Merapi Oh Merapi

Rasanya dah lama sangat tak jengok blog ni ... ish ish dah bersawan rupanya. sejak entri terakhir, memang rasa hopeless sangat ! sebenarnya tak ada apa special yang nak di update. well, we're suppose to head to palestin masa cuti sekolah yang lepas tapi terpaksa dibatalkan on the eleventh hour sebab pergolakan terbaru yang terjadi disana. kata our guide, pihak regim telah sealed off the border, jadi no way we can enter. further more keadaan masa tu sangatlah huru hara dan merbahaya.

pilihanraya telah pun berlalu but then rasa sangat menyampah pulak dengan the series of post election events yang berlaku. by the way i cast my vote for the first time walau pun dah registered dengan spr since 1988. rasa banggalah pula sebab calon yang menerima pangkahan pertama saya tu menang ! eeeee geram pun ada ..... ada ke patut adun adun di negeri kelahiran aku nak tunjuk act pulak dengan Tuanku Sultan. sedih rasanya melihat perangai those useless politicians. manalah lafaz 'kesetiaan pada raja dan negara' yang menjadi tunggak rukun negara.

disebabkan tersangat menyampah dengan isu isu semasa yang berlaku, we decided to surf the net, and there we were.

..... our flight on malaysia airline ke jogjakarta mengambil masa hampir 2 jam setengah. seperti lapangan terbang di bandar aceh, medan, bali dan bandung, lapangan terbang adisucipto di jogjakarta juga agak usang dan tidak begitu impressive. memandangkan hari cuti umum good friday, maka perjalanan dari lapangan terbang ke hyatt hanya mengambil masa 15 minit.


(gunung merapi yang jelas kelihatan dari bilik kamar)

as it was not a plan trip, kami agak at a lost apa yang nak di buat di jogja. our main aim was to visit candi borobudur (now that we've visited 6 out of the 7 wonders of the world). the hotel was amazing with very nice landscape and fantastic scenery facing the golf course and mount merapi.


(candi borobudur yang banyak menerima kunjungan penduduk tempatan dan luar negeri).

disamping candi borobudur, kami juga mengambil kesempatan menyusuli jalan desa ke kaki pergunungan merapi - the scenery was great dengan ladang buah salak di kiri kanan jalan ke kaki gunung.


sempat juga ke universitas gadjah mada (UGM) - antara universiti tertua dan terfamous di indonesia. rasanya ramai juga penuntut malaysia yang sedang melanjutkan pelajaran disana.


(penuntut UGM yang sedang menjamu selera - the best part is puluhan warung di sekitar kawasan universiti tidak menyediakan kerusi meja untuk pelanggan mereka, so that explain makan sambil bersila !)

the shopping district sekitar jalan malioboro tersangat padat dengan ribuan manusia (naik pening kepala pulak dibuatnya). terdapat banyak batik tulis yang memang cantik cantik. seorang pedagang batik di kawasan tersebut memberi tahu terdapat beberapa orang dari kuala lumpur datang ke kedainya bagi menempah pakian pengantin.

and as usual, what ole ole do I get for myself ? ..... NOTHING !. dan cuba tanya the same question to my wife. yang menghairankan, kalau shopping tak pernah dia mengeluh penat !

Oh God, I'm So Sorry !

It's been more than a week now. It keeps lingering in my mind, and though i've tried to forget it, the memories keep coming. honestly, i just couldn't come to term with the fact that i've lost her. in Almighty Allah i place my trust.

she saw me a few weeks earlier complaining of increasing forgetfulness, persistent frontal headache and progressive blurring of vision. and of course i didn't take her words for granted when she told me that she was suffering from migraine. it came as no surprise when the magnetic resonant scans of the brain indicated a large broad based tumor over the fronto-basal region. there was also severe papillodema from compression of the optic nerve causing her to have impaired vision. the options were clear, surgery to remove the tumor or she'll gradually suffers until her time is up, perhaps in a couple or months or within the next 1 or 2 years at the most. somehow, deep inside me, i've some reservation - the uncomfortable feeling i sensed creeping in me. the feeling that i could not really expressed. not that i've never seen such a tumor - in fact i've operated on far bigger and worse tumors than this.

