Arrival of My 2nd Child

Today I am elated. My wife just delivered our 2nd baby, and I took time off from clinic to be at the "scene" to witness the arrival of our baby boy!

One thing I must tell every potential mother-to-be -- U better opt for epidural anaesthesia! ;) My wife was given one, and the process of delivery was almost painless (well, that's what she told me!) - could still recall all those screams while I was working in labour room years ago! Gosh!

So happen that today is also Duan Wu festival (端午节) - so it is even easier to remember his birthday!

Now the next task is to look for a name for him...

"Welcome to the world, sonny!"

What Do You Want In Life?

I came across a very important question which I seldom asked myself years ago; but lately, I have been making lots of changes in life and career - just because I already know what I want in life!

Here is something I read in The Happy Guy's site "Choose What You Want In Life":

"You don't have to buy from anyone. You don't have to work at any particular job. You don't have to participate in any given relationship. You can choose." -- Harry Browne

Choice. It's all about freedom--the freedom to pick one thing over another. Are you choosing what you want from life?

"Oh no," comes the reply. "I can't because… I haven't got enough education. …I need to look after my family. …I don't have enough money. …I don't have the time." What's your excuse? The truth is that we have choice in every single moment of our lives. For those who are destitute, the choices in life are fewer. But the rest of us often think we don't have freedom when we simply haven't claimed our power to choose differently.

How do you typically make decisions? Do you do so based on:

• "should" – doing what you believe you should do.
• pleasing others – doing what others want or expect you to do.
• fear – choosing the safe route for fear of doing something different.
• habit and reaction – you don't even think about what you're doing--you've always done it this way?

On the other hand, you own your power to choose when you decide on the basis of:

• desire – choosing something you want.
• need – responding to deeper desires.
• authenticity – you know who you are and what you stand for.
• creative expression – you strive to be more.

So how can you open to choosing differently?

1. Be clear about what you want. Have a sense of purpose. With a target to aim for, you'll know what will serve you best.
2. STOP and ASK yourself questions. "Why am I doing this? What do I want to achieve?" WRITE down your answers. Be more conscious of how you are spending your precious time, because this is your life passing by. This will help you say, "Wait! I don't want to do this anymore!"
3. Never allow yourself to play the victim. Victims have given away their power. You alone are responsible for your life. When you fully accept this, you will claim your inner power to make better choices. Change often comes from nothing more than a shift in perspective.
4. Be open to possibilities for yourself. Select one area of your life where you are unsatisfied, and choose something new, something more for yourself. Do different things and do things differently. Risk more..

I find one of the statements very interesting:

"Not choosing is also a choice."

So, what do you want in life then?

Hilarious Poster

Saw this poster circulating in the internet.. hilarious, but not impossible! ;)

I'm Back

Many people have wondered why I stopped blogging since January, and went M.I.A (missing in action) for such a long period.

Well, I'm back now. And that I have spent the last few months planning, with many sleepless nights, and then getting my own clinic ready for opening on 2 April 2009 (didn't choose 1 April otherwise that would be funny... our PM Najib also didn't want that date to become the premier too!)

Now my clinic is officially opened. And so far there are already a few patients coming in. Good start, I guess! :)

In life, often there is only one chance we can do a thing we like most. For me, having my own clinic has always been my dream. I have always disliked hospital life, especially the on calls. I call that slavery. I would have stayed on if it was a shift system (like those nurses are having), instead of working non-stop for more than 24 hours. Everyone is built and grown up differently. One doctor can have 3 hour sleep, and yet very fresh the next day - does not mean that every doctor is the same too! That's part of the reason why I fully support the day off for housemen when Dato Liow (our Minister of Health) announced the good news (but apparently many hospitals' "warlords" and "mafias" are not following this circular!)

I guess I have finally brought out the courage and move on to the next chapter in life. Having a clinic business is challenging, and that many of the doctors view that as an investment which must bring upon great income and revenue... but to me, it is a passion and the true noble job. Money is something nice to have, but if you are in the medical line, thinking you could earn millions, than I'm sorry for you. You should have ventured into housing development, palm oil industries and international cargo business! Even my good friend who is an Amway Triple Diamond, cannot earn that much in a year! ;)

So to draw a line how much to earn and how successful a doctor is... is in fact very hard. It totally boils down to each individual's need and satisfaction. To me, as long as I am happy with my family and continue to serve (even some times just chit chat) my patients, I am contented.

If you happen to drop by my clinic someday, I hope you will like the interior design and the cozy environment - and I am sure you will feel the serenity! :)

To all my ex-bosses and ex-colleagues, I thank them very much for all the guidance and patience for me; and that they are all still happy (I hope!) working in hospitals, serving those in needs.

Gaza War

It's very disturbing and disheartening reading about the war going on at Gaza strip. Civilians, especially innocent women and children, are sacrifised for no reason. The death toll is on the rise, yet the ceasefire doesn't seem to happen.

If you were viewing CNN and Al-Jazeera channels yesterday, you would immediately realise the lop-sidedness of the news portals, with CNN mainly siding Israel, and wanting the Hamas to cease fire; while Al-Jazeera would condemn Israel for their brutality and inhumanity, blaming them for targeting UN buildings and hospitals.

Whatever it is, I do see a point when the Israeli spokesperson was interviewed yesterday. His ultimate message was clear. Hamas should ceasefire, and the war is immediately over. Hamas should not use civilians as human shield, and when casualty occurs, the whole world blame Israel. And Israel has been negotiating for years, yet the Hamas are not keen.

Whether the points are right or wrong, I just hope that the Hamas should stop firing rockets, and Israel should immediately ceasefire. Holding onto the ego and pride will only bring on more casualties amongst the innocent civilians.

I pray for peace and humanity. And I hope the war will be over soon.

Citizens Not Allowed To Vote?

I am very surprised to read what our Home Minister, Syed Hamid Albar, said in the Star today (article entitled "Syed Hamid: Six months to clear backlog of cases"). According to him, his ministry will be working very hard (I hope so!) to clear the backlog of a whopping 33,000 applications of PR and citizenship, and that some cases have been lingered on for more than 30 years! (gosh, I wonder what the agencies were doing all these while then?!)

However when asked whether this move is politically motivated (in the upcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election), he refuted the claim, and according to the paper:

He said the awarding of citizenship ceremony had nothing to do with the by-election. The recipients are not entitled to vote.

WTF?? I thought voting rights belong to ALL citizens, or has Syed Hamid changed the rule recently? This can only happen in Malaysia, I guess...

Happy New Year 2009

Wishing all my friends and bloggers a happy new year, and a wonderful year ahead! :)