Goodbye 2011

It's 31st Dec 2011 which marks the end of year 2011. Welcome to the year of the Dragon, 2012. This year has been such a wonderful year for me for many reasons. Thank God for everything, for His guidance and help through this journey of life. 

December is always my favorite month of the year, mainly because I can go back to my hometown and spend Christmas time together with my family. Even so, time seems to be very short as I am going to end my stay here very soon. How I wished I can stay longer.... but due to work commitment this has not been possible... But this is a fact of life when you choose to work far from home to earn a living.

Whatever it is, I still have another day to go... I will make sure I spend it wisely with my wife and family... As the clock ticking, I wana take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year 2012!! :) God Bless Us!

Proceed on: "Goodbye 2011"

Dragon Boat Competition 2011

Nxt week will be the Singapore River Regatta 2011 aka Dragon Boat competition which is held annually. My company will be sending one team to compete in the corporate category. Our team consist of 10 paddlers. Today I just got my new paddle :)

This will be my first experience joining the dragon boat competition after about 7 months of training with my team. I have been assigned to several position as a paddler, be it at the center as an 'Engine', at the front line as a 'Pacer' and lastly, change to the back as a back paddler. So during the competition, I will be at the back position, and a back up for pacer in case there is a need to do so.


Well, there is some criteria on how the paddlers is being positioned on the boat. Weight and strength of paddles must be taken into consideration: 

The front six paddlers set the pace and should be reserved for paddlers with good long paddling strokes. The rest of the boat needs something visual to follow. The rest of the boat will have short choppy stroke if the front has short choppy strokes.

The middle eight or the "engine room" is usually reserved for the heavier, stronger paddlers. During the middle of the race the engine room dictates the pace. The stroke rate of the crew is usually determine by the engine room. The stroke rate is not too fast as long as the big engine room paddlers can twist and reach. Once the engine room paddlers start shortening up on their stroke, you know the pace is getting too fast.

The back six paddlers of the boat should have the strongest people in the boat. It is not uncommon for a novice crew to setup the boat with weaker paddlers who get out of stroke. For an intermediate crew or an advanced crew this would be a missed opportunity. A series which is a sequence of more powerful strokes meant to advance the boat and is initiated by the back six paddlers and ripples to the front of the boat.

Reference: http://blog.paddlingcoach.com/dragon-boat-setting-up-crew-positions


So, memandangkan sia nih back paddlers, maka paham paham sajalah.... keke Proceed on: "Dragon Boat Competition 2011"

PR

Today I just get the result of my PR application. It was unsuccessful. There is no reason stated. But it's okay. At least I can move on to my next plan after about 4 months on the crossroad just to wait for the outcome. So, what should be next? :)

I just changed my phone and got myself a Samsung Galaxy S2. I really like it a lot because the screen is bigger and processing is much faster. I had been playing around for a week, and I still interested to explore more. Anyhow, speaker and battery life are better for IP4 compare to S2. BTW, S2 is much easier and fun to operate.

I had done a big mistake by violating one of my company policy. I was called by HR for explanations, and they have to bring the case to be discussed further to determine what course of action should be taken against me. I just hope the worst is not going to happen such as immediate service termination. I was lawfully wrong, but my intention is good. Its all about contributing to the company and no any other intention. I pray hard so that I deserve a second chance. I've learned my lesson....

Proceed on: "PR"

Flying

It's 11:51pm now. Finally I managed to finish up my work. Did I said work? Yes, work. I brought my office work at home to be completed during Hari Raya Haji holiday. Why? Because I didn't wana stay back last friday. I wana go back home and was already in a holiday mood. So, here I am doing it back in the comfort of my own room listening to Lite FM. Siap suda... kotoh. Bisuk mau present.

It is now in the month of Nov. I am so looking forward for month of Dec because I want to go back home for Christmas. Im always looking forward to go back for Christmas. Even though I know that I will be spending money like a rich CEO, but it's nothing comparable with the time I got to spend with my family. Huh, now I've start thinking about how short my holiday is. Sigh...

Next year will be an exciting yet a challenging year for me. Exciting because I am gonna be a father. Challenging because it comes with greater responsibility as well. Things and priority seems to be changing with time. That goes the same with my plan as well. What seems to be sure before tends to be the otherwise now. As an instance, last time I think moving to JB is the right thing... now I tend to find a way remain in SG. But of course, either way I choose, there will be a price to pay. Maybe I am once again in the cross roads. But in the end, what the best for my family are things that really matter.