the 8 hours long surgery went fine, the blood lost was minimal and her vital signs were stable throughout. under operative microscope guidance, the tumor was removed piecemeal till the last bits. despite a bit exhaused, i felt a sensed of deep satisfaction knowing that the tumor was completely removed. hourly monitoring of her vital signs and pupil sizes were normal until disaster stroke at 8.00 am on the following morning. for reasons i found difficult to comprehend, her blood pressure suddenly dropped and within 20 minutes, both pupils were fixed and dilated. oh my god ! this can't be true .... I've just lost her. Why ??. no, it can't be that sudden !. of course i was worried about acute hemorrhage in the brain but then a repeat CT scan of the brain done soon after indicated no such hemorrhage. her deterioration was very rapid and within hours, she was demeed brain dead. my God, she does not succumed as a result of the surgery but to something else that was so acute and unexpected.

the next 2 days was indeed very stressful and full of despair. i just can't help feeling so sorry for her family and friends. i was really feeling very down and decided to cancel all my appointments. and i felt sorry for my receptionist anna as she had to deal with the dissatisfied and frustrated patients some of whom travelled all the way from johore bahru. my biggest doubt has always been when to terminate the ventilation when one is clinically brain dead. following our discussion with the family members and a renown ustaz we finally decided to let her go. her heart stopped beating approximately 40 minutes after withdrawal of the life support machine. Al-Fathihah. May Allah rest her in peace and make her abode in Jannah. according to the ustaz, based on the medical grounds (when the patient is pronounce brain dead and her condition is not compatible with life anymore as confirmed by a qualified muslim doctor) and hukum fekah it's a must for one to terminate any form of life support so as not to prolong the sufferings.

it was rather unfortunate that her death still remain a mistery. if only her family members have consented to a post mortem, then perhaps we could get to know the cause. but on second thought, was it really necessary. as a believer, i truly belief that Almighty Allah knows best !. and whenever i lost a patient, i would be suffering from a feeling of desperation and low self esteem...and i know this is going to last for weeks. how i wish i could turn back the clock and embark on a less stressful profession ........

You're a Joker !

Found this in my alumni forum. Have a good day !

Somebody farted during the inquiry.

Inquiry officer asked Tengku Adnan first: Did you fart?
Adnan replied: You must be drunk or mad.

the officer then asked Dr Mahathir: Did you fart?
Mahathir answered: I don't remember. Anyway it's my prerogative to fart and
I don't have to answer to any body.

He then asked Eusoff Chin: Did you fart?
Eusoff Chin answered: If anyone wants to fart, what can I do?

The officer then turned to Lingam: Did you fart?
Lingam replied: Sounds like mine, smells like mine ...

Boring Habis $%@#$#$^#

rasanya dah lama tak update blog ni. takut pulak blog ni blank terus, jadi tulislah apa yang patut (walau pun mood tu memang at the lowest level). sebenarnya tak ada apa yang special nak ditulis.

1.work load surprisingly agak heavy bermula dari awal minggu pertama tahun baru 2008. ada a few emergencies requiring surgery at the wee hour of the morning. naturally terpaksalah tukar sleeping pattern, kira macam kena jet lag lah tu. penat tu memanglah penat sebab the next day tu kena jugak kerja macam biasa. well, i'm not complaining either, sebab $$$$$$ masyuk.

2.Dad was at my house last week. Tapi this time around he seems to be a bit emotional. ternampak on a few occasion he was weeping tapi bila ditanya katanya tak ada apa apa. yesterday he insisted that I sent him to my sis house in rahman putera . i know dia memang close dengan the maid tu. lepas hantar baba ke sungai buloh barulah maid cerita. katanya he could't stay at my house kerana terkenang arwah mama. I was also very surprised sebab bila baba datang this time dia memang tak nak tidur kat bilik arwah mama. bilik yang arwah mama duduk dulu memang agak selesa sebab very spacious with attach bathroom, aircond and a king size bed. kata maid lagi, the memories of arwah mama tiba tiba make him very emotional, sebab tu lah dia mintak pergi rahman putera.

3. last week juga, tetiba on one fine morning maid mengadu kedua dua tong sampah sudah hilang dicuri orang daripada tempat sampah. ish ish, ... ingatkan curi besi penutup longkang jer, tong sampah pun mereka sapu. balik kerja sebelah petang maid bagi tahu, bukan tong sampah kita saja yang lesap tapi semua tong sampah dari rumah di jalan 4 dan 5 kena angkut !. yang bestnya maid sebelah kena marah dengan dato' majikan dia, katanya tong sampah pun tak pandai jaga !

