Why Marry?

In Star newspaper today:

Bride dumped at matchmaking agency

KUALA LUMPUR: A 47-year-old businessman dumped his young Vietnamese wife at the matchmaking agency just 17 days after their wedding and demanded a full refund.

The man, who had paid RM13,800 to the matchmaking agency, also took the passport belonging to the 22-year-old woman, identified only as Ngo, from Ho Chi Minh City.

“He complained that he could not communicate with her (Ngo could only speak Viet­na­mese), she wouldn’t wear the clothes he bought for her, and that she kept saying she wanted to go back to Vietnam.

“He left her in front of my office on March 30,” the matchmaking agent, who only wanted to be known as Ben, told reporters at the MCA Pu­­­­blic Services and Complaints Bureau.

What?
What nonsense.
Why would anyone marry someone who can't understand whatever they say?
Weird.

Random Stuff

It's been quite a few days since I wrote anything.
Since then, I've watched 2 Suria movies.
(Unless you are an Indian, I don't expect you to know Suria.)

Anyway, I enjoyed both movies - Ayan and Varanam Aayiram.
Both had rather nice story line; something different from what you usually see in Tamil movies.
The fight scenes were not too bad; although rather too long for my liking.
Varanam Aayiram had a few nice songs.
Suria had so many different looks in both movies - just shows how much your hairstyle can affect your look.

Well, enough of Tamil movies.

There have been so many things going on in Malaysia.
We have a new Prime Minister and a new cabinet.
There were 3 by-elections.
To me, there doesn't seem to be any difference at all - are we supposed to feel the difference?

The economy is still down.

Nicol David lost a match. I feel sad for her. But then just think of how many matches she won. She is one sportswoman I really admire.

The F1 this time was a joke - any Malaysian could have told FIA it would rain and having a race at 5pm is a dumb idea. Well, I guess they learnt their lesson.

2 people have been sentenced to death for the murder of Altantuya.

What else?
The usual accidents and murders and rape cases people don't bother to read about anymore.
I wonder if there will ever be a time when we don't have to worry about our safety when we go out.

Talking about accidents - I am tired of the attitude of some Malaysians.
Why is it necessary to look at an accident?
Why stop your car if you are not going to help?

The other day, when my Dad and I were driving back from Ipoh, there was a jam at the highway - we were stuck for more than an hour.
Why? An accident - not even a big one. Just a car hitting the back of another car. Both the cars were already parked at the emergency lane. It was a 3-lane highway!
Why the hell was there a jam, I don't understand!
Will this 'slow down and look' attitude never change?

My holidays are almost coming to an end.
I start my tagging on Monday - 7.30am to 12am everyday for at least a week.
I don't think I will have time to blog.
We'll see how.
Rather afraid of the new department - totally new stuff.
Wish me luck!

My 'Nose Job'

I have been suffering from allergic rhinitis and nasal polyps for many years now.
I tried taking medications many times.
They keep coming back.
Finally, I went for a polypectomy - FESS procedure, last Friday.

To tell you the truth, I don't know much about the procedure.
I didn't even bother reading it up, although I meant to.

The whole process was quite fast.
I went to the Ipoh ENT.
They asked me to go for a CT scan then asked me to choose which date I would like to do the procedure.
I chose last Friday because it was the end of my paediatric posting, and so I can take a few days leave to rest before my next posting.
As it turned out, I was advised to take about a week leave, so I took 2 days leave from my Ortho posting as well (I get 10 days of leave per posting).

On the day of the procedure, they told me to be at the hospital by 7am.
(I was fasting from 12am)
The surgery only took place at about 3pm.
By the time of the surgery, I was cranky.
I think I was more irritated by the long wait rather than the hunger.
All I wanted was to get the procedure over with.

The procedure itself took about 3 hours.
I was under GA.
The moment I woke up from the GA, the first thing I wanted to do was to pee.
The nurses offered me a bed pan, but there was no way I was going to use a bed pan.
Thankfully they were nice enough to help me to the toilet (I was still quite dizzy from the anaes).

After that, I was taken to the ward where I spent the night.
I was discharged the next morning.
Quite fast, don't you think?

Come to think of it, I didn't eat anything the whole day.
Before the surgery I had to fast.
After the surgery, I had a horrible sore throat and couldn't even think of putting anything in my mouth besides water; plus I was sleepy.