I know my parents are concern about me and how I am going to settle down with my family here. My mother as an example keep on telling me not to be afraid. Well, I never said that I am worried about my future because some how I know about what I am going to do. Its not that i don't have plans, but just waitingt for positive signs before really making a final move on it. The rest of it, I will just surrender to God. Maybe she sees it in different way because I always complaints about how pricey it is to afford a house in SG.

At the same time, my dad is trying to offer a solution. A solution that will never be agreed to my wife - which is to leave our baby at home while we are working abroad. hehe. When I said that will not be possible, he tells my brother about how I am going to deal with this... I can just smile when he said "Inda juga kami kasi sembrana anak kau bah" .... Well, that is not my main point though.... Funny isnt it?

I am trying to make an effort to visit a gym 3 times a week. But most of the time I managed to go only twice a week. Main reason is laziness. Lazy to travel and lazy to go alone. But I keep on reminding myself, that I will go out of shape if I dont maintain myself. Some more my work is just sitting and looking at the computer most of the time, and tendency to get stress is high. So, basically I am idling most of the time, and too much of idling is not good.

I think it is very important to keep on good shape. Apart from staying healthy,  it gives me more confidence and better self esteem. Tidak lah urg cakap nnt asal kawin jadi boroi.... taulah sia rambut sia makin kurang but apa yg buli dikawal and diperbaiki haruslah diperbaiki, kon ni? keke... My wife has been emphasizing on the importance of grooming and helping me on putting a face mask twice a week. Now I started to use a bb cream daily as well to keep my skin moisturized, protection form UV, better complexion etc. Paastu sia start pakai oil control towelettes suda utk wipe excess sebum drp muka sia yg berminyak ni... semua ni sia beli dr Lab Series. Biasalah kontemporary.

Memandangkan cita cita sia mau jadi pilot inda tercapai, dan course utk belajar pun mahal and sia pun inda tau buli tercapai ka inda... maka sia ambik jalan singkat.... sia mau kasi terbang kapal terbang secara simulasi di sana orchard. Nnt lepas sia siap, sia kasi share video sia kasi terbang Airbus di orchard k.... bagi yg berminat bulilah berkunjung ke laman web dibawah utk lebih detail....

http://www.sgflightsimulations.com.sg/

Proceed on: "Flying"

Saturday Oct 1st

Sebetulnya sia plan mau pindah rumah pada hari ini.... tetapi hari khamis lalu, itu owner baru kasi sms sia n bagitau yg rumah dia belum ready... dia cakap ada legal suit dari bank...and dia perlu masa 3 minggu untuk settle everything to be able to rent the house again... sia pun mcm apa lagi... kenapa telampau short notis juga ko mau bagi? mcm mana sia mau cari rumah within 3 hari?

So I called my current landlord, asking him whether he has another empty room to be rented as the current one we stayed has already taken by other tenant which will start moving the day we want to move out - Today. We were lucky because he still has another common room available. Now we will have to adjust a bit, since we are no longer staying in a master room. Tida apa lah... calm down.... bukan lama pun. Sebulan saja. Sementara itu, sia beli tampui sajalah... manatau mau kencing malam malam.

Banyak keputusan yg sia buat dalam hidup, yg kadang2 sia tertanya tanya, betul kah nih keputusan yg sia buat? Contohnya dalam keputusan mau tukar kerja.... sia terfikir mcm mana klau keadaan di sana makin teruk? mcm mana kalau sia inda dapat buat kerja dia dengan baik? mcm mana kalau org2 dia sucks? sia terfikir adakah sia ni jenis urg yg inda tau bersyukur? tapi bila sia pikir balik, sia mana tau jawapan dia... maka yg sia buli buat adalah bedoa saja supaya kalau ok maka Tuhan tolong kasi success lah... kalau inda ok, maka kasi fail lah :). 

Tapi actually cara yg paling baik mau tau keputusan yg ko ambik ok atau tidak adalah merenung masa lampau... ko cakap sama diri ko sendiri... kalau dulu sa inda begini, mesti skrg hidup sa inda begini... pastu kau reflek lah sendiri sama ada kptsn yg kau ambik tuh ok atau tidak.... yg pasti, mesti ko realize, apa yg berlaku dulu ada reasonnya... Tuhan itu wise.... tau apa yg terbaik untuk ko kalau ko berharap kepada-Nya.

When I think about my beloved COUNTRY - Sabah, I tend to get angry. I hate those so called leaders whom have no vision and mission towards their responsibility to bring Sabah and its people for the better. The cries of the sabahan people seems to be falling on deaf ear... there are so many issues concerned.... about illegal immigrants, high cost of living, poor infrastructure, poor job market, poor ppl etc.... but nothing has been done to address or to contain this problem... kalau ada pun hangat2 tahi ayam saja. How I wished those corrupt ppl rot in hell for the evil things they have done.

I just hope something is going to happen in the coming election. I dont know whether the Sabahan ppl really dont wana change which I doubt it, or its because of the dirty work of the government and the SPR who assisting in providing free IC to those illegal immigrant in exchange for their votes. Celakalah org yg berbuat demikian. Celakalah pemimpin Sabah yg diamanahkan untuk bekerja untuk rakyatnya kalau dorang inda buat apa apa and just duduk terima gaji, belanja sana sini... happy happy.... sampai masa kamu terima balasan juga tuh.

Proceed on: "Saturday Oct 1st"

Ganjil....

Selama setahun sia kerja sini, mcm mcm gaya and tabiat yg sia nampak.... kadang kadang sia befikir sendiri, kenapalah mesti durang betabiat mcm tuh? Contohnya di tempat kerja sia, kekiasuan orang dia sangatlah hebat... langsung tidak mau kalah wpun kedapatan salah dan budu masih mau menegakkan benang durang yg sudah terlondeh.... heran sia... belum pernah sia mengalami ni keadaan mcm ni... baru di sini.... yg sia heran kan, sifat cemburu di kalangan teman seoffice sangat kuat.... tinggi pangkat sikit - cemburu! Tapi sia tingu tingu, urg yg pandai cemburu nih, durang tidak kemana.... di sana dia start, di sana juga dia end... yg org baru datang tiba tiba pangkat tinggi, tu lah durang mau cemburu... coz durang puluhan tahun masi tinggal di bawah keladi.

Dalam ketinggian hati durang, sia dapat sense yg durang ni sebenarnya penakut... takut sama bayang bayang sendiri... takut kelihatan budu sebab buat salah walhal urg tidak anggap durang budu pun... sendiri buat assumption.... satu lagi sifat durjana yg sia paling tidak suka.... durang suka nampak ko kedapatan salah... durang suka kalau ko malu sebab dibuktikan ko salah... wpun its just TYPO ERROR yg durang berjaya buktikan... durang sangat bangga... heran kan ada manusia mcm ni?? but as i said, yg begini punya urg, mana dia start di sana dia end... xda apa yg dapat dibanggakan sama durang...

Kedua lagi tabiat yg sia inda suka generally, kalau naik bas kan, kebanyakkan ni manusia sini tidak suka duduk di tempat duduk sebelah dalam.... kalau ada 2 kerusi kosong, durang akan duduk di sebelah luar... so biasanya, sebelah dalam tuh kosong saja.... dalam hati sia, susah sangat kah mau keluar kalau kau dudk sebelah dalam? org yg di sebelah luar buli bagi jalan bah kalau ko mau keluar.... kadang kadang mcm sia mau bg penampar sama durang nih....

Ketiga, kalau dalam bas, belum sampai destinasi lagi semua sudah prepare bediri ready mau keluar....dalam pikiran sia, gila ka durang nih? pandai lari kah tuh pintu bas? dapat sijil dekan kah durang kalau numbur satu turun dr bas? yg lebih mengherankan  lagi... org2 tua yg suda teda tulang pun masih mau take the effort utk bediri awal bah... bukan apa, kamurang tau lah kan, kalau bas tuh mau berenti dia pandai brek brek jadi ko akan terhuyung hayang... bukan secara logik better kah kau duduk sampai bus berhenti? kau senang, saya pun senang... yg paling sia rasa mau tuang pakai air panas kan is, sudah lah sesak ramai urg bediri, yg si duduk ni mau juga paksa bediri even so no space untuk dia bediri coz crowded... eh sia bilang.....  sudah senang mau cari susah.....