4. and the march school holiday is just round the corner. yesterday rizal from the travel agency called. katanya ada trip ke jordan and syria. kalau interested, boleh cuba masuk ke hebron di palestin tapi risiko tanggung sendiri. ish, itu kira bagus tu, bukan senang nak pergi palestin tu .....

To Sir With Love

I was flipping thro' the old album last night when adik asked .. who's that man ????
well, that was my professor, my mentor and someone whom i admired. the late Professor Sir Harry. Sir Harry would addressed everyone, from the tea lady to the most senior consultant surgeon as a 'professor'. Of course, i was shock when he greeted me ..'morning professor', on my very first day when i reported for duty as a medical office in his department. needless to say, though i had to work long hours, not a moment had i complained. i really enjoyed working under this great man. a man who had such a great sense of humour. remembering him triggers my gray matter to some of the jokes that we shared.

1. a man in his 50's was admitted to the ward with severe epigastric and lower chest pain. having clerked and examined him, i presented my findings to Sir Harry who was doing his evening teaching rounds with some postgraduate students. looking at me he asked .. professor, what was your differential diagnosis ? and what investigations would you do to support your diagnosis ? showing him the ECG (electrocardiography) tracing, i told him that the gentleman was suffering from acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and that the medical officer at the accident and emergency department had wrongly diagnosed and admitted him to our surgical ward. the ECG tracing showed classical 'ST elevation' in all leads. picking up the ECG strip and glancing thro' for 2 minutes, he looked at me and his postgraduate students, he said .... very well professor, .... in the eyes of a surgeon, all ECG's look alike!. even a first year medical student would be able to diagnose a heart attack just by looking at the typical ECG pattern of elevated ST segments. the moral of the story is ,.. don't trust a surgeon when it comes to your heart.

2. there was this indian gentleman who was warded for melena (passing out of loose foul smelling stool mixed with stale blood). during the morning round, Sir Harry turned to me and said ..'professor, would you do a per rectal examination (sticking up one's finger into his anus to determine the progress and colour of the stool) on this gentleman now' . having done the procedure, the gentleman, visibly annoyed by now, looked up at us and has this to say 'apa pasal hari hari pun ada mahu jolok. awak semua ingat in buntut gomen punya ka ??

3. on hearing the code blue message, i rushed to the ward. there Sir Harry and a few other medical personals were ressusitating a patient who developed sudden heart attack following a surgery to remove his gall stones. following defibrillation, the heart rhythm was not in a synchronised state. turning to dr. gurcharan singh (a newly qualified doctor) he shouted ..."professor, get me the verapamil" ( verapamil was the drug use to resynchronise the heart beat). after 5 minutes Sir Harry shouted again ....where is the bloody damned verapamil ???. but dr. gurcharan was no where to be seen. he appeared after 30 minutes. looking very exhausted and gasping for breath, he handed it to Sir Harry. my god, what the hell you bringing this for, lamented Sir Harry. i'm asking for a verapamil and not a burial permit (an official notification form to document the cause of death before one can bury the dead). pity dr. gurcharan, he must have rushed down to the mortury to get the burial permit. well, to cut the story short, the patient indeed required the burial permit.

4. a middle age chinese lady saw Sir Harry in the surgical out patient clinic complaining of constipation (passing hard stool). as Sir Harry does not speak bahasa, he called me to translate. 'well, Ah Soh, saya kasi ini ubat (dulcolax suppository), masuk sana bawah, lepas tu najis mesti jadi lembut, kemudian baru senang pangsai', i explained to her. a week latter she came back to see Sir Harry who then instructed me to handle her case. the lady said ' saya sudah masuk itu ubat sana bawah, tapi apa pasal lagi tak senang pangsai ?'. i was a bit puzzled, usually the dulcolax suppository works very well. trying to solve her problem, i asked her again . 'Ah Soh, awak tunjuk saya macam mana awak masuk itu ubat !'. and this was what she has to say " hari itu awak cakap mahu masuk itu ubat sana bawah . jadi saya sudah buka itu ubat punya plastik, kemudian saya masuk sