenes in the book which were actually censored by the Edward Scissorhands of Malaysia aka the Censorship Board.

I’m sure that many who were watching the show noticed John Connor speeding down the San Francisco bridge on a captured Moto Terminator. Strangely though, suddenly when the scene returned after a short segment of the inside of Skynet Central, John Connor was shown crouching on the remnants of a collapsed section of the bridge. This is what actually happened. Sigh… why the Censorship Board would want to censor this scene is unbelievable, unless of course they are worried the local Mat Rempits are gonna attempt this scene at one of our flyovers, eh.

All in all, the movie was a great watch, and I would like to wish Nuffnang a big Thank You for having given me the chance to attend the Terminator Salvation Movie Premiere. Next attempt is to get to attend Saya : The Last Vampire premiere screening. Wish me luck. XD

Technorati Tags: Terminator Salvation,Terminator Salvation cut scenes,Nuffnang,Nuffnang premiere screening

Increase In Currency (Money Love)

2009-05-11T22:49:00.001+08:00

Has the current global economic crisis gotten you down? Look no further than this for the answer to your woes.

Think about the possibilities: the next ad could contain a threesome between Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth (I think), and Mao ZeDong. Fun, fun, fun. Besides, it's all for the sake of prudent financial investment; we can all get behind that, right?

Technorati Tags: Bontrust finance,increase in currency,multiply your money,abe lincoln,the queen

The Voca People Will Stun You Into Laughter

2009-04-27T20:04:00.001+08:00

Ever heard on orchestra without instruments? What you are about to hear is pure human vocals, no instruments, no sound effects. An absolutely amazing rendition of some of the most famous songs around, including the soundtrack, minus the instruments!

Your first instinct would be to turn it off, but bear with it for just 30 seconds, and you’ll be either stunned into silence, or tickled into laughter. Probably the most amazing acapella rendition I’ve ever heard so far.

Technorati Tags: The Voca People,a capella,viral video,vocal instruments,singing instruments

Mulu National Park Graduation Vacation

2009-04-24T20:36:00.001+08:00

I graduated on the 6th of April 2009, and the certificate presentation ceremony was on the 7th of April 2009. On the 8th of April 2009, at 0630H I was on a taxi to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). At 0730H, we were aboard the A320 headed for Miri, whereupon we would hop onto a turboprop Fokker 50 for the Miri to Mulu leg of the journey. Fast indeed…

This was to be my graduation vacation, and we were raring to go, to place another G12 mountain under our belts; Gunung Mulu, as well as scale the Pinnacles at the same time. We had 7 full days before our flight back to Kuala Lumpur (KL).

We reached Gunung Mulu National Park late in the evening and that day was burned. We walked into the office, and the officer had an astounded look on her face, as we were probably the first people to come here on the spur of the moment, having made no prior reservations at all! Fortunately they had a couple of dormitory bunks available. Lady Luck was on our side that day as we also bumped into an uncle who was planning to climb Gunung Mulu too. That meant costs were shaved as the guide cost was RM1000 per group, and with 3 people, it became RM333 per person.

Mulu National Park was connected with a series of elevated wooden planks, which helped us make our way from building to building without getting our feet wet. Also, a point to note. While we were in Mulu, it rains every single day without fail at approximately 1400H to 1500H for at least 2 –3 hours! The next morning we attempted Gunung Mulu, of which the detailed review and account can be read by clicking on the Gunung Mulu word. Suffice to say, we managed to squeeze a four day trek into a three day trek, thus we had 1 extra day. Unfortunately though, the uncle did not manage to make the summit.

We had actually left guide and the uncle behind on the 3rd day, and made our way back to Park HQ on our own that day. After we told Park HQ we had made our way down safely and informed them to contact the guide, we had a celebratory dinner of Nasi Lemak with Curry Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice and a chocolate milkshake later. Stomach bursting at the seams, I had a good night’s sleep indeed. The next morning, at 0800H, we gathered for a nerve wracking longboat ride, where we visited the Cave of the Wind & Clearwater Cave. Subsequently we were dropped of the starting point for our 3 hour trek to Camp 5 whereupon we would spend the night before attempting the Pinnacles the next day.

Needless to say, it rained that day, and we were drenched by the time we made it to Camp 5. There we met our group that was to scale the Pinnacles the next day, a 8 man strong group consisting of me, Yiaw Liang, Tuck Fai, Chee Ying and Swee Ling, Martin Haigh, Joe Poynton and Charlotte o'Donovan.

The uphill trek up Gunung Api whereupon reaching the peak would give us a view of the Pinnacles was a torture. And to compound matters, it was so foggy, that all we saw at the peak was some blurry black outlines… For a detailed account, click the Pinnacles.

Getting back down, me and Martin Haigh managed to beat the rain and we were high and dry. XD The next day, we decided to leave Mulu National Park and spend a night in Miri. To our horror, at the airport, we were told the afternoon flight from Mulu to Miri was full! With nothing left to do, we placed ourselves on the waiting list. The subsequent hours were nerve wracking. Imagine our joy when we were told there were 4 no-shows for that flight.

Back in Miri, Yiaw Liang contacted a friend of his who was working there and he took us around Miri. First up was the Petroleum Museum and the first oil well in Miri, The Grand Old Lady.

We then stopped by the beach, watched the sunset, then was off to dinner with some of his pals.

We bunked over at his place that night, and the next morning we explored Miri town. The first thing that happened though, was we got his car summoned as we were not aware that parking there required a coupon system. We decided to defer the summons, and used the summons as a ‘park anywhere you want for free pass’ that day. There were only 2 large shopping centres in Miri, both of which were smaller than Lowyat Plaza. By 1400H we were bored out of our minds…

That night, Yiaw Liang's friend and his friends, treated me and Yiaw Liang to a dinner. Thanks guys! Boarding our flight at 2130H, we waved goodbye, unlikely to ever return to Miri and Mulu, unless I picked up spelunking… Hmm…

Technorati Tags: mulu national park,miri,sarawak,malaysia,borneo,gunung mulu,pinnacles,gunung mulu national park

Sungai Lembing Excursion

2009-04-20T14:52:00.001+08:00

On the 17th of April 2009 2330H, me, Yiaw Liang, Bernard Sak, and Pian Pian gathered outside 6th College, University Malaya with some 24 juniors as we prepared to head east to Sungai Lembing for a weekend break. While loading our luggage into our cars, we came across a snake, approximately 1.5 metres long that slithered away after we peppered it with flashes from our camera and torchlights.

As a sidenote, clicking on the green highlighted hyperlinks will send you to a detailed write up on the respective places, as I will only be touching on the general chronology of events in this article.

We left 6th College at 0015H on 18th April 2009 and reached Sungai Lembing at 0355H. As Yiaw Liang had sped ahead of the juniors, we had time to while away, and ended up taking some shots of the surrounding area.

Our first agenda of the day was to climb the nearby Panorama Hill to view the sun rise… Sadly though, after huffing and puffing up a 30 minute flight of steps, we were greeted by a huge cumulonimbus cloud that obstructed any view of a sunrise. To compound matters, after descending the mountain, I realised that I had left my head torch atop the mountain, and after running back up to fetch it, I discovered that someone else had taken it…

We took a group photo and then made our way back down for breakfast before returning to our rented bungalow for a 6 hour sleep before our afternoon program started.

Afternoon’s plan was to visit Gua Charas then make it to Teluk Cempedak to have dinner. Yiaw Liang however, was not merely satisfied with that. Our first stop was Gua Charas. We sped there, and made quick work of the cave. Gua Charas is a local temple of sorts, and the entire cave is peppered with deities of one sort or another, and there was even a Sleeping Buddha and one that looked like a fish…

As we exited Gua Charas, the juniors were just entering it. We then sped off to look for the so-called Sungai Panching Waterfall, which it turns out was actually called Sungai Pandan Waterfall, which had resulted in us looking high and low as we were looking for a nonexistent waterfall. We finally made it there after stopping to ask for directions. There, after we had parked, and just as the waterfall came into sight, rain began to pour… Me and Bernard Sak made for the closest shade, while Yiaw Liang and Pian Pian went ahead to play in the waterfall despite the rain. The little pergola we were huddled beneath did not offer much shade and due to the strong winds, I did become rather damp indeed. Fortunately though, the rain let up about 30 minutes later and I went off to look for some great photo sessions.

We then quickly rushed to Teluk Cempedak where the juniors were already having the time of their lives on the beach. The beaches on the East Coast really were something else altogether. The beaches on the West Coast of Malaysia just could not hold a candle to the beaches there.

As the sun began to set, we took a walk along the nearby boardwalk, which bordered the ocean, affording a great view of a darkening sea while the lights ashore began to come on.

Dinner was at the McDonalds you see me gesturing at in one of the photos above. We then headed off to the nearby Carrefour at East Coast Mall. We were led in circles by my GPS which somehow placed the East Coast Mall in the middle of a housing area… We finally made it back to Sungai Lembing at close to 2300H. The next morning, at 0630H, we were off to Rainbow Waterfall. To get there, we first had to ride for 1 hour on four wheel drive vehicles.

After the 1 hour ride, it was a 30 minute trek along streams and through the forest before we finally came across the Rainbow Waterfall. It is astoundingly amazing, and quite truly, the most beautiful waterfall in Malaysia.

We left at 1100H and made our way back to our rented bungalow, and by 1430H we were back on the road back to Kuala Lumpur, and were back in Kuala Lumpur by 1800H.

Technorati Tags: sungai lembing,panorama hill,gua charas,rainbow waterfall,pahang,malaysia,teluk cempedak,teluk chempedak,kuantan

UM MBBS 04/09 Graduation Day

2009-04-07T10:26:00.001+08:00

Finally. After 5 years of “hard” work, after long hours of toil over books (and DotA), after hours at wards (double that time at movies), this was the day, the moment we have been waiting for, for we’ve finally made it.

UM MBBS Class of 2004/2009, CONGRATULATIONS!!

Announcement of the results at 1500H was at Dewan Jemerlang. There was tension in the air. You could feel the pressure everyone was feeling… As soon as it was announced, we made our way for the University Malaya 2009 Logo near Dewan Tunku Canselor. There, an hour passed as we took photo after photo, immortalising our last day as medical students onto bits of digital data.

HopeLESS DotA members were there. Till now, we were still the undefeated champs of the UM MBBS programme, due in particular to the skills of our clan chieftain Yiaw Liang and his clan shaman Lin Yee. XD

Next up was the MBBS 2009 Graduation Night celebration at Armada Hotel. The venue and food was so-so, but at that time, we could have been having mamak food at a roadside stall for all we cared, as there was nothing that could dampen our mood. We were elated, and joy was so thick in the air, you had to wade through it. Everyone let down their hair, smiling from ear to ear, taking pictures with friends whom we shall be calling colleagues very soon indeed. It was surreal, unlike anything we had ever gone through before.

The professors finally showed their human sides, as they joked with us, walking from table to table, congratulating us for making it this far. It was a night to remember, and the Prof Lee Way Seah fan club could probably have been officially formed, judging by the sheer number of students who were there to cheer for Prof Lee when he took to the stage to dance!

Table 9 was undoubtedly the luckiest table of them all. We won 4 lucky draw prizes, and 2 of our members were nominated to the Dean’s list!! ZOMGWTF!!!

Things were not done then, for the UM MBBS 2004/2009 batch went on to prove, they could play just as hard as they could study. It was off to Sanctuary at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara. There we rocked the house down partying until 0330H, proving to the largest group there and causing such a commotion that I counted at least 10 Sanctuary personnel surrounding us at all times… Sadly though, despite me requesting a song to be dedicated to us, UM MBBS 2004/2009 Graduation twice even!!, the deejay never did play or dedicate a song to us. Two thumbs down for them.

I then collected the last bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label we drank from, the bottle where everyone who had balls drank it directly from the spout. I christened it our “UM MBBS 2004/2009 Graduation Bottle” and passed it around to be signed by all who partied the night away at Sanctuary and had the time of their life.

Technorati Tags: UM MBBS 2004/2009,MBBS Graduation,University Malaya,Sanctuary,Graduation Bottle,MBBS 09 Graduation Night

Study = Fail

2009-04-03T12:11:00.001+08:00

Ever wondered how strange it is when some hardworking people study hard just to fail whereas all-night party maniacs seem to pass the exams? It has been proven, mathematically too, that studying just does not pay…

Technorati Tags: study = fail,study equals fail,hard work does not pay,humour

Chondromyxoid Fibroma – MBBS Student answers…

2009-03-24T19:59:00.001+08:00

Our Paper 1 MBBS 2004/2009 exam was just over, and being the hope-less student that I was, I could barely even think of 1 or 2 simple differential diagnosis. As it is well known however, in every batch, every group, there are those high flyers, A++, potential Viva Distinction students, shining ever so brightly, who face their own set of problems.

What crosses your mind when a 2 year old child presents with fever for 2 weeks, a swollen tender right knee and unable to bear weight? A X-Ray shows lytic lesions over the medial epicondyle of the right femur and soft tissue swelling.

I say osteomyelitis or septic arthritis. The pros say chondromyxoid fibroma and giant cell tumours… I guess I was wrong. T_T

***

Post updated at 1204H (3 hours after 1st post)

Technorati Tags: MBBS,osteomyelitis,septic arthritis,chondromyxoid fibroma,giant cell tumour

The end has come – UM MBBS 2004/2009

2009-03-20T14:38:00.002+08:00

The end has come
The time is now
Regrets abound

Preparations are nonexistent
Heart’s a pounding
Five years’ gone by in a blink

It’s hard to think that I though this day would never come. Back in 2004, 2009 seemed like a fairy tale, a story that would never come true. Right now, it’s a truck, hurtling my way, filling up the windscreen. Exams are in 3 days, and the books are stacked higher than the KL Tower. Half of what I’ve read lately seem to be completely new. Practical sessions in the hospital show me moving like a wooden puppet, strings attached to a drunkard.

Life through MBBS has been like on a highway. There are occasional bumps in the road, but this one’s a traffic light. I hope to see a green light straight ahead, not a red light which’ll have me here for the next six months.

Technorati Tags: MBBS,final exams

Thailand, Sep 2006

2009-02-28T06:03:00.000+08:00

More reminiscing in order. This time it’s back to Thailand in September 2006. Photos will however be practically nonexistent as Tang, who was our designated photographer had lost his entire bag containing the camera, identification documents, mobiles, passport etc in an unfortunate incident a couple of days after we made it back from Thailand.We took off for Bangkok from the LCCT at KLIA. Man... the LCCT sure lives up to its low cost name... The roofs and walls were made of corrugated zinc and it didn't look much better than the average secondary/primary school assembly halls... It was bloody cold however.Bangkok International Airport (Don Muang) is north of Bangkok and upon arrival, you'll be greeted by a whole bunch of counters offering limos to the city for 800baht. You should however, take the elevator up to the departure floor and from there you can get a taxi which will take you to the city centre for only 250baht.

We ended up staying at the Sukhumvit area, Soi 7/1 to be exact, a short distance from Bangkok's most infamous tourist attraction.. ahem ahem... Our first order for the day was to head down to Siam Paragon and the nearby shopping centres to get a feel of modern Bangkok. Man... Siam Paragon was really high end, with Lamborghini, Hummer and Ferrari showrooms and a plethora of other high end designer labels such as Bang & Olufsen was there too...

Anyway, this pretty much meant that we could do little except leave little footprints all over the complex and we retired for the day soon after. Oh and sometime around midnight, the three girls in the room next to mine and Tang's ran over, bawling that they had all been lying down on bed when the bed began to shake for no reason... Cue ghostly music... Me and Tang were unwillingly made to join them in their room where we had to sleep on the floor... and not surprisingly, the 'visitor' never did come back. The gals must have been really desperate to get us over eh... :wink: During the 2nd day in Bangkok we made our way to Silom where we took a water taxi all the way to the Grand Palace. we visited the nearby Sleeping Buddha then made our way to the Grand Palace. Sadly, due to the 250baht entrance fee and our extreme 'stingyness' we decided not to venture inside and just took some pictures outside the palace.

We then walked north where we ran into a small bazaar and I ended up spending about a 1000baht worth of trinkets and clothes. We continued our trek north east and ended up in Khao Shan Road. It was lively, but sadly there were no good deals on souvenirs and we ended up no buying anything, just soaking in the lively atmosphere.

A 100 baht cab back to sukhumvit and we were done for the day.The next morning we were awakened to phone calls and messages and apparently at 1am there had been a coup, with the Prime Minister of Thailand having been overthrown by the army. We peeked out of the window but saw no unrest and so we tiptoed round the neighbourhood. Nothing seemed to be out of place... anyway we called the Malaysia embassy and they told us there was no violence anywhere in the country. That little matter out of the way, we made for Dusit Zoo where upon arrival we were greeted by a large CLOSED sign. =.= It was then off to Chinatown where I did some substantial shopping due to the attractive prices. Night time was then time to visit the Nana area (google it up) at Sukhumvit Soi 4.That pretty much was the Bangkok leg of our trip and the next day, it was off to Pattaya for us 5.

We left Bangkok the following morning and hailed a cab for Ekkamai Bus Station. There, 5 tickets for Pattaya and 600 baht poorer we were ready to board the bus, when we hit a snag. We had 'bungkused' 5 packets of fried rice and were barred from bringing them onboard so as not to 'contaminate the nice smelling air-conditioned coach'. DAMN! So, we dumped the rice into the luggage compartment and hoped it would still retain some sense of edibleness (shoot my grammar!) later in the day.Fast forward 3 hours and we were in Pattaya. We headed for Riveira Inn recommended by the our lodging in Bangkok. Turns out there was a bar below and it was kinda like another red light area.. Haha...

We stopped by the beach during the evenings and decided to try out the jet ski. Many screams from some of the girls (u know who I mean) the 1/2 hour was up and it was time to return the jet ski. It was now that things got a little exciting. The girls insisted on a banana boat ride and even got the owner to agree to drive a extra large circuit to get the most out of the money. Me and Tang decided to tag along. 1/3 of the way, the banana boat flipped. DUNK! SPLASH! and we had to push the boat right side up and haul ourselves up, not an easy task mind you considering the bloody boat had practically no place to grip and push yourself up. Suffice to say 2-3 more dunkings later, the girls had all but no energy to even pull themselves up, and me and Tang were not much better off... They pleaded to be let back ashore and I could see from the evil gleam in the boat driver's eyes we were not going to be let off so easily... And true to it, we were dunked yet again and we made a unanimous decision to swim to shore from there on... =.=

Night time was more fun. I got my first touch of a pool table. Hopeless and that was the end of my short lived career in pool. Next up was things that only guys do and a little hint - it had to do with Thailand's most famous tourist attraction. Contact me for details.. haha Next morning, we booked a MPV cab to take us all the way back to Bangkok and the morning was pretty much spend chomping on foodstuff and walking around the immediate vicinity of Pattaya.

