Life Goes On ......

Since early September Puan SN has been convincing me to join her on a mission to cambodia. Been a regular volunteer to the country, she really assured that our service is much needed there. Unlike other NGOs with thick pockets (donated by the ever generous malaysia public), we set on our mission with our very own resources.

So there we were,on the morning of November 25, the seven of us (2 medical specialists, 3 young nurses, puan SN & husband) were in cambodia. From the airport we rented a van and travelled north to kompong thom some 200 km away from phomn phen. On arrival, we were greeted by the local imam who also offer us his house for us to sleep.It's a far cry from what we're used to ....but then we're here not on holiday.

I couldn't help feeling so sorry for them. many children were just malnourished and running around without a shirt and slipper.(a typical scenario in our own kampongs way back in the 60's or early 70's) One could see the grateful glisters in their eyes whenever puan SN handed them a small token of candy she bought from mydin.Sometimes it's just unimaginable ... the sarongs they wore were so worn out that one would not even think of using it to wash his car!




The imam was kind enough to allow us to use the masjid annexe as our clinic base. The patients were endless and the crowd kept growing.Despite working on a very basic and limited resources, we could feel how grateful they were. We felt so sorry for those who had to walk several kilometers away only to be told that we're running out of medications !!! (oppss, thank you to some of our GP friends who were kind enough to donate some of the medications)




Lining up were young boys eagerly waiting to be circumcised.It was tiring but thanks God, using the clamp technique, between us we managed to circumcised 105 children in 2 days. I could sense the tears of happiness in their parents knowing that their children underwent a relatively short and painless procedure. Even on the morning of our departure, there were parents who were begging us to circumcise their children.




Insyaallah we'll be in cambodia again in a near future (hopefully in kompong cinnang).Hope to bring more circumcision clamps (costing rm 35.00 each, ... sponsors are most welcome). Self sponsored volunteers are also welcome to joint us !

Reunion

SATURDAY November 17, 2009 @ Ri-Yaz Marina Resort & Spa

...." hey where have you been ??????. why do we lost touch ???? ". well at a glance i didn't realized that it was her. it's been more than 30 years since i last saw her and the rest of them. of course i still remember her and our little secrets ... how could I ???.

The Reunion brought fond memories of the yesteryears. meeting most of them for the first time after more than 30 years was just too touching & emotional. there was so much things to talk (had to adjourned the session to primula over dinner !). quote from one of our former teacher - "seems to me that all the naughty students of mine is doing well in life!". i might have forgotten some of the faces, but their names sound familiar. well, growing up together in a small town was such a fun. regardless of the ethnicity, we were just like a big happy family - i would say we practice 1 Malaysia years ago.

To all friends,.... thank you for such a wonderful and memorable evening. please do get in touch. and ,.... oppsss, she still owe me a coffee !!!!

MaKan & MaKan Lagi

To all Friends yang sempat berkunjung semalam .... Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Nice meeting you all (oppss, after soooooo many years!)

Pada yang tak sempat jumpa semalam, see you all in Ri-Yaz Heritage Resort & Spa next Saturday, October 17. Please be informed that the venue is at 'VERENDAH' and the function will start at 3.00 pm sharp.

Good Luck Dear

To Adik @ Geena

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR PMR EXAM













P/S - didn't realise that you're a big girl now.
alway thought that you're still our little darling .....

What A Raya .......

Sampai tanah malaya dah nak hampir senja, dah nak masuk malam raya. capet banget deh sebab gak bisa tidur masa dalam pesawat !. tekak dah mula perit dan batuk semakin menjadi jadi -sinario biasa aku setiap kali lepas pulang dari tanah haram. preparation untuk raya tahun ini below par. lepas beli lemang & rendang di pasar dato keramat terus tarik selimut sebab temperature sudah rising. the whole night jugak tak boleh lena sebab asyik terbatuk batuk !. bangun pagi dah kol 10.15, confirm solat sunat edul fitri terlepas. suara pun dah tak keluar !!. walaupun jiran-jiran di sebelah dan depan rumah juga tak balik kampung, tapi tak terasa pun seperti hari lebaran !!!!. well, the whole day berayalah kita sekeluarga di rumah dengan instant lemang & kueh kueh kering.

the problem started on the second day of raya. kata adik "kok jadi begini buk, gak ada papa yang enak mau di maken". and as usual adik came up with a bright ideal. so, there we were ....hari raya brunch in our favourite serena in nikko.

Hopefully we had a better raya next year .....


(hidangan hari raya 2009)



(waduh, kok uda besar mau di suapin !)