Ini yg negatif lah... ada juga bah yg positif... tapi malas sia mau tulis... sebab mau tulis pun bukan naik gaji sia juga.

Proceed on: "Ganjil...."

Week 15

Gambar anak sia pada minggu ke 15:

Guess, boy or girl?

Proceed on: "Week 15"

Preggy Photo

This is my wife at 14 weeks of pregnancy. The belly is growing bigger and bigger and we think of taking a pregnancy photo from time to time so we can see the progress. This photo is taken inside our room using our NEX 5 camera.. The background is actually just a huge window which was bright during the day. I really like the result and maybe next time I can try another location as well.

This month will be the last month for us to stay in this condo. After 6 months staying here, I would say it is a wonderful place to stay, cozy and peaceful (Except for some noises made by other ppl). We will be moving to another condo which is cheaper compare to this one. The new one has no big window, but at least it is still a comfortable place to stay, no owner, less ppl stay inside and the most important thing, have swimming pool. We decided to move because we want to save more for the newcomer into our family :) - and not so practical for me to pay $1500 alone when my wife going back to Sabah in Dec.

Proceed on: "Preggy Photo"

Week 11

My baby is now 11 weeks old and almost fully formed. Another one more week then the first trimester is over. The arm and leg is now visible. At this age, the head is bigger than the body. Heart beat rate is about 150bpm. 


This is the 3rd follow up with the gynae. Recommended supplement to be taken during this stage is calcium, iron and fish oil which is needed to support the baby early development. Stretch mark lotions also available if you are concern about it.


This is how the baby look like from the UT scan image. Whether it's a boy or girl, we only be able to know during the 4-5 months of pregnancy :)

Proceed on: "Week 11"

Orang Utan

I went to Sepilok, Sandakan Sabah 4 months ago. It was my first time visiting the Orang Utan rehabilitation center. My wife always wanting me to pay a visit to this wonderful place while she was still working there, but due to distance and time constraint, I never had a chance to do so.... As an ex-resident veterinarian there, she knew the place and the people very well, thus made it easier for us to go around.

And, I have a chance to do hold a baby Orang Utan, an experience that many people are longing to have. This small creature is cute and friendly..... I learned that they are one of many endangered species, thus need to be protected and to be given a rights to live freely in the wilderness :).

Proceed on: "Orang Utan"

A house

I think a lot lately. Planning on how to make 'life transition' as smooth as possible. I am looking for a window on when to move out to JB. Lotsa things to be considered. Sometimes I just feel like delaying things. But I know deep in my heart, I will be in trouble if I don't prepare.

Whether I should buy first or rent is another question to deal with. When I look at the newly develop property with good location, most of it will only complete within 2013-2015 period... it is 2-4 years from now.. I am I still be working in Singapore afterwards? Well, my plan as for now is not more than 5 years. But who knows what happen in future right?

What about renting? Well, there are lots of condos and landed house out there ready for rent, but what is the purpose of renting a house if you can buy? Or should I rent first for few months or a year to have a feel about everything then only deciding whether to buy or not? At this time, I think this is the most 'nice' decision to take.

I suddenly feel like eating Penang Laksa. I think it's already more than 5 years since the last time I tasted it. I must be influenced by my wife who keep on saying that she wants it too. I don't wana think of buying a flight ticket to Penang just to eat laksa :). So, I surfed on the net and managed to find some shops in SG which many have claimed to have laksa as genuine as Penang laksa. Should go there next week and hope it really taste as good as penang laksa - and of course without the prawn pastes!

Proceed on: "A house"

Saja Saja

 

Ini adalah pokok limau yg wife sia beli.... sia pun tidak paham kenapa dia mau beli ni pokok, tapi dia bilang dia suka sebab cute konon sebab kecik tapi ada buah sudah.... hari hari dia siram ni pokok. Sia rasa ni pokok sangat gembira sebab kana sayang... makin banyak dia bebuah. Oh, lupa sia membagi tau, nama ni pokok adalah En. Limau... 

Ini salah satu daripada buah si En Limau...yg 3 bijik kecik tuh berasal dari bunga putih... lama lama dia pandai jadi buah pulak.... sia sudah makan ni limau hari tuh satu biji bikin jadi sos ikan pari bakar sia... sedap! hehe

Salah satu feature kamera wife sia adalah dia pandai tangkap gambar berdasarkan color... so satu hari tuh sia kasi set utk tangkap gambar hijau, maka ini lah kejadian pemandangan luar rumah sia.... semua black n white kecuali yg berwarna hijau saja ditonjolkan...

