2011 wrap up!

This is it, the last weekend for 2011.

2011 was many things. I had a lot of good, fun, sad, scary, amazing memories made this year. If I had perceived 2010 as a sucky year, 2011 was better, not great, but better, and for that I’m grateful.

2012 seems to be mystery to me. I don’t know what to expect, I don’t know what’s coming, I just know that its gonna be 2012. And by the way, I think the whole "”world-is-gonna-end-in-2012” is crap!

I just realised that come next week, it would mean that I have completed 5 months here.. which seems like a long time when I say it out loud but it doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for 5 months. Oh well, 5 months done just means 7 months to go before I go back to KL! =)

Heading back to KL in the morning tomorrow. =) Looking forward to seeing my pumpkin!!!!!

Happy New Year people! Have fun over the weekend!

19 weeks done, 33 to go!!!

Week #18 update!!

I have survived amazingly week 17 and week 18. And yes, there were moments where I was exhausted to the max!

Its amazing how some people are “gently” reprimanded for their MAJOR mistakes and how others and severely reprimanded for minor ones. I guess no matter how much we try to move forward, there will still be segregation and favouritism based on skin colour, race and religion. Maybe society isn’t ready to accept others. I sometimes really do wonder when will society learn to accept everyone and lose its judgemental compass? 

I’ve come to learn many things these past weeks by observation only. Nobody dares to say anything, they just quietly swallow it. The only person watching your back is you. People tend to use other people to get what they want. I wonder how some can be so indulged in their own selfishness, to completely ignore the needs of others. What ever happened to compassion? What ever happened to being understanding? Whatever happened to being helpful??? AND WHAT THE HELL is wrong with people who have recently gained “power”??? Forgetting that once you were just like me, clueless and confused. Didn’t anyone help you? If no one helped you, didn’t you wish that someone did? Didn’t you wish that someone would be understanding to you. Gaining a SMALL amount of power went straight to your head and now you are the king/queen of the world and all you do is be an ass to those beneath you. Yea, lead by “great” example. Makes us all want to inspire to be just like you! *please note the sarcasm*

On a HAPPIER NOTE, I got a bday surprise by my Kelantan “adopted” family!! it all started with my housemate surprising me with a mini bday cupcake at McD, followed by the “hidden” bday card.. then after fetching her from work, we headed for some desserts and girl talk when I was  surprised by the presence of the 2 guys, and icing on the cake was, well the cake! haha! after the sing-a-long and cake cutting, all of us were surprised when our senior pharmacist who happened to be walking pass the shop stopped by to see what all the commotion was about.. hehe.. so yea, my bday in Kelantan was a surprised filled one! =) thanks to all the people involved.(you know who you are)

I really hope that you don’t have to celebrate my bday again next year because that would be too depressing for me to celebrate my 2nd bday here. *ignore the depression-filled sentence*

18 weeks done, 34 to go!

 

Being a little less miserable….

.. is better than being more miserable.

Last year this time, was having the time of my life in Malacca with the MM! Fast-forward 1 year: M battling office politics, favouritism, hectic schedules, home sickness.

What makes all of the above a little less miserable? Having people to around you who are constantly trying their best to make you happy. =) And for that, I’m grateful.

Turning 24 tomorrow, and the trainees in my hospital have to unknowingly remind me of that. One called me "Puan”, the other called me “Madam”. I guess I have like a thousand wrinkles on my face these days. =(

I have to wait till the 29th before I get to go back again (Maybe cause they’ve made me work on like every single perayaan. –.-“) 29th Dec – 3rd Jan 2012 I’ll be in KL again. I need to recharge or else I’ll just relapse into depression. *sigh*

17 WEEKS ARE DONE AND OVER WITH!!!

by the way, had a dream that I got posted to Negeri Sembilan for my FRP. The last time I dreamt about  my posting it came true. Oh well, N9, is a WHOLE lot nearer than this place right? =)

p/s: passed my damn forensic exam OK!!! (take that people who-failed-me-in-IMU ! hmphh)

The great SUCKY week 17-20

Yes. I’m fast forwarding to week 17 till 20. Wondering why I’m talking about 4 weeks which haven’t even taken place yet? Because I’ll be at OPD and the schedule is out and I’m fascinated by the fact that the person who did the schedule actually thinks that I can be at 2 places at the same time.

I know, its amazing what goes on in some people’s head. Maybe they should be reminded that I’m not some sort of microorganism like a yeast or something where I can just “bud” into 2 and be at 2 places at the same time.

Maybe alot of things don’t make much sense to anyone just yet, but let me say this – office politics. It makes the road a very slippery one when you’re at the lowest post and you need to avoid such “obstacles”. I guess surviving this shit is something I must learn on my own.

I’ve always believed in karma. Right now, I see my self helping people, but “conveniently” when I need help, there is none. I get forced into working like dog. Some people here are just damn lazy. When its peak hour, they can still move at a pace which will mislead you to think that there is nothing to do. And people like this always get away with their doings. Makes you wonder where the hell karma is!!!! Its not that I’m such a terrible person that I’m praying for something bad to happen to someone, but I just think that karma seems to be taking FOREVER! Maybe I’m impatient, but I’ll just keep on believing.

Some people talk slow, walk slow..maybe even their neurones connect slowly.. I shouldn’t be a bitch and make fun of them now should I? But I would really like to see them survive in the world outside.

Looking on the bright side, I just completed my store rotation. Being the end of the year, I had to OT  this week.. but I rather stay on in the store than head off to my next station – but such things don’t really happen in reality so I just need to face my reality. I’m gonna miss my rotation in store. Haven’t quite found my niche yet. I like in-patient, I like being a ward pharmacist, I like being a store pharmacist…not sure if I can say the same thing about my next rotation though.. but, never speak too soon! I might just blog about how much I LOVE OPD.

Anything can happen in a place like this, especially when they expect me to be at 2 places at the same time! =)

4 MONTHS DONE – 8 TO GO!!!

I have 2/3 more to go!!!

Post- Holiday Laziness

I’ve been bitten by the lazy bug! after weeks of being “rajin” and working non-stop.. I went for a long vacation and now that I’m back to work, my mood is still stuck in “vacation mode”. I still have a pile of work to go through (Note: 2 Case reports, Passing up of Log Book, Studying for ViVa and not forgetting, the dearly beloved SKT FORM).

SKT and 1 long case has to done by today, Log book by tomorrow, 2nd case report by the end of this week..and viva by the end of Dec. Not too much right? Self imposed deadlines are always better than the non-existent ones.

PM shift for 2mrw and day after.. Parents might be visiting this Wed once the flood warning has been lifted (Predicted to flood from 25/11-28/11). New car arriving soon (excited).

M planning for a Dec holiday but probably just heading back home because I’ve already taken too much of holidays this month. :p

*yawns*

Shall attempt to kill the lazy bug. Wish me LUCK!

Week #14

Yes! It is week 14 and where am I? HOME!! just got back from Malacca. Btw, m seriously considering relocating to Malacca. I don’t what it is about that place that has got me hooked to it! It is probably the historic past, but nevertheless, I love that place!

Week 14 basically means I survived HELL-WEEK a.k.a week 13. Why was week 13 hell-week you ask? Well, basically since I was working non-stop, had an exam and a presentation on week 13! Right now I’m just glad that it is over. Took a couple of days off so that I could unwind but time just seems to pass by super fast! argh!!

Since I came back on the 17th, I’ve managed to catch up with 2 of my besties, spend time with my family, and as mentioned above, VISIT MALACCA!

Kinda not looking forward to go back to work knowing that there is a pile of work awaiting me there, but then again, ain’t that life? *sigh*

I shopped like crazy at Jonker today. And tomorrow I will be a crazy shopper at KLCC perhaps? Or KL Festival City or something like that which my mom was telling me about.

Oh, and I heart my new ride! :D :D

I have 38 weeks left! :)

The exhausting weeks

I can’t really post on week 11 &12 because for me, it is just a blurry phase. It’s Monday today. Been working straight since last Thursday. Yesterday was the worst as I had to work from 8am-9pm. Funny how some people just take note of your complaint that you have to work 13 hours, and do nothing much about it. “Efficient” indeed. Last week I was at surgical, this week at peads, also I’m in charge of Methadone in the morning which basically means I can kiss my ward rounds goodbye! (2 weeks with no ward rounds to do is indeed a very depressing thing =( ) Wednesday is my tutorial for my forensic. Next Monday is my exam, next Wednesday I’m on-call and I have my ward case presentation. As hectic and crazy my schedule seems, it doesn’t really kill me that much as I’ll be going back on the 17th morning! (Yay!!) – regardless of how I fared in my exam and presentation.

So I’m kinda in my 12th week now. Shows how fast time flies doesn’t it? 3 months done, 9 more to go before I head back to KL for good! :) The monsoon season has also started here, so I’m bracing myself for the great floods! It’ll be a new experience for me. M just hoping that I don’t get swept away into the SCS! (South China Sea)

Thats all for updates, have to complete my slides and study ASAP! See you next week with (hopefully) good news! :)

The brink of week 11

So my holidays have ended, only to be greeted by the fact that I’ll be working (starting from 2mrw), every SINGLE day till 16/11. WOW! I know. I think I’m going crazy.

By the way, the service for Air Asia today totally SUCKED! I think I’ll be flying with Firefly on my next trip back. *rolls eyes*'

M gonna go off now.. because I have a pile of work to be completed and hell starts 2mrw.

week #10 : Back to KL!

Sham is blogging this from HOME! :)

Was greeted by a delightful furball yesterday, but not at the airport though, but who cares, I got to see her!! :) And now I kinda miss Cili Padi..it's like having 2 pets at 2 different places.

Before I left my work place, I was saddened by a death of a kid in my ward.. =( *sigh* The misery of life.

Life still goes on, and my heart goes out to the kid's family.

M now getting ready to shop for a new vehicle and some new clothes..oh, and maybe even a new phone! :)

See you guys once I'm back in KB!

week #9

OK. Week 9 has ended. I just finished my first week at critical care. How was it? It was kinda depressing/challenging/exhausting.

Why depressing?

To read the patient’s story of how they came in for abdominal pain/fever/cough and how they can get so screwed up until they lie there in front of you, with tubes sticking out from every possible place, unsure if they will wake up and get better. It got me thinking, did this patient know that when he/she came to the hosp that it would be the last time they walked/talked/ lived like a normal person? Did they know that they would be warded for 40 over days, and progress to such a stage where there is no return? And sometimes, it hurts even more to see such patient because they have no family support. 40 days in critical care and not once a family member came to visit.