Finally, here in ChiangMai. After we ended up at Hualumphong Railway Station we realised that all trains to Chiangmai were cancelled due to the heavy rains. Man, we sure were fortunate that we had booked a bus north. It did come to a surprise though later, when we realised a bus from Chiangmai to Bangkok was approximately 400baht but the bus from Bangkok to Chiangmai was 780 baht? Were we fleeced? probably... ZZ..Anyway we reached CM about 7 in the morning and grabbed a red truck to Julie's Guesthouse. The girls promptly made plans to go elephant riding, jungle trekking, visiting the Laos border (3 hours away by van).... Me? I lazed around Chiangmai the whole 3 days. The first night I made my way to the night bazaar to do some shopping. The 2nd day which was a Sunday night was weekend market night. Man, it was huge!!! I spent 4 hours walking from each end of the market to the other. Lots of interesting stuff. I even picked up a wooden crossbow for 120 baht. Back to the guesthouse. Julie's was without doubt the most happening guesthouse I've ever stayed at.

With their friendly staff and raucous common area, I met a whole bunch of fellow travellers; among then Koko, Kathleen and a whole bunch of other people I ended up identifying as "the New Zealand guy", "the German guy", etc... haha.. blame my poor memory for that. A note of caution though for anyone planning to go there... Their pillows are terribly hard and lumpy. The mattress is also uneven; i.e. some parts of the spring mattress are soft and some are hard making sleeping a very slanting affair. Oh and there's bed bugs!!! ZZZ.. It left me with quite a few lumps for the next few days.The flight from CM to Bangkok was pretty uneventful, while the flight from Bangkok to KLIA did turn up a kink. we had to pay 500 baht as a "Passenger Service Charge" which caught many of my fellow mates by surprise as they had spent all their money, leaving me to stump up for them.

Technorati Tags: vacation,Thailand,Bangkok,Pattaya,Chiang Mai,Malaysia,jet ski

Darth Vader joins the chase

2009-02-16T19:48:00.000+08:00

Apparently angered by the ineptitude of his minions, Darth Vader has decided to get down and dirty. After force choking the miserable cretins who failed to apprehend members of the Rebel Alliance, Darth Vader decided to get things done himself. Cue Darth Vader’s Ariel Atom Interceptor, his Earth’s counterpart to his customised TIE Interceptor.

Click photo for hi-res 1920x1200 wallpaper print

The Imperial Speeder Bike is back!

2009-02-16T09:31:00.000+08:00

Apparently I was gravely mistaken. The Imperial Speeder Bike has not been withdrawn from service in this alternate time and universe; it merely has been upgraded.

This new, upgraded Speeder Bike was spotted accelerating hard, in pursuit of several members of the Rebel Allilance. Instead of the boring grey, it has been given a brand spanking new colour scheme, which if I may be so brave to say looks way cooler. The Rebels better watch out!

Stormtrooper spotted pursuing Rebels

2009-02-16T03:39:00.000+08:00

It turns out they were wrong. Due to tear in the space time continuum, apparently, what was “a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away” has merged into our space and time. Just recently, a stormtrooper was spotted pursuing rebels in a Lotus Speeder. For those who remember, In The Empire Strikes Back, Stormtroopers pursued the Ewoks in a Imperial Speeder Bike, a hovering bike of sorts. Apparently due to the lack of certain elements particular to the galaxy of “far far away”, they were unable to replicate the design and as such, has taken the Lotus Elise and made it into a worthy replacement.

The Start Of Something Old

2009-02-11T03:11:00.001+08:00

I can’t sleep. It is 3.07am, and classes start at 8.15am. I’m going to be on call until the subsequent 8am, and will be having classes after that. Which means that I have no hope of proper sleep in the next 36 hours or so.

So it’s now time to start my blog anew again, and pick up where I dropped the ball; to see if I have the temerity to see it through this time around.

Final exams are in 5 weeks time, and I have yet to start to prepare… Will I pass? Only time will tell…