Yg ini pula sia ambik color merah saja....

Yg ini sia ambik with high shutter speed....

Yg ini pula sa ambik guna 'Toy Camera Setting'... dia kasi shaded dikeliling and pronounce color. Inilah aktiviti sia sejak sia menghadiri itu workshop... ada ada saja sia rasa mau gambar....

Proceed on: "Saja Saja"

To make past become present....

This is the view taken from my room window. Not much you can see though other than the MRT track, Seagate company and the HDB flat surrounding. I purposely captured this view so next time it can remind me of the past, the work & life I had in Singapore... This is also serve to remind me that my baby is made in Singapore as well :). I know I will not be staying forever in Singapore, but at least I have some sweet memory which I will treasure for the rest of my life....

Proceed on: "To make past become present...."

Sony Digital Workshop Course

I attended the workshop last Sunday since my wife cannot make it. It's a complimentary one and I thought why not? who knows I can learn something useful about taking picture  :). Overall, the course was very informative. I get to know many features about the camera I am currently using and how to make use of the Aperture, Iso & shutter speed to get the right exposure. 

I need to teach my wife everything I know before I forget it. I am not really interested in photography and things like that so I just worry that I might forget all that I had learn in the workshop. All in all, I think photography is about how you choose the right exposure combined with your passion. It's also about creativity, imagination and about how you think the scene suppose to be captured to give you the outcome as you already have in mind.

So, not all ppl can produce great photos especially if they do not have passion in photography like me. That's why most camera have automatic function.

Proceed on: "Sony Digital Workshop Course"

Little Heart Beats

Had a second ultrasound last Saturday. The doctor said our baby is growing fast and everything is fine and healthy. It is now a fetus and has grown from 0.42 cm to 1.08 cm in just two weeks. The doctor showed us the heartbeat and amplify it so we can listen to it. It's very exciting to be able to listen to our baby's heart beat and we can't wait for another check up which will be in a month time from now.

Proceed on: "Little Heart Beats"

My next plan

I am planning for my next plan. My baby is coming, means I need a house, I mean the whole house on my own. Not only a house, I should think about who is going to take care of my baby while my wife and I are working. These 2 things are lingering inside my mind. My original plan is to rent a HDB unit here at the cost of 1500-1700 dollars. I tried to contact several agents but they never come back. It might be due to difficulties to find one with such a budget for 2 bedroom HDB. Most of HDB now comes with 3 rooms (minimum) and they cost about 2K. Then I was thinking about sharing with my friend, but we are not working at the same place. So, another location problem.

My second plan is to stay in JB. This seems to be working but my wife have to work in JB, because it will be very troublesome for her to travel by public transport everyday looking at the distance of her workplace from the checkpoint. I will not have the same problem since my workplace is just next to the checkpoint and the company provided bus for their employees. I asked her opinion and she says she prefers to work in  SG.

Hmm... quite complicated huh? I am now exploring the 3rd option which is buying a house in JB and a 2nd hand SG registered car. This seems to solve the transportation problem but I need to work out some calculation whether it would be an economically good option or not. The good thing is we can ask our parent to stay with us to help taking care of the baby, without having to worry on the immigration issues as if staying in SG.

I am gonna submit my PR application next week, and if it got approved, I will have less problem to think about. So, lets hope for the best and hopefully everything will be alright.

Proceed on: "My next plan"

First Baby Sneak Peek

We went to the see the Gynecologist for check up today and the doctor said everything is healthy and schedule another follow up 2 weeks later. By that time he said we should be able to see the heart beat already.

The dark spot is the gestational sac with the size about 0.42cm. Still small yet visible :). It's about 5 weeks and 1 day old and the estimate date of delivery is 9 Mac 2012.

It was my first experience going to the gyne with my wife. When my wife called in, I went together with her to "KEPO-KEPO". The nurse asked my wife to go into the ultrasound room, and pointed me a large screen where I can see the ultrasound image.


It took less than 10 minutes for the whole process, and the doctor confirmed the pregnancy. The nurse provided the printout immediately before I even asked for it.

Proceed on: "First Baby Sneak Peek"

Wedding Video

It's already 7 months after  my wedding and yet I still have not receive a copy of my wedding video DVD even after the full payment has been made right after the wedding is over. I really surprise that I can tolerate with this delay. Maybe I am a bit soft on this since I like his work and I try my best to understand his situation with his busy schedule.

But the most irritating thing is he keeps on giving dates but end up nothing. If 2-3 months delay is still acceptable but 7 months? Just because I am no longer a potential customer for him doesn't mean he can be a total ignorance about his responsibility. This is unacceptable!

I've just sent another SMS requesting him to send the video next week or return my money back. He replied he will sent it right by next week and apologized. Not that I don't want to accept his apology, but deep in my heart, I still in doubt whether he can fulfill his promise after so many broken one. We wait and see.

Proceed on: "Wedding Video"

A Date To Remember

It was 5am in the morning. I was half-awake from the sound of my wife going to the washroom. I wasn't bother as I was very sleepy and the thought of going to work really made me wanting to stay on bed longer. Shortly after that my wife woke me up and pulled me to the bathroom to show me something anxiously.

I thought something bad had happened. I was really clueless about what she wanted to show and all sort of terrible things came across my mind. With eyes half opened, my wife pointed to something familiar.... A Pregnancy Test Kit she had just used without my knowledge!.

I cannot describe my feeling that time, but I am thankful and relieved because it means nothing bad happened. Shortly after that, my anxious and worry turned into excitement. Thats mean I am going to be a daddy soon. I am more than a happy man!

It reminded me about my dream last Saturday holding my own kid. But I don't remember exactly whether it's a boy or girl. The feeling is strange yet soothing and comforting. I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life :)

Proceed on: "A Date To Remember"

PR

I plan to apply for a PR in Singapore for its long term benefits. I downloaded the form one month ago, but up to now I haven't finished filling it. It's not because I am lazy to do so but I hardly find time to do it. Some more it's a bit tedious as a lot of questions need to be answered + providing all the details that I've already forgotten.

Applying to become a PR is not that easy nowadays eapecially after lots of complaints regarding the huge influx of foreign workers to Singapore. The local  ppl here are not happy about it for many reasons. I do not know what the gov stand about this issue but I believe they will want to be more careful on it as this is one of the key issues addressed during the election.

But I believe the situation today is not due to the gov ignorance by allowing such a huge number of foreign workers  rather than they need them. The demand is there, as simple as that. Proceed on: "PR"

My new sunglasses

I bought myself a new sport sunglasses specifically for my paddling activity. I was in the dilemma to choose between the one with hydrophobic feature or without one. I like the latter in terms of color combination and because of the matte coating frame. After quite some time of thoughts and crazy-mixed feelings, eventually I made my choice:

Proceed on: "My new sunglasses"

Happenings....

1. I am tired. Tired of my endless work at office. I don't have enough time for myself. A day seems very fast to end. But I realized, this is something I must accept, something I have to walk through... because this is the path I've chosen. I have no regret.

2. I am trying to balance out my life between work and leisure. I forced myself to make time for gym or running. I joined dragon boat training to represent my company for a competition in Nov. It's part of my effort to stay healthy and alive + It's really fun and challenging

3. I gained 6kg. Thanks to my lovely wife who cook more than what I can afford everyday. Never-mind, I prefer my wife cooking than the outside food. Singapore's local delicacies is boring to me.

4. Nokoitom oku no sebab teda kerita and actively enjoys my new outdoor hobby - paddling! I swim often too!

5. My work environment has improved, but still I am not satisfied with my own capability. I am half capable :)

6. I need a break! I always wanted to go to Japan.... to the village where all the beautiful trees and rivers are... :) Proceed on: "Happenings...."

Things to look forward

I started running when I was diagnosed with high cholesterol level in 2007. I was so worried about my health and the possibility of getting heart attack. So, I thought that starting doing something about it will help to improve my fitness and health since I almost cannot do anything about my eating habit. I just love to eat, and I want to stay that way.

After some time, I realize that running can be more interesting if I have something to achieve. So, I decided to participate in some running events and got to measure my own pace and capability. So, running is now a kind of  leisure activity for me and I am having fun doing it.

I am thinking of diversifying my outdoor activity. What I have in mind now are wind surfing, dragon boat and wall climbing. I think I will go for water sport which is dragon boating as my company needs a team to participate in the competition somewhere in November. Extensive weekly training will be starting in April onwards and the only thing I have to prepare is a paddle. So why not take this opportunity? I am so looking forward for this.... So, I might skip PBIM 2011 this year :)

Proceed on: "Things to look forward"

Friendship

The word "Friendship" has a very deep meaning for me. I have many friends everywhere, which most of  them are so called a Facebook friends. But the one I called a closed one are just a few, to be exact only 3 of them for the past 29 years I have been living in this world :).

There are many differences between my common friends and a true friends. I can be completely honest, true and trust my close friends. I don't bother sharing my weaknesses or anything personal with them because they don't judge, but giving support and opinions, and in the end, they wanted the best for me.

With my closed friends, I don't expect them to return in favor whatever things I have done for them. It's a pure mutual understanding and acceptance that I tend to treat them better than others. Apart from that, I don't get hurt easily for some mistakes or wrongdoing committed by my best friends compare to the others.

What differ my best friends and the other acquaintances is that I have no emotional feeling for the latter. But I do have emotional feeling for my best friends. When I left my best friends for a reason, instead of not wanting me to go, the chose to support me because they wanted the best for me. And its exactly the same with me, to let my best friend go without showing any sadness and giving gestures that I will be ok without them around.

But as soon as I realized that they are no longer around, I felt a strong sense of loneliness and emptiness and boredom. Sometimes I just wondering, why I keep on losing  my best friends. But if this is what life is going to give me, I have to accept it and keep moving on. I just hope one day I can meet them and have them around me together with my family, if that's not too demanding :)

Till then, I just hope the best for them, and will surely remember them to my prayer.

(Jadi bertuah betul urg yg jadi kawan baik sia, sebab sia inda lupa pray untuk durang every Sunday mass regardless of their belief) - Pengajarannya, jadilah kawan baik sia.... hehe

Proceed on: "Friendship"

My Dad

January'11 seems to be a tough one for me and my family. My dad has been hospitalized since last Tuesday due to Pneumonia. We pray so that his body will respond well with the treatment and so that he will recover soon. I never thought that he will ever have this illness because he seldom falling sick. It started with a normal flu, but he ignored it. His conditioned worsened and he started to have continuous fever and refused food. He became very weak and hardly talk or responds verbally. 

We decided to have him admitted to the hospital and thanks to God, his condition is improving but still need to undergo several tests and treatment since he still have fever. The doctor said that he need to change his antibiotic to specifically kill the bacteria which has infected his blood/lung. Our prayer be always with him and my family even though me and wife are not there due to distance and working commitment.

In the meantime, I am happy and grateful to God for answering my prayer, so that my dad will be baptized one day. Yesterday at 1pm, he was baptized and was given a christian name as Abel. May God bless all of us and protect us from any evil.

Proceed on: "My Dad"

My Ear

I still remember my first ear infection happened about 2 years ago when I was still working in KL. I went to SJMC to get it fixed by a mid-aged doctor, whom I think is a good one because he knew that I had a similar infection during my childhood. He explained properly what is wrong with my ear, about how abnormal my eardrum look like (slightly pushed down or retracted) and about a possible infection in future. (This cost me almost RM 300)

After that, I had a slight hearing loss due to flu. But after fully recovered, I still experienced slight block in my left ear. I went back to the same doctor, and he suggested me to perform audiology test. The test came out to be OK.. just a mild hearing loss. He checked my ear, and both was in a good condition. Of course my ear drum still stay the same lah (Retracted). (This cost me RM 200++)

Then the third infection happened when I was in Penang. My friend (Frankie) suggested me to go to Lam Wah Ee Hospital but I end up went to Pantai Hospital. (My reason was because I have no confident with with Lam Wah Ee). This is just my personal opinion though. If you asked me why I have no confidence, I will say it because of the webpage and the hospital name itself which is not appealing. So, I linked them to their expertise. haha... I know I made a poor judgement and unfair, but that is how I look at things at the first place. I hope nobody will come after to sue me. You can think which one is better for you... The choice is all yours.