Why challenging?

Because we’re fighting superbugs here and there. Patient A comes in for 1 type of infection, we treat it, and suddenly gets a new infection which is more resistant, or something else comes up which we need to manage. And more complicated stuff..and it gets soooo chaotic.

Why exhausting?

Because of the 2 reasons above.

Anyway, I’ll be going to visit my patients later..voluntarily because I want to know how they have reacted to some of the new managements implemented ystd by me and my preceptor. Hope it won’t be too long as I have no intention to freeze to death there. (yea, its super cold in there)

Week 9 has ended which only means WEEK 10 IS HERE!!!

Week 10 = ME GOING HOME!!! :)

Can’t wait to go home!! I was skyping with my mom the other day, and I decided to call Pumpkin and she started to look for me and whine.. =(. But the cutest part was watching her look for me under the table and on the wall. LOL! I honestly don’t know why my dog thinks that I’m inside the wall or under the table but it was cute to watch. I need to prepare for 2 presentations coming up this Sunday and Monday and only then I can fly back in PEACE!

Sham will be arriving at LCCT on the 24th of October @ 8.20pm. Provided that there are no delays. *fingers crossed* M hoping that my furball will be there to greet me as well.. :P

I’M GOING HOME!!!! =)

9 WEEKs DONE, 43 to go….

week 8!

I’m aware that most of you must be super bored with my weekly updates but I just have to update something here!

Last week was my first week of medical ward rotation, and at the end of last week, I was tired and wondering if clinical was really what I want to do. And then this week happened. And I know for sure clinical is my thing. I was working the PM shift yesterday, which meant that I need to only come it at 2.30 and work till 9pm. But if I did that, I would miss out on my ward round. After spending the entire week being actively engaged in managing 20+ patients in the ward, I felt sad, (yes, SAD) that I would be leaving the medical ward and would not be able to see how the progress of these patients. So, I went to work at 7.30am yesterday, so that I can complete my own round with the patients, and then followed by the “official” round by the specialist, discuss some cases with my preceptor, clerk cases, and before you know it, it was 2.30pm and I just continued my day at OPD.

Yea, it was kinda exhausting for me, but I did it voluntarily. Some even thought that I came early because I forgot my timetable. :P

Next week, I’ll be at critical care wards, so I’m looking forward to a bunch of new patients which I will be helping to manage.

Truth be told, I kinda wanna stay at the medical ward, because there are some patients which I’ve managed in some aspects and haven’t been discharged yet, and I want to see how they progress, but it’s ok, I’ll visit that ward during my free time. And yes, I *heart* clincals. I may not be super excellent at it yet, but that is why I’m currently attached there, to further better and deepen my clinical knowledge. My only wish is that I can spend longer than the time allocated for me in the ward rotation. :(

I also completed 2/5 presentations this week, before I go off for my Deepavali break, I would have completed 4/5. Suddenly time passes by so fast! :( That’s all I have to update for this week! :)

 

8 weeks done 44 TO GO!

Week 7 Quickie!

Here is a quick and small update for the end of week 7.

Week 7 = Week 1 out of 6 for my ward rotation. M dead tired from combing through cases in search for PCI’s. M dead tired from studying so that I can make interventions during the rounds, and I’m dead tired from trying to figure out how to arrange my time table around my holiday.

The only thing which makes me happy about ward is how fast time flies. Hope my 6 weeks of tiring slavery will end soon. If there were no targets to be met, I believe more “quality” pharmacists can be trained. Just my thoughts.

Good night people!!

45 WEEKS TO GO!! WOOHOO!!

P/s: heard abt the 1+3 to 1+1. not sure if it is a good thing or not and I’m not sure if I’ll be affected by it or not, but either way, what is meant to happen will happen. For now, all I can think about is my present situation. No time to think of the future just yet.

week #6

My plan to head back home this weekend was dashed when I was told that I had to work this weekend. –.-“

Anyway, week 6 was a GOOD week for me. I honestly don’t know why. Maybe it was because of the absence of certain people or the presence of a certain person. But whatever the reason was, week 6 is OVER! :)

Weekend screening was a nightmare yesterday but was OK today. Was kinda wondering what I’ll do when a TDM case comes flying my way.

Week 6 marks the end of my in-patient rotation. Need to complete Satellite as well before I can be completely rid of that log book of mine, but nevertheless, 50% is better than being not done at all. Right now, I’m anticipating the coming 6 weeks where I will be in my ward rotation. Sad thing is that it will clash with Deepavali celebration. =( Sucks to be me. Hope I can get my leave approved for post-ward.

Biggest joke I’ve heard to date is someone asking me this, “Are you OK with eating rice? Your culture doesn’t eat rice right? So how do you find it here?”. Seriously, what do Indians eat when we have our banana leaf rice??

Sometimes I feel like a tourist. :P

Cheers to the coming 6 weeks where I’ll be too busy to update my blog. Don’t miss me! :)

Back to KL weekend

And I’m back here blogging from the comfort of my KB room.

This time back to KL was awesome, as always. Managed to do many things and eat much of my favourites!

First day back I had nasi lemak, mom’s cooking, roti canai (there is NO mamak here, hence the cravings for roti canai), awesome hawker food which included ikan bakar, satay, hokkien mee, and bbq chicken wings. Day 2 was spent in KLCC where I managed to grab a bite from my fav – Nando’s. I shopped like a crazy person at KLCC. Day 3 was spent with awesome company and some never-ending food adventure. :P Day 4 (today) was spent waking up and hugging my furball till it was time for me to leave to catch the plane. *sigh* time flies so fast when you’re having fun. Here are some pics to summarize my awesome weekend back home. :)

 

Choux Balls!!! Discovered them at Isetan’s Supermarket @ KLCC. :)

My FAVOURITE MACAROONS FROM LEVAIN!!! =D Now they can be found in Isetan KLCC!! woohoo!!!

Tartlets from Petit Sucre @ Isetan KLCC.

My AMAZING FRIEND!!! :D

I think I look tired in this picture and I don’t know why.. =(

The dish I liked the most from Paddington’s. :P

 

Looking forward to an awesome end for week 6 – why? Because it means I’ve ended 1 out of 11 rotations which I need to finish by next year! :)

week #5

I’m done with week 5!!! today was such a DD day!!! from morning till 5pm. It was as if there was no stop in the flow of demand and queries regarding it and yours-truly was handling it. It was kinda fun actually! :p

Next week is my last week for in-patient. Done with my log book and just counting down to the time I will be transferred to ward! (yay! and its not that I don’t like in-patient, its just that I’m looking forward for my ward) Was down with flu this week (some may say that I’m always down with flu). Maybe it was caused by the many visits to wards in search for counsellings to do, but it was worth the trouble.

M getting ready to go home now. =) Flight is at 10.30pm, ETA is at 11.25pm. Yea, I guess I miss my home that much that I just can’t wait till 2mrw to take my flight. I’m looking forward to seeing Ms.Furball when I land!! :)

Oh,my landlady got a birdie! (In addition to En.Cili Padi) Its kinda cute cause it whistles back at you when you whistle at it. Yes, I now have more creatures around me to entertain me when I’m bored. =) Mr/Ms.Whistling Birdie is in the kitchen so I tend to hang out there when I’m too lazy to layan Cili Padi.

See u in KL!! :)

5 weeks done, 47 to go!

week 4

week 4 in HRPZ II ! spent the last weekend with these 2 guys..

This week was a “mixed-feeling” week. Sunday and Monday was super busy to the extent that on Tuesday morning, my alarm went off and I wasn’t even aware! Thank God I have a housemate to save my ass!! This is the 2nd time she has rescued me by waking me up when I oversleep. :P But the other days were like normal.

The past 4 weeks has made me realise something, I’m DAMN CARELESS when it comes to taking care of my own things. I’ve gone to and back from the hospital on numerous accounts because I left something there. Yes. I’m that forgetful. –.-“

Guess what?? I received my rubber stamp today and I left it on the DD table and came home. During my Skype session with my mom, I was all excited and wanted to show it to her only to realise that it wasn’t with me. :P Oh well, I’ll just show it to her on Sunday,

I started this week daunting DD day, but guess what? I actually prefer doing DD than UOD! I guess its all in my mind. My first day doing DD, I almost wanted to cry cause the boxes just kept on piling up on the table in front of me and there was not enough space for me to get things organised! But eventually I managed to get it done by 11am. =) Before the 2nd DD day, I was already dreading it..then I told my self that I have to like it no matter what because in the future I might be in charge of it, and it wasn’t so bad after all. I think I will like doing DD days in the coming future. :)

SHAM IS GOING BACK TO KL!!!!

I bet some of you will be going, “SO SOON??”. Yea, I know I was back during raya, but I miss my FURBALL and my mom!!! and my “off” has been approved! yay!! will be flying back on Wednesday night and will be back here on Sunday morning. I just miss the KL air sometimes. There is no place here which can replace my Curve, 1 Utama, Mid Valley, KLCC, BSC and all the other places I call my second home.

And oh, I miss IMU!! (super random right??) I never thought I would miss it, but yea, I kinda miss it. :P

Am waiting for Huey Chin to get back so that we can go for dinner. We’re heading to Yati Ayam Percik. I heard its famous and I wanna try it. Will upload pics on FB if I manage to get a few. :)

4 weeks DONE, 48 to go! 

week 3 update!

ok, so week 3 is coming to an end 2mrw (super fast right???) I feel like time is passing fast these days, with counsellings to do in the afternoon, and prescriptions to screen in the morning. I’m on LBD (lunch break duty and not little black dress) for these 2 days and the whole of next week. (yay!! can collect off time!! :p)

I’m getting used to the life here. When I’m here I don’t really miss home, but the idea of going home is something which lifts my spirits up! :) Every time I hear the airplane pass above me, (i live near the airport), I feel like taking a flight home. I guess the 2 main attractions for me at home is my mom and my pumpkin.

I'm planning on exploring this place soon, but in 3 weeks time, my in-patient rotation will be over and I’ll move on to ward, and after that I’ll be in the store(so happens its the busiest time of the year… –.-“) and my forensic exam is in Nov..same time as my store..so yea, probably should start studying like ASAP! I’ll probably start exploring after Xmas only, since after my wards, I was told that the other rotations are relaxing.

I MISS MY IMU BUDDIES!!! =(

But I got 1 buddy here to teman me, so I guess I should be thankful for that. Ward rotation seems fun. It seems like 24/7 you have something to do. That also means that time will pass by super fast. Cause when ur busy time flies right??

