Spinosum Diary

A New Look

2009-09-23T09:58:00.002+08:00

I have decided to give my blog a whole new look. Still a newbie in editing the layout and settings, but slowly I think I will be able to master the basics!

123456789

2009-08-07T10:06:00.003+08:00

Today at noon, please remember to witness the once-in-a-lifetime "phenomenon" -

12:34pm 56sec on the 07/08/09

So it will translate to "123456789" !!!

Internet Speed

2009-08-05T18:47:00.003+08:00

This is what I got today, using Speedtest from iZZi broadband website. 30Mbps!!!!! Hooray!!
But I think it's a real joke - the internet today is crawling like a sick turtle!! :(

Finally Met Up With Sbanboy

2009-08-03T10:42:00.002+08:00

I have known Sbanboy for years through local medical forums, blogs and Facebook, but have not met him personally - till last Saturday. I am glad that he decided to drop by my clinic that day. We had a nice lunch at the nearby restaurant for Char Siew noodles (coz the rice was all sold out) - Restoran Famous Seremban Favourites.

I was trying out his iPhone 3G, played around with it and he did enlighten me with a few things about the little Apple gadget phone. We had a lengthy chat covering topics from work life, gadgets and lifestyles. Indeed he is a cheerful, positive and friendly guy!

Hope we meet again soon. Next round, we may be looking into the Palm Pre! ;)

Facebook

2009-07-29T11:06:00.002+08:00

I think I can't emphasize enough how fast time flies past us. I thought I just updated my blog 2 weeks ago, but *WHOA* the last blog I wrote was back in May!! Two months of silence.

I guess I must blame FaceBook this time - as I spend more time on FB than any other site nowadays, to keep up to date with all my friends' and networks' progress. One thing good about FB is that you know, at least half of your friends are reading your status or progress you make. While not many people might actually read your blog.

And even if you post some family photos in FB, you have the option to let "only friends" see them, and not the whole world view them, unlike blogs. That's why I could see some of my friends are also not as active in blogging as before, but I do "meet" them often on FB!

What a wonder FB has created in this era! :)

Arrival of My 2nd Child

2009-05-28T15:15:00.004+08:00

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?

2009-04-28T15:59:00.003+08:00

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?

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.
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!"
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.
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

2009-04-23T12:28:00.002+08:00

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

I'm Back

2009-04-04T14:56:00.002+08:00

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

2009-01-07T10:17:00.003+08:00

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?

2009-01-07T10:05:00.003+08:00

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

2009-01-01T15:58:00.002+08:00

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

Have A Merry Little Christmas

2008-12-24T17:43:00.003+08:00

It's this time of the year (again) when everybody is excited about another upcoming season celebration - Christmas Day.

Today is Xmas Eve, and I could see many cars on the road, most probably go on holiday due to the long weekend (many people just take an extra day off for Friday) and the break stretches till next Monday!

So, hooray, it's holiday again; and time for some shopping tonite with my family! :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Lucky HOs

2008-12-18T08:28:00.002+08:00

Read in The Star today "Day Off After 24-Hour Duty".

KUALA TERENGGANU: Trainee doctors will now get a day off after carrying out their 24-hour on-call duty.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the directive will take effect immediately.

He said it applies only to housemen on active call and at the hospital the entire time.

This is really a good news to all the HO's out there, and those HO's-to-be! ;)

And so, there is no more excuse of saying tired and not attending to the patients in the wee hours (I have experience seeing some HOs who were just so tired, that they asked the nurses if the cases were acute/urgent... if not, they would see the patients later, ie. after a few hours' sleep!)

Back To The Darkside

2008-12-16T09:48:00.002+08:00

After using Palm for quite a while, I have finally given in, and gone back to the "darkside" again. Although Palm is due for his "new-ness" (probably Palm Nova OS) in 2009, nobody could be sure (again) whether this round the new Palm device shall be a good one. Knowing how Palm has failed miserably over the Foleo project, and stagnant at OS5 for many many years... I really wonder if I should wait for Palm another 3 years before they produce something stable and worth getting.