Anyway, right now, the procedure is done and over with.
I am taking 2 different flu tablets every day.
I have to wash my sinuses with an alkaline wash 4 times each day- which I hate doing.
I have to use 2 different types of nasal drops.
I have been given another drug to help control my allergies.

I hope the surgery and all the other troubles that come with it are worth it.
Hopefully the polyps don't come back.

I hate washing my sinuses.
My sinuses hurt a little.
Is that normal?
I think I should call my ENT and ask.
I don't care if she thinks I am complaining too much.
Tomorrow, I will call her.
Hopefully she will be able to give me a solution.

Blur Eyes

Recently, I began to notice that my vision is slightly blur.
It wasn't a gradual kind of thing, one day I could see things clearly, the next day, it was like I forgot to put on my spectacles.
I was (and am) very sad.
In case you didn't know, I did LASIK for my eyes just 7 months ago.

At first I thought that maybe it's just a passing thing, maybe I was just tired (I noticed the blurness on a day that I was oncall).
But then, the blurring of vision persisted even after long hours of sleep.

Since I am on leave right now, I decided to go for an eye check up today.
At first, I thought of just going straight to Optimax Taman Tun - do the checkup and if necessary, the enhancement straight away.
So, I called Optimax Taman Tun.

The receptionists in Optimax have always been very polite, nice people.
Even cousin Nila has mentioned it previously.
I was shocked today when the lady who answered the phone was quite rude.
She didn't really say anything rude, but the way she spoke was enough to make you wonder whether or not she was having PMS.
I wonder what happened to their friendly staff.

At one point, she told me that it won't be possible to do the enhancement tomorrow because they do upkeep of the equipments on Wednesday.
Then I asked her whether or not it would be possible to do the assessment in Seremban.
She then gave me the Seremban Optimax number.
I wanted to ask her more about the check up, but she cut me short and just put down the phone.
What the ....?!

I then called Optimax Seremban and got an appointment with them for today (they were very friendly and nice).
The eye assessment showed that my eyes indeed have a power of 75 and 50.
They said I could go for an enhancement, but then the doctor who did my eyes is not around for now, so I will have to get an appointment for later.

So sad.
The fact that I have to do my eyes again.
And the fact that I can't do it this week.
I will have to take leave again for the enhancement.
Maybe next month.

*Sigh*
Why can't my eyes behave.
It's not like I watch TV or use the computer that much..
*Sigh*

The Worst Chicken Rice In Malaysia

Today my Dad and I drove back from Ipoh to Seremban.
We stopped for lunch in Tapah rest area.

Now, if there was one thing the Tapah rest area is famous for - it's their toilets.
The toilets are HUGE and clean (a rare find in Malaysia).
They even have benches and trees and fans inside the toilets.

However, today I was really disappointed with the food court.
I wanted to eat chicken rice.
There were 2 shops selling chicken rice - Dad bought the one from A*** shop.
The chicken rice was the worst chicken rice I've ever had in my entire life!!

The rice was sticky and tasteless.
The chicken was tasteless.
The amount given was small - which is actually a blessing considering the torture we went through trying to finish the food.
And if that wasn't enough, there were flies everywhere!

What an experience!
My Dad and I ended up buying donuts to satisfy our taste buds.

If you ever decide to stop at the Tapah rest area for lunch, I advise you to not buy chicken rice from A*** shop.
Some things are just not worth the experience.

At The Beginning Again

I can't believe it's been 4 months since I started working.
Time just passed by so fast.

Today was my last day at work in Paeds Ipoh.
In a way, I am sad.
I am going to miss all the staff nurses, the MOs, the specialists, the housemen and (although I can't believe I am saying this) the babies.
Some of the MOs are really nice, and some of the specialists make me feel so protected - like I can depend on them; will it be the same in the new department?

No more cute patients.
No more pm off when I am postcall.
From now on, it's all about fractures and dislocations and surgeries and OTs.

I don't know why I am feeling this way - it's like I am going to move to a new place alltogether.
Of course some of my friends will be changing departments just like me, but the MOs and specialists and staffnurses will be totally different.
I have to adjust all over again, make friends all over again - something I am really bad at doing.

Do I like paeds?
I don't know.
Do I hate paeds?
No.
Will I specialize in paeds?
I don't know.