I honestly don’t know why I’m not stressed here. Its very chilling. Although I have work to do, I’m not stressed, I guess the people here are nicer..and maybe the worst is yet to come.

I’ve already noted a shop where it is rumoured to sell some awesome nasi dagang..will go there probably on sat morning since I’ll be done with the night shift, just tapau rice, have brunch and sleep till…4pm?? :p

I hope I will present to you a less yawn-inducing week 4 update! :p till then! :)

Week 2 update

Just got back from KL, had lunch and I’m getting ready for work. Yes, I’m working on a Friday (supposedly holiday here). Doing the noon shift today and night shift (a.k.a night club shift) 2mrw.

I love my job.

But I also love my family.

*sigh*

I don’t think I’ll get to go home until late October. =(

Life so far..

Life has been pretty good lately! It’s been like 4 days since I started working, and I’m good. :) Maybe it is because I have such ah-may-zing senior PRPs and FRPs in the hosp to help me and Huey Chin to get familiar with the flow of things and all.

I enjoy what I do, and I wake up with energy. Maybe I’m just lucky that the hospital and my house is 5 minutes apart. :)

I have nothing to do now..so I shall go stream a show or 2 and fill in my spare time. :) working life is fun here in Kelantan! :)

I (singlehandedly) counterchecked the meds for half the wards today and managed to clear it at 11.10am. The target is 80% cleared at 11am. I’ll try to aim for 100% clear BEFORE 11am tomorrow. :)

Tales from Kelantan!

I went from homeless, to a person living in a fully furnished house with an aunty and a doggie! :) We (Huey Chin and I) are renting 2 rooms, with attached toilets from this kind aunty here in Kelantan.(probably see her pics here soon.. :p) The house is 10 minutes drive to the hospital and also to the airport, and aunty has volunteered to fetch me to the airport when I intend to fly back to KL. So yea, in within 12 hours, most of the problems have been solved! :)

What I’ve come to know so far is, here weekends are on Friday and Saturdays, which means I work on Sundays. On Thursdays, I get off from work at 3.30pm! :)

Here, I’ve come to noticed that all signs have Jawi translations on them. Like these shops..

I can’t read Jawi, but I think it says, “McDonalds” ???

I know I may sound like a Jakun, but you don’t see this in KL so it was something new to me!

Went to the beach with my parents today. The beach here is WAAAAY cleaner than PD, and after walking along the beach, I had sand in my shoes. But what is a beach without sands right??? Here are some pictures from there! :)

 

Its a nice place PCB, they have rows of seafood restaurants facing the beach and I’m sure they will be packed once everyone has “buka puasa”. The drive there brought me to many batik shops, unfortunately, due to the fasting month, they were all closed. I’m looking forward to going there again, and this time, coming home with purchases!! :p

Had lunch at this Indian Restaurant opposite the ‘Dewan Perniagaan Cina Kelantan’ along Jalan Kebun Sultan (?? hope I got the name right). Honestly, if you ask kelantanese people they will say the if you want Indian food, head to “Meena curry house”. I will not say that. Meena curry house only serves banana leaf rice. Period. No thosai, chapati, naan, roti canai and all. If you ask me, the shop which sells authentic Indian food would have to be “Sri Devi”(The shop opposite the Dewan, unsure of the name.. :p). And I think the food there tastes better than Meena’s. Just my point of view. :)

Had dinner at this chinese restaurant recommended by Huey Chin which is located within walking distance to my hotel.

Didn’t manage to take much pics today because the camera is with my brother and he is on Vay-Cay, so I’ll have to wait till he gets back before I can snap like 1000++ pics. The pics here are courtesy of my handphone. :P

Hope 2mrw, at this time, I would be in my new room! :)

The arrival to Kota Bharu

I’m here!! In Kota Bharu, writing this from my hotel room. =)

I started my journey to the East Coast on Wednesday, leaving my house at 6am. Took the highway to Kuantan before turning off to Bentong timur after the 2nd toll. The ride from my house to the tolls was AMAZING.  I was literally driving through clouds of mist. Its no time to speed on the highway, but the view was so scenic, it was breathtaking. I would fly back to KL, and wake up at 5am, just to start driving at 6am for the view.

Once I hit the old road (the only way to Kelantan via road), the maximum speed is 60-80km/hr. That is because it is unsafe to go faster than that, there is no divider between the two lanes (yes, 2 LANES ONLY). I passed by a few accidents on the way, mainly caused by overtaking while there is an oncoming car, and thus, they end up in a ditch near by next to the road. Also, a lot of timber lorries. I also became unconsciously suicidal at one point and was driving in the opposite lane, and there was a car coming  to me, and Thank GOD, i managed to sway back into my lane. (In my defence, I’ve been driving 6 hours straight and I was distracted by the “Transnational R&R” sign across the road.) I will most probably,100% take the 55 minute flight back to KL the next time. :)

The view and experience was worth it. I don’t regret the 8 hour drive to Kota Bharu (KB), Kelantan.

The environment here is nice, peaceful, different from KL in the sense that no one is rushing. Life moves at a different speed here. They have internet access ( cause some ppl may think KB is a kampung). Honestly, KB town reminds me of KL. buildings everywhere, they have like 3 malls la..the biggest is KB mall. You can get all the basic necessities here. Tesco, Giant, Parkson. I saw like 3 McDonalds, 4 KFCs, and 2 Pizza Huts. They have Secret Recipe here too. I honestly don’t know why I was made to believe that Kota Bharu is a kampung area. Its more than what I expected it to be.