Back to Pantai Hospital, the ENT consultant mentioned about my blocked ear was due to excessive wax. There was no infection at all. Just waxes. I asked her (even though I knew it) why such thing can happened? She said I had an abnormal ear drum. My ear will easily collecting dirt and the same problem might happen again in future. I told her that when I blow my nose, sometimes I can feel an air flow coming out of my ear. I think she laughed. So, I left and it feels better except the buzzing sound (Tinnitus) still continues. But it happened once in a while only. (This cost me around RM150)

Then the problem came up again right after the Penang Bridge Marathon last year. I guess the water had got into my ears and stuck in there as it was raining heavily during the marathon. It started to produce foul-smell and slight pain around my neck area and head. I thought that it must be due to excessive wax and infection. I almost sure. Then I went to see the ENT in Damai Specialist, KK.

The consultant was not friendly. He asked me to turn my chair left and right to get my ear checked. After that he asked me to lie down and use his 'table light' to check my ear (It looks like a reading light though so dont blame me). What the heck, I thought they should have their special chair to perform the procedures. What is the purpose of paying so damn expensive if they don't have the best equipment at hand? I told him my problematic ear is at the left side and could be due to excessive wax... He said, ohh well, ur right ear even worse!

I try to share with him my past experience with other ENTs and what the problem might be alike... and he was giving me a smile like "Oh really? dont bluff me u r not a doctor".... then straight away asking me to perform audiology check after he cleans up the waxes. I asked him whether any sign of infection or not, and he said no.... he was very sure of his own opinion and not asking me what had I feel about it? The pain and foul-smell was still there when I left the clinic. (This has cost me RM 140)

I went for the audiology test and as I expected, the result shows that I have a mild hearing lost. So, thank you for wasting my RM50 to do this test. So, I started to think that this ENT was wrong about me. So I wanted a second opinion. I went to the other ENT consultant at SMC a few days later.

This ENT seems good. He talked a lot, gave good information about what have went wrong. Checked and snap a photo to compare my ear drum with a normal one. Checked my Eustachian tube which he concluded to be ok. He advised me that I should do regular check up to prevent the problem from happening again. He said my condition now does not require operation. It's called Adhesive Otitis Media with retraction pocket and told me that this could lead to Cholesteatoma which will definitly need a surgery if not being taking care off well.

I told him that my ear is still painful and somehow have yellow discharge especially early in the morning. He said, "Oh it might be due to flu just continue the flu medication you are having right now. There was no discharge". I am relieved but still puzzled why my ear was still painful. But, I just wana live with it since these two ENTs already confirmed that nothing serious with my ear. I took my own effort to buy an antibiotic eardrop and put it inside my ear. Surprisingly, the foul-smelly thing has gone. (They charge me RM 220)

After arriving in Singapore, my flu has completely recovered. But then I still feel slight discomfort of my ear and the yellow discharge still continues especially every morning. So last Thursday I went to see my company doctor and he said there is a chronic infection in my ear and referred me to the ENT at Tan Tock Seng medical center and locked the appointment date on Thursday this week. 

Then the worst part came. While enjoying weekend drink with my wife, suddenly there was a sharp pain followed by blood discharge from my left ear. I was really shocked by this and wondered what exactly happened inside my ear. The pain continued until midnight until I can't bear it anymore, I went to the nearby clinic around 1245am. I asked the doctor to refer me to the A&E (Accident & Emergency) immediately but according to him the ENT will only available on Monday. So he released a memo to put my appointment ahead on Monday. Instead of Tan Tock Seng Hospital, I decided to go to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. (Dunno why the name is very confusing) since its nearer to the place I stayed. (This cost me SGD 112) + A&E registration of SGD80.

So today, I was at KTP hospital. I requested for a senior consultant but since I didnt make any appointment, they assigned me to any doctor available. I ended up having this young associate consultant which I have doubt whether he knows what he is doing or not. As usual, he asked if I got any drug allergy or not,bla bla bla... then he clean up the waxes and blood. But he never said anything where the blood come from. He just mentioned that it was just an infection and put some antibiotic inside my ear.. He didn't even mention about my abnormal ear drum. I am questioning myself again n again... did he really knows what he is doing? I paid another SDG 100++ for this and being asked to come back in 2 weeks time for follow up checking.

I am not sure how long this problem will continue, but I am tired of seeking ENT for the same problem over and over again.... see what happen in 2 weeks time.

Proceed on: "My Ear"