So after seeing the Samsung i780 WM6 pda phone, I totally fell in love with her at first sight! Sleek and slim looking, gorgerous screen, snappy performance and loads of other features in one heck of a device! With a price tag of RM1450, what's more could I ask for! Other devices like HTC and Sony Xperia are all gorgeous too, but the price is way above RM3000!! I wouldn't spend that fortune on such devices, afterall, two years down the road, they will be obsolete anyway! And with Rm3k, I might as well get myself a powerful desktop with 24" LCD display! Wouldn't that be nicer? ;)

I have used Sammy for less than a week, but so far I am damn happy with it. Initially I thought the track mouse is less usable compared to the conventional D-pad, I am wrong. In fact the track mouse is so much more useful than the D-pad (though gamers won't agree in total with me!). I have read many, if not all, reviews on the internet about this device, and most people like it very much too. Frankly, it is not the best out there, but when it comes to value for money, this device beats the rest in its rank flat!

When it comes to a WinMo device, the "playability" of it is just enormous; there are just so many things I wanna "do" to it, and hours and hours spent to play with it proves more interesting than having a game on my PS2! ;) Well, this is how the gadget-freak reacts to a newly purchased device anyway!

I hope Sammy won't disappoint me in the days to come, and wish it will be with me for the next couple of years, serving me as the main workhorse! :)

PC Fair

2008-12-12T22:01:00.003+08:00

It's this time around end of each year, that many of us, besides heading for MNG or Parkson Sale, will go for another major happening area in town - the PIKOM PC fair!

Everytime without fail, the crowd is just tremendous! When we start thinking of the economic crisis and everyone out there is trying to save more money - PC fair proves to you otherwise! Almost everyone will end up buying something at the fair.

I got myself a Western Digital 500GB portable HDD, because there are just too many photos and videos to store! Initially I was looking for a new PDA phone, most likely the Samsung i780, but after hunting around, I still realise that the price is more expensive than the one sold at a shop I asked yesterday at Tesco hypermart! Unbelievable! So most likely I would head for the shop at Tesco if I still consider getting it!

I tried out the new and hyped up Treo Pro at the fair too, and realise the speed is not as snappy as the i780. Some delay here and there, which sometimes could be annoying. Bear in mind that you shouldn't try out a brand new out-of-the-box unit, as that would definitely be snappy and gives you a false impression. I always try out the unit held by the sales personnel, which already been installed with a whole load of softwares in it. Then that would be a better guide of the performance of the pda phone. Nevertheless, I must admit that the Treo Pro is a damn solid device with a very good and responsive qwerty keyboard. The 5-way navigator is also very solid and positive (unlike the i780's "mouse"). If you have a sweaty palm or thumb, the i780 mouse is just almost impossible to use!

I would recommend anyone to go to the PC fair, if you are looking for some good bargains, especially things like portable HDD, thumb drives, SD cards, and even cameras! This is the best time you go get them, whether for Christmas, or New Year Day! ;)

Economic Crisis

2008-12-07T11:39:00.003+08:00

With the recent global economic crisis, many sectors are badly affected - particularly those trades involving things which are nice to have, eg. luxury cars, jeweleries, home furniture, and high-tech electronic gadgets.

Many of my friends are already complaining to me about how their business has slowed down for the past 6 months. And many of them are not intending to change their cars, or renovate their house at least for the time being.

I have been observing many promotional advertisements lately, from various sectors, to enhance and boost their sales. Banks have even reduced their interest rates, in hope that the public will spend more in the down-going market, thus preventing a stagnant economy.

General hospitals are seeing more patients at the A&E - more and more of the public are abusing the govt hospital A&Es now to seek simple and trivial URTIs and cough&cold. Private GPs are seeing less walk-in patients; and even some companies are reducing their maximum budgets for their employees to see treatment at those panel clinics.

Are you all experience the pinch of the economic crisis too?

It's December...

2008-12-02T14:20:00.004+08:00

I can't imagine I only blogged once in November... But really there were too many things happening last month (in fact started from end of October). Too many things to settle and just too little time to compose my thoughts to blog.

It's December (again)... And I could clearly recall the last Christmas with my wish list in hand, shopping with my wife for gifts; and now, it's another Xmas coming up!! Time really flies. This year, the Xmas may not be as "extravagant" compared to the last one, in terms of gifts we are gonna buy - coz economy downturn mah! ;) Time to save more money for rainy days! I am not a Christian but I do enjoy Xmas every year - although I don't have any Xmas tree at home and I don't join my Christian friends at church - I personally find Xmas one of the best celebrations throughout the year (dunno why!). Xmas is also a good time for me to get ready my schedule and plans for another new coming year ahead! So, it is in fact an "important" day for me! ;)

This year, I plan to hunt around for a digital piano as my Xmas gift. I have stopped completely my piano lesson since Form Five, and never had the time to play a piano ever since then. In fact i was a little frustrated back in those days, when playing the piano was just to get through exam (still recall those ABRSM thingy...). With such limited time to practise the piano back in those days (so many tuition classes occupying almost everyday, not sparing those weekends!), it was no wonder why I only had time to practise and play those examination pieces and some scales (oh I really hated those scales!!).