But Yes. There are rural areas around Kelantan. Looking at their life makes me wonder about the way I live. It made me reassess the way I live my life and look at life.

The traffic here is AMAZING! (minus the KL-like-crazy-jams) The people here rarely honk at your car! You can switch lanes peacefully most of the times. And they are very patient!(unlike KL drivers) You can accidently stop at the yellow box during the jam, and the oncoming traffic (whose path u’ve blocked) won’t honk at you and curse you, they WAIT for you to pass.. I think its kinda cool!

The only problem which I’m facing right now is accommodation. Work starts on Sunday and I’m still homeless. I hope things will be better tomorrow. The idea of living in a hotel for a whole year is pretty cool. Especially since the hotel is 5 minute drive from the workplace. Its good that I have friends around me right now. It makes this whole adventure a whole lot fun. Yes- ADVENTURE. I mean, to experience being in a foreign place and finding your own accommodation, and doing things on your own makes you feel like finally, you’re living your life as an ADULT. Its honestly FUN! I really don’t know how to explain my feelings. I guess I know how Frodo Baggins would have felt! (not in direct comparison, but he was going through an adventure and so am I :) )

I’m counting down to next year’s postings where we see where we get for our 3-year compulsory service. I’m excited and I hope I get somewhere new so that I can start over this awesome adventure.

 

The view from the hotel. :) I was aiming for the Kelantan river, hope you can see it!

This is like the back/edge of Kota Bharu. The town centre is infront of this. :P

Hoping that I can find a home 2mrw.

Off I go

I’m being shipped of, with a week’s notice, to Kelantan. To work as a PRP. A place did not ask for, but I’m definitely not saying ‘No’ to.

While the rest are going, “Thank God I got somewhere near home”, I’m going “Oh, cool! Kelantan!”

Yes, I’ll be away from home for a year or so, but so what, I’m 24 23! I get to go wherever I want to go, and yes, I WANT to go there. Sometime ago, I think I did mention that I enjoy such random adventurous trips (Referring to the sem 8 attachment at Malacca which turned out to be the best Semester ever) and this is one of it!

So yea, I’ll be away from my usual malls (E.G: KLCC, Midvalley/Gardens, Curve, 1 Utama, Bangsar Shopping Village, ect..), but I can still chill at Kota Bharu Mall, which was referred to by some blog somewhere as the “Midvalley of Kelantan”. I’ll learn loads of new cultures and what not. And I’ve never been more ready for this!

I can be considered lucky as this time around I’m fortunate enough to have 2 close friends tagging along to the same destination. I guess we’re gonna make some awesome memories in Kelantan. Not to mention the new people I’ll get to meet there!

I’m going to start a new chapter of my life, in a new place.I’m literally getting a fresh start! :)

So yea, I can see myself blogging in 1 year’s time saying how sad I am to leave a lovely place called Kelantan. From now till that post comes, you will be updated with whatever that happens there! :)

Let’s discover Kelantan people!!

uncertainty

We want a lot of things.

We don’t always need what we want.

But we never know if we’ll ever get what we want.

Even if we try very hard to get what we want.

And that is the greatest uncertainty in life.

It won’t be an easy task to get where I want to go in life. But it is worth a shot. A few shots at least. Before I utterly surrender to wills of fate and destiny. *sigh*

High school tales

Managed to meet up with a few of my friends from high school yesterday. Honestly, I shouldn’t call them friends from high school, instead they should be called childhood friends. Some of these girls I have known since I was in kindergarten and in primary school! It was nice to see them again after so long, although some could not make it as they were committed to their jobs and all (I’m still unemployed but soon to be employed. Hopefully in August), it was still nice to see them.

You know how they say that really good friends, no matter how long since they’ve last seen each other, they will be able to just pick up and start a conversation as if they saw each other yesterday? This was something like that. We may have not seen each other in awhile, but we still can connect, and I think that is what makes a friendship a friendship – the ability to sustain it no matter how long it has been since you last spoke to each other.

We’ve all more or less moved on into the next phase of our lives and are entering our careers, but reminiscing about highschool shenanigans was amazing. It shows how much we’ve grown and also how we kind of miss the old days. (I know I sound like I’m 50 when I say “the old days” but it does feel like it has been awhile)

Here are some pictures :)

THEN

 

… and NOW

* I’m aware that only Joanne and I are repeated in the “then and now” pics, but that is because some could not make it and I don’t really have the other pictures. :p

The past week

This past week kind of passed super fast. Before you know it, it is over. But after being idle for such a long time, it doesn’t really matter I guess.

Monday – Tuesday: Malacca Mates take on the North!

Wednesday : recovery day..cause the trip was kind of tiring..but definitely AWESOME!

Thursday: Medical Check Up day @ HKL

Friday: the delayed belated bday for Jo Jo!!

Yesterday was also the day where the posting debacle was uncovered. Sometimes, we must accept that it is our fault after all. Blaming is just another way of denying your own mistakes. But I’m not going to be worried as I believe that everything happens for a reason and that you can’t fight your fate. I’m still keeping my mind open and I won’t be complaining with what I get.

The greater the adventure, the more awesome the memories and lessons learnt!

Knowing that my posting might be delayed, I hereby start planning another trip with my family!! :D See, not all things that happen have a negative outcome..it all depends on how you view things. :)

The wrong turning out right?

Supposedly carrot cake which ended up more of a cinnamon cake.

Yes, am aware that my icing applying skills kinda sucks. :P

It tasted OK..which means its not such a disaster. I promise you there are actual carrots in there somewhere!! :P

A special kind of fever

I was wondering around youtube when I stumbled upon this video, which happened recently and it started a Backstreet-fever for me. :) I used to be crazy for the these guys back when I was a tween..and while watching this, my inner tween was aroused..hence I will be spending the rest of the night watching BSB videos! :) enjoy!!

The children are our future.

I’m no parent, but I know that parents will try their very best to protect their kids from the negativity of life.

But it saddens me to see that some parents here think that they belong in Hollywood. Taking a kid to a club is NOT normal and it definitely does NOT make you a cool parent. Exposing a KID to alcohol, cigarette and possibly drugs at young age would probably mean that the parents have decided to dig their kid’s grave. I know someone who was exposed to the club scene at the age of 12-ish.. they dropped out of school after they turned 15. Drugs, alcohol and sex were the reasons behind their drop out.

I’m just asking why would ant parent want expose their kids to such a thing when they are suppose to protect them? If a teenager went and got themselves in trouble behind their parent’s back..that would actually make more sense than a parent encouraging a child to do such things.

Let a KID be a KID while they are still KIDS.

Don’t force them to become a teenager.

Just my thoughts

You are not an angel

Stop acting like you’re an angel ‘cause we all know your true colours.Its annoying for those who know you.

I might be PMS-ing. I’m not too sure

The Letter

I finally got my letter today.

Yes, that long awaited letter that everyone (in KL that is) seemed to have got on Saturday, which I did not, but instead I got it on Monday. (I shall not go into a hissy fit and diss my postal service, instead I’ll be glad that they did deliver it)

I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And I also have some pretty serious anxiety issues. When I did not get the letter on Saturday, I was anxious. And to think that I would have to wait till Monday to see if I get it, is a pretty daunting for a person who has anxiety issues, especially when I was wondering if I even passed the interview! So I guess the delay was God’s way of asking me to deal with my anxiety issues. ( I know, I seem to have a lot of issues!! )

So yes, after much reassurance from a few close friends, I did not freak out till the postman reached my house today. (By not freak out, I mean not yell/scold the postman, but I did curse the fact that he only comes after 1! And I’ve never really paid much attention to the postman until today. Hmm..)

I was being offered ‘Perlantikan Tetap ke Jawatan Pegawai Farmasi Gred U41’ – which means I’m being employed by the government to work as a pharmacist! (1 year training + 3 years compulsory service = M free to opt out of the government service with my license after 4 years)

My first reaction was, “Thank GOD the letter is here!! THE LETTER IS HERE!!!”. And after I got that letter, and was glad that I received it, I did not really know how to react. I mean, this is it. I’m going to enter the working life, leaving my student life behind.( well, technically speaking its not the end of my student life yet as I need to be a student again when I get my Masters and PhD)

I don’t feel like I’m ready.

I guess when we all start off, we don’t feel like we’re ready for it, we kinda get used to it once we start doing it.

The irony is, I waited all these months for this letter, and now that it is here, I’m afraid of what it is going to bring me.

Now that I’ve received this letter, I need to wait another letter which will tell me where I’m being posted to. Honestly, I’m not really worried about where I’ll be posted to, as I said earlier, everything happens for a reason, so I will be posted to wherever it is for a reason - which only God knows. But I’ll accept wherever I get. I’ve already mentally prepared my self to take what they give me and make the best of it!

I’m not where I pictured myself to be, but I know that in order to reach where I want to be, I have to go through whatever I’m going through now.

The past is not for us to dwell upon and wonder. What we should be is focused on the present and what are the possible hurdles awaiting us in the future, and how to overcome them. Be thankful for the past as without it, we will not be where we are today, knowing what we know today. And whatever is going to come our way, it comes our way for a reason, and we should embrace it rather than push it away.

A tale of X-Men, KLCC, Super 8, and X-Men….AGAIN!

I’m gonna start with what I did yesterday.

I *finally* watched X-Men First Class. (Yes, I know, I’m late)

When I watched it first, I thought it was OK-OK lah..and I was wondering why Magneto’s helmet looked like it got spray painted by a 15 year old! Oh, and I thought that Erik a.k.a Magneto was hot! Not initially tho, but somewhere as the show progressed he became hot. :P

Now lets proceed to today!

Today was totally eventful. I decided to go to KLCC to watch Super 8. BIGGEST REGRET EVER! why??

No. 1 : The toilets were not working at KLCC so they closed all the main ones and made us use the ones at the new block..which had like 4 cubicles and the line for it was SUPER long, and you have no choice BUT to line up cause THERE IS NO OTHER FREAKING TOILET!!! (there actually were like toilets at 2 other floors, and those had long queues as well)

No.2 : The movie, Super 8, sucked BIG TIME. During the show and after the show, my mom was asking the same question, “ Why is the show called Super 8?? There were only 6 kids.” SO, my theory is, they called it that cause the alien looked like a spider and had 8 legs??? maybe, I din bother to count its legs! So please save your money and DON’T WATCH THAT SHOW. Honestly, it just had tooooo much family drama which kinda spoilt the whole focus of the show. I yawned many times while watching the show.

So what did I do after the show? I had lunch, and then met up with my brother,who made me watch X-Men 1st Class…AGAIN! But honestly, after Super 8, I suddenly felt as if X-Men was REALLY GOOD. And now we know how a crappy movie can make an OK movie be awesome!

And MNG was having sales..and I was a happy shopper today. :)

At the end of the day, KLCC wasn’t *that* bad after all.

My Discoveries

I just came back from………wait for it……………. MALACCA!

And, NO, it was not that I wanted to go there, it was because my parents wanted to go there. They haven’t been there since I ended my attachment there, and it has been like 5 months now, (yes, time really flies that fast) and I am a good daughter who takes her parents wherever they want to go. :P

That aside, let me share my discoveries with you.

On the first day, we went around Malacca and did normal tourist stuff, and then in the evening, I decided to take them to the Portuguese settlement to chill by the seaside and let the environment wash away their city life stress.

And look what I found sitting on the rocks!

Can’t see it yet???

How ‘bout now??

See it now??

My first impression was some kind of mutated fish! It had like “hands” and it was using its “hands” to move around the rock. Once they get into the sea, they can swim away!

After “ke po-ing” around with the locals, I found out that they are called “Mudskippers” and they can be found near muddy swampy areas and they told me that they usually feed it to kids with asthma. (erghhhh…)

You can read more about it here.

I also discovered ‘Pantai Puteri”. What is interesting about this beach is that the fishermen bring in their catch fresh and they sell it by the beach. The beach was kinda clean. I didn’t manage to get my favourite coconut shake though.. :(

My other discovery is this place;

It can be found behind Jonker and the food here is not bad.

I had…..

Pai Tee – RM4.50

It was nice! recommended!

Udang Masak Lemak with Nenas – RM15

Basically prawns cooked in coconut milk with pineapples. It was awesome. This dish was the best in the restaurant hands down! I almost cleaned the bowl because I loved the gravy so much. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Eggplant with something – RM8

This was recommended by the shop owner, she said something like they will add lime to this dish, but I tasted sweetish soy sauce more than anything sour. Not recommended unless you like eggplants and like it sweet.

Asam fish – RM30

On the menu it said that this dish was suppose to be ‘HOT’ but it was anything but hot. It was sour (d’uh – Asam fish) but not spicy. Maybe my threshold is too high, but for me, it was OK-OK la…

I also realised that if you send something via “poslaju” from KL to Sarawak, it’ll take about 1 week to be delivered. So much for “laju”. –.-“

Letters to my friends – Part 3

Anitha

In Sem 1, you were always the “scholar student”. That was before I knew you. As the semesters passed, I knew you better, and I dare say, at times we even think so alike, it is scary!! After sem 8 I really got to know you. Like Dee Dee, I too will miss our gossip sessions in the room abt ur *you-know-who* and I will miss giving you ideas for the future. I am looking forward to seeing you in 2 years time (that is if we’re not posted at the same hosp). =)I spent most of my rotations with you in Malacca and thank you for layan-ing me esp when I had my cranky PMS moments! :P

Hii Ling Wei

Ling Wei – the most creative, patient and wise person. =) Without you, there would be literally NO convo mag. I’m amazed by the amount of patience you have and I thank you for your patience. I will definitely try to pay you a visit to see ur doggies and the kerbaus. :P Congratulations on winning so many awards, I feel that you truly deserved it! :) And thank you for the swk kek lapis and the gifts from phuket.

Lum Kah Yee

My memories with you includes interesting conversations about our favourite books back in Semester 3 when we used to do our microbiology practical sessions together and of course the gossip sessions we have at night on MSN! :) I was so proud of you when u went and collected you scroll that I almost cried. Please look out for my gift which should arrive via mail, although I’m not sure how long it takes to get it delivered. When GG and GA resumes, I will find you online to bergossip with u! :)

Yen Nee

You are such a positive person!! No matter what kind of trouble life decides to throw in your way, you always take it positively and overcome it successfully. Your optimism inspires me and I hope that I’ll be able to work with you in the future. =) And thank you for remembering me while you ate your macaroons! :) The biggest regret I have now is being unable to take a photo with you when we graduated. :(

I still have this on my wall.. :)

Nadia

Kecik! You used to sit together with us in LT3 until semester 5 or 6 where they changed us to LT 1/2 and I didn’t see you much after that. =( I’ll remember you as the funny and adorable girl who is crazy and smart! I din manage to take a photo with for convo as well! :( Thank you for being such a good friend to me.

Faizah

You used be my LRT buddy cause you always teman-ed me when I used to go home via LRT. We used to gossip alot as well. :P Although you weren’t graduating with me, you still came. Thank you for that! I want to see you graduate next year! Enjoy your life as a final year BPharm student. Trust me, it’ll end before you know it.

To the rest of B107: See you in the future! :)

Letters to my friends – Part 2

Malacca mates

Words just aren’t enough for me to express how happy I am to have met all of you and forge such a great bond over a short time. Thank you for putting up with me, especially those who were doing rotation with me when I was PMS-ing. =p. If I could go back and re-live those 8 weeks, I would in a heartbeat. :) I’ll just let the pictures summarize our friendship. :)

Remember our dance??

Our first cooked meal together. =)

 

The birthdays.

RockerONG!

While we were working..

…and while we were playing.. =)

I miss you all :)