(makan tetap makan)

Looking forward to a better raya next year
& to all friends, a belated selamat hari raya dari kami sekeluarga.

Tarawih & Tahajud

Dapat juga aku menghabiskan hari hari terakhir ramadhan tahun ini di masjid al haram. kali terakhir aku bersujud mengadap baitullah adalah pada akhir ramadhan 2006. suara imam al saudis dan al makki masih seperti dulu, begitu syahdu dan merdu dan membuat aku menangis hiba semasa bersujud menunaikan solat tarawih dan tahajud.walaupun kali ini cuaca tersangat panas dan tempat penginapan lebih jauh dari masjid (akibat kerja kerja pengubahsuaian masjid), aku bersyukur kerana dapat melakukan ibadah dengan penuh keinsafan dan kesabaran.semoga Tuhan ampun segala dosa dosa aku.



(menunggu iftar diperkarangan masjid al nabawi)



(pemandangan masjid al haram dari hotel)



(suasana di dalam masjid al haram)



(sekadar berlindung dari panas matahari dengan suhu sekitar 49 C)


Ya Allah, semoga engkau memberi peluang lagi kepada ku untuk mengunjungi tanah haram mu. tambahkanlah kepada baitullah kebesaran, keagungan, kehebatan dan juga kemuliaan. Amin.

Al-Fathihah ... A Traggic Farewell

i've known the late dr. amin tai and dr. haliza since my early days in hospital kuala lumpur way back in 1985. our friendship grew even stronger ever since we started working together in the same organization since the last 10 years. A renowned pediatric surgeon, an active mercy volunteer and a nature lover, amin tai will always be remembered by family members and friends. likewise, haliza a skillful & caring pediatrician and also an active mercy volunteer will also be sadly missed by all friends.

Their decomposed bodies were airlifted from a deep ravine in bukit taboh, hulu klang yesterday evening. been among the first to identify the body, at a glance i just couldn't recognize them, but the backpacks stacked to their bodies were definitely theirs.

Amin and haliza were schedule to scale mount kinabalu again on saturday with a few other friends. i presumed on that fated wednesday evening, both must have decided to go for a warm-up before the kinabalu trip. Both were seasoned trekkers, having been to the everest base camp, and having reached some of the highest peaks in africa and asia. Why the need for a warm-up when they have conquered the kinabalu peak before.

i'll always remember amin as a close friend and a mentor. to the many surgeons in the country who were trained by him, will definitely remember him for his patience, fine decision makings, skill surgical techniques and his dedications to his job. and mercy will now be without 2 active volunteers for medical emergencies.

Al-Fathihah to dear friends. May Allah rest both of you in peace and make your abode in Jannah.

Sabar Aja lah

dulu kata nak a bigger car, kereta yang lebih tinggi, boleh nampak traffic ahead. and now after driving for 2 weeks, katanya tak bestlah sangat, bawak rasa bumpy semacamlah, tak der accelerationlah, nak park susahlah. sekarang ni ada orang tu asyik bawak kereta kita pulak. ish ish ish sabooooorrrrr aje lah.

Jakarta Revisited

I can't exactly remember how many time i've visited this city, but for sure this was my second visit for the year. For the kiddos this was their first even venture. Over the years, jakarta has really transformed. back in the mid 90's when grand hyatt was THE only hotel in town, one now is spoilt with choices of superb 5 stars accommodation.



(and there we were at Ascott. unfortunately we couldn't get the rooms on the higher floor as the occupancy rate was very high. needless to say, the location was good and very closed to the major shopping malls)



(view from the room overlooking the plaza indonesia and grand indonesia mall)


talking about jakarta, i'm always inspired by their inhabitants and their way of life. sometimes i think life is really unfair - looking at the poor on the street struggling hard to earn an honest living, the under privilege street kids and the helpless baggers. and in between the misery are the noble rich in their shinning lexus and bimmers (opss, btw i've already sold my bimmer !).


(and the greener part of jakarta pusat .... Ascott in the background)


Although the traffic in jakarta is a nightmare, i still feel that dbkl can learn a few tips from them to help manage our own chaotic traffic. For those who fancy shopping (the other half included), then jakarta should be on the list. for bargain hunters, mangga dua, tanah abang and blok m are among the options. Grand indonesia plaza is perhaps the biggest designers outlet mall in south east asia with hundreds of stalls ranging from nina ricci to harvey nicole. but the only setback is the branded goods in these stalls are perhaps 30 to 40% more expensive that in klcc - no wonder the jakartarians always shop for branded products overseas. and the mall also houses some fine restaurants (also fairly expensive and perhaps out of reach for ordinary jakartarians). we pay close to rm 400.00 for the dinner, which could have only cost us about rm 250.00 if it was in klcc)


.... and some of the images captured on our slr


....a must eat thing. despite on a 6 hourly feeding, i have only gained 0.5 kg in 3 days.






(a fairly common phenomena in jakarta ..."peaceful demonstration" . unlike in kl, the police were there to assist and not resist. and thanks god they never get sprayed!)



another common sight in downtown jakarta





(anybody fancy sop buntut or sop kepala kambing, then this is the place!)

Reunion

it's been more that 20 years since we left the medical school. and the opportunity to catch up with them again was very nostalgic. there are those whom i totally lost touch with. and for some, though we hardly met in person, their whereabouts were known as they constantly appeared in the newspapers and tvs. i must say i'm very proud of you people. and among us, quite a number of our children are now in the medical school scattered all over the world. to dato' charlie, dato' maamor, prof zea, jah and irma thank you for your effort and hard work in organizing the get together.





and some friends caught on my camera



(tapo & irma)



(daud, nazri @ head department ophthalmology kangar hospital, zai @ director of health services seremban)



(murni @ director tangling hospital kl, adib, rick @ consultant radiologist DSH, jee @ head department of psychiatry selayang hospital, man @ director serdang hospital)



(murni, jee, azie @ director utm student health clinic, noi @ deputy dean faculty of medicine uitm, adib @ practitioner kl)



(general ello @ consultant physician & director lumut hospital, yeop @ head department of pathology, ipoh hospital, zai, pian @ consultant anesthetist southern hospital melaka, daud)



(man, maamor @ persatuan pengguna islam)



(rick, jee, jah @ practitioner ipoh, muhaya @ consultant ophthalmologist prince court medical centre, ba'e @ batu pahat director of health services)

well friends, i'll load more pictures in my fotopages. till we meet again, you people take care !

Is This a Joke !

i recieved this plastic a few days ago. terkejut & terperanjat. the bank must be joking when it says 'we are please to advise that your application for pl***num card has been approved. ish ish ish bila masa lah pulak aku apply ni ?. penipu besorlah tu. and worse still katannya ' your credit limit has been raised to 40K !. ini kira dah melampau.

and to whom it may concern, ... give me 5 reasons why you deserve this new plastic. oppss, on second thought, i think it's best if you stick to your current plastic
(at least tak bertambah cerahlah kulit kepala principle card holder)

Thank You .... & Welcome

siti will be leaving us soon. since our maid left us 6 months ago, life has been rather .. sob, sob, sob. imagine, having to shorten my slumber to prepare the 2 kiddos for school, help with the laundry, iron my own attire to work and bla bla bla. luckily the suffering only lasted for 3 months. while waiting for the replacement maid, one of our friend was kind enough to loan us siti. she has been such an exemplary and hard working girl. i wish she could stay longer, but then we don't really need 2 maids to help with the house chores. we used to have 2 maids before, one exclusively to take care of my late mum. having 2 maids was not easy though as they regularly back stab and quarrel with each other. and to siti we wish to thank you for all your deeds and wish you all the best in your future undertakings.



darsi at her first high tea in zende seri pacific today. i'm sure there are more to come !




and to our new maid (only 4 days with us), hopefully she'll enjoy her stay with us. just a piece of advise ... beware of geena, been the youngest, she can be very snobbish and kepala angin at time.

stop ! . take a break

can't exactly recall when i last visited my own blog. i was extremely busy since beginning of the year, reached home fairly late in the evening, tired & exhausted!. i really needed a break. and when boss told me to represent him to indonesia last week, i felt so relieved ! well, there i was .... spending the weekend in this superb hotel. every thing was fantastic about this newly refurbish hotel. the joy of waking up late in the morning, enjoying my breakfast at leisure, spending time over coffee at the pool terrace and enjoying the evening at the lobby lounge listening to beautiful songs rendered by a most talented singer I've ever met. of course the kiddos kata tak aci abah tidur kat hotel yang best. a very deserving break i must say. well, jakarta, here we come again on the 13th. march. this time the whole family (minus nana) will be there.



didn't realised that it was valentine last saturday until the waitress at the kofuko restaurant presented adik with a small box of chocolate and a bunch of rose. been very naive, her first remark 'buat apa bagi adik bunga ni , adik mana suka bunga' well, i don't give a damn about valentine's day. we were there not to celebrate but to have our lunch and spend some time with the kiddos!.




and adik posing in the restaurant.