Next department - Ortho.
I don't know anything about Ortho.
It's like learning a whole new language.
I would probably be tagging for a week - a week to learn whatever there is to learn about Ortho. A week to prove myself worthy enough to do calls.
In a week, I must be able to manage Ortho cases by myself.
How am I ever going to do that?!

I am afraid.
Afraid I won't be able to cope.
Expectations will be a bit higher now since I am considered a 2nd poster.
I am afraid.

I am going to miss paeds.
I am already missing paeds.
I am moving out of my comfort zone...

A Full Day

What a day!

It started out normal enough.

Woke up just in time to rush for work.

Was lucky enough to get parking in the staff parking - the trick is to go late enough so that you arrive when the nurses have finished their shift. Either that or you go to work before 7am.

Started reviewing patients.

MO came for rounds.

Had breakfast with Ruz and Sunny.

Specialist came for rounds.

Chat with Sunny.

Finish up ward work.

Lunch.

Had a few admissions - the normal TTN, NNJ; pm review and rounds.

And then, there was one admission - day 3 of life, term baby with worsening abdominal distension, not tolerating feeding well, vomiting post feed twice, no BO within first 24 hours of life. TRO bowel obstruction. AXR showed dilated bowels and paucity of gas in the rectum. The most interesting case of the day!! We referred the child to surgical - can't wait to go back to work tomorrow to see what happened (since the AXR came back only at 5pm).

5.30pm - left the hospital with Joanne. Me and her had plans to go out last week, but with all the crazy intenet/computer thing going on, we finally went out only today.

We went to this boutique - bought a blouse for RM18!! And, it is quite a nice one. At first I thought it was RM35 and was going to buy it - imagine my surprise when the lady told us it is 50% off!! I am DEFINITELY going back to that shop again!

After that, we went to Ayamas for dinner.

Then, we saw another boutique and decided to just browse through. We tried on a blouse each, but didn't really like what we saw.

I never thought such a thing could happen, but after a few minutes, the lady in the shop told us, 'I am sorry, we are going to close'. What the @%&$*!

Since we didn't really feel like going back to the hostel yet and since we guessed that most of the boutiques would be closed by then (8pm), we decided to go to Jusco and meet up with KV there.

I entered Jusco and what do I see, a flower fest kind of thing.

Here's the thing.
My dad loves orchids.
And the first thing I saw there were orchids.
Do I have a choice?
I ended up buying one.
It sounds dumb, but I actually asked the shop guy how much water I should pour for the orchid - his answer - it's hard to tell; how do you tell a person how much water to drink.
Well, it doesn't matter.
I just have to make sure the plant survives till Thursday - that's just 2 days more. If I can't even do that....

We left Jusco at about 10pm to go to a nearby pasar malam.
KV kept insisting that it would be closed, but Joanne and I said otherwise.
It was open.

It's the first time I am going to a Chinese pasar malam.
I have never really gone to the pasar malam in Seremban.
The pasar malam I love and miss and am used to is the one in Kemaman (I miss the coconut shake!!), and obviously it is a malay pasar malam. So, this was definitely a new experience.

Anyway, this pasar malam is basically full of chinese food, chinese drinks, chinese clothes, chinese accessories and chinese people. Not that I have a problem with it.
My first purchase - sugarcane drink!
Then, I bought dim sum.
Then, I had fish fillet.
Then, Joanne bought chinese sausage (I think that is what it is called). I really have no idea what meat it is - I know it is not beef - but it was yummy!! They had many different flavours, and she chose the super spicy one - I really can't describe the taste; yummy is the only word I can think. It was sweet, and spicy and hot and.... yummy.

We decided that we will definitely go back to that pasar malam one day, with empty stomachs and buy all the fried stuff and junk food and just walk around browsing.
Soon.
Maybe in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, right now, I am sleepy.
Sleepier than yesterday, which is weird, cos I was postcall yesterday.

Anyway, tomorrow is my last day in Paeds Ipoh as a Houseman.
I am on leave from Thursday onwards.
I am supposed to start Orthopedics on the 9th, but have taken a few days leave and am going to start on the 13th.
Long leave...I can't wait!!
Now, time to sleep..good night! Sweet dreams everyone!

It's a very empty, unpurposeful post, I know.
But I am sleepy, so I am forgiven.
And I really wanted to share my experience.
So, it's OK. :P