What I really dream of is to acquire the true playing skill and to play songs I like on the piano. And not those boring classical pieces, just for the sake of exam! I was doing some research online using Google, and found that there are so many internet sites teaching us how to play the piano from scratch. I really admire those online teachers who have so many brilliant ways and interesting techniques - unlike those days, my piano teachers were a little dull and too exam orientated! ;P

I found this blog "The Linking Hearts", which has many nice piano pieces, ranging from Korean drama OST to US Pop Songs. Hope all of you who love piano, will enjoy playing these pieces too! :)

Michael Crichton

2008-11-07T14:45:00.002+08:00

Just found out that the Jurassic Park writer, Michael Crichton, has passed away on 4 Nov 2008. He was a great writer.

Blood Taking Manual

2008-10-30T16:19:00.005+08:00

Recalling the days in govt hospital - especially during those housemanship years - many, if not all, doctors find it difficult and confusing whenever it comes to blood taking. The red plain tubes, purple EDTA bottles, orange, yellow, grey, etc... and some with gel in them, some without. In the fridge, there will be those for PT/INR, special viral transport medium (VTM) tubes etc. The list just goes on.

And after the tedious blood taking session - we at times find the returned "investigation forms" written with red ink: "sample tak cukup" (inadequate blood sample) or the worst of all "salah tubing" (wrong tubes)!! WTF!! We have to repeat taking the blood (sometimes at 3am), and apologizing to the patients who sneer at us...

I just wonder how come the hospital lab just cannot produce a standardised "Blood Taking Manual" like those given to those private GP clinics for free (from PathLab, BP Lab and Gribbles) - for the sake of those newbies (housemen) or even for some senior doctors who are unsure which tubes we should place the blood in.

For instance, if we would to ask the houseman to take a sample for "septic workup" or "febrile study" - what do we mean actually? And how many bottles and what types of tubings are needed? Most often than not the houseman will stare in blank and ask his colleagues who are more senior "so what tubes to use ah?" or "how many mls of blood needed ah?"... Many of a time, CRP is missed, ESR not sent, or ordering FBC instead of including PBF... Then the specialists get mad, the MO stuck in between, and the poor new HO is stressed up!

Another example is when the MO orders the new HO to "screen this patient for thalassemia" or the commoner one like "do an iron study on her" - so what's next? What are the blood to take? How many mls each tubing? Send to which lab?

If all this can be cut short by just flipping through the standardised manual given by the lab, imagine how much time we can save and reduce errors like wrong tubings, inadequate blood sample or even mistake like having short of one plain tube sample (having sent only 1 plain tube instead of two, because we thought they are all done in the same lab)...

Then the manual should also include profile samplings like eg. Dengue fever study, Diabetic study, Down syndrome (triple test) etc. And each of those profile includes the list of breakdown of blood or urine needed, and the specimen requirements (eg 4ml FLUORIDE tube, 10ml PLAIN tube, 50ml first void morning urine sample) - and then specify which lab they should be sent to (eg. Biochem, Pathology, Microbiology).

Please don't assume that every single doctor knows this, although after working for a few years, they seem like bread and butter.

For me, SOP should be implemented day in day out, and not assuming things in the ward. Because if we "assume" - we are creating an "ass" out of "u" and "me"!

Demise Of My Treo 680

2008-10-24T13:12:00.004+08:00

I have slowed down lately on blogging because there have been too many issues of late. And the other thing to blame is Facebook - as I have spent more time on FB, than blogging here.

One of the recent events is the demise of my faithful Treo 680. All because of my itchy hands! My Treo was never in any protective case since purchased 1 year ago. And so the outlook of it became rather unsightly. I saw Brando selling the original Treo housing case for the 680 series, and went ahead to purchase one - thinking that I could easily change the housing myself!

How wrong I was!

After receiving the housing last week, I was so elated that I immediately set aside 1 hour to change the housing myself - following the "step-by-step instructions (with pics)" posted in some forum on the net! Opening up was easy and piece of cake. Then step by step, I managed to remove the first layer, then the 2nd layer... and the speaker, the vibrator, and ultimately disconnecting the fragile circuit tapes (for the touch screen and motherboard) - everything went on smoothly.

When I started putting every bits and pieces back again, the headache started - it didn't seem to be as easy as putting them back, as compared to disassembling them! Gosh... And although I finally managed to put everything back in place - and re-boot the unit - the nightmare struck!!

The screen was GONE! Just a white screen, with on and off flickering - no more Palm logo, and the usual boot up message. No matter how many times I opened up and placing those parts back together; re-tightening those screws ... everything was in vain! ;(

My Treo 680 is dead.

And worst of all, my warranty sticker was torn - and warranty is void!
(but it's more than a year old anyway - so no more Palm warranty)

That was a sad night.

Buka Puasa Dinner

2008-09-29T10:36:00.002+08:00

My cousin had 10 free vouchers from his company, and so he invited my family to join him at Sultan Aziz Shah Golf Resort Club House for a Buka Puasa buffet dinner yesterday.

Luckily with my GPS, I had no sweat driving there - in fact reached there the earliest! ;P

We had a hearty meal, and was really full by the end of my 4th round of food spree!

Palace of Justice

2008-09-19T12:25:00.002+08:00

If you happen to be in Putrajaya, drive around and take a look at the beautiful scenery and magnificent architecture there. Dataran Gemilang, Dataran Putra, Jambatan Seri Gemilang, buildings of Kementerian Kesihatan (Presint E), ... to name a few. What you realise immediately is that all the names, whether be they road signs, signboards, logos or banners, are ALL in Bahasa Malaysia.

However, when you come to the "Palace of Justice" - you will notice that this is the ONLY building in Putrajaya which carries the name of building in English! Why is it not written "Istana Kehakiman" (as it is stated in their official website)?

Istana Keadilan??

So there was a joke circulating around, saying that initially when they wanted to name this building in Malay language, they could only think of "Istana Keadilan" (which is a direct translation from the English version) - but that is NOT welcomed by the BN government! ;P

Taxis In Bolehland

2008-09-18T14:08:00.003+08:00

In this Boleh Land, everything is "Boleh"! This includes many of the notorious taxi drivers in town, who are arrogant, rude, foul-language-experts, tout-alike, road bullies and virtual extortionists! I have many many bad experiences with taxis in big cities like KL and Penang - and thank God, today (in fact since the day I got my driving licence) I don't rely on taxis anymore!!

I read with total agreement in Malaysiakini article entitled "Malaysia's Worst In The World Taxis", and just cannot stop nodding my head as I read down the lines.

"Flat rate, flat rate, no metre," one driver insists as the tourists try to find a cab to take them to their hotel, less than two kilometres away."

I think this is the most arrogant and nuisance statements which day in day out, we as passengers hear from these b*stard taxi drivers. Frankly, if I had a car or can afford walking, I wouldn't have boarded any taxis in town. In fact taking the public buses or LRT prove to be more comfortable and economical.

I still remember clearly many years ago when I was in a college at Subang Jaya, I fell down and fractured my left ankle. I was limping towards the bus station only to find out that there wasn't any bus going directly to my house - so I got to resort to taxi service. There was a cab coming along that hot afternoon, and I was begging the driver to send me home. Normally it would cost me (using meter) around RM8-10 to reach home, but that arrogant and black-hearted driver asked for a whopping RM80 just for that one way! Extortionist. I begged him again, but this cold-hearted beast just wouldn't give a damn - in fact he yelled at me "kalo nak cepat sikit, aku ni busy tau!"

I didn't have so much money with me and so I took the bus instead (later I got to change bus twice before walking another 10 minutes to reach my house). I never forget that incident, and never will forgive that driver (yeah, I know, my religion also teaches me to forgive!) ;P

Although not all cab drivers are b*stards, I am just being unlucky to meet almost 7 out of 10 who are! That's why my experience with taxis is just a sheer disappointment. And in fact I feel ashamed of them being the front-liners to promote Malaysia during those Visit Malaysia Years!

Do you guys meet such taxi drivers in your life? Would like to hear from you.

Seri Penang

2008-09-14T22:15:00.000+08:00

Seri Penang food outlet

Recently, to keep up with our food craze - my wife and I went to Ikano Power Centre on both Saturday and Sunday to try out various delicious food at Seri Penang outlet.

If you love Penang or typical Nyonya food, you will definitely fall in love with this outlet.

Here's my overall rating (out of 10):

Outlet cleanliness - 9
Ambience - 9
Staff politeness - 8
Menu layout - 8
Food presentation - 9
Food quality - 9

Cosy environment

Comfortable seats

My favourite - roti jala!

Excellent pineapple tomyam fried rice

Tasty laksa

Sweet and delicious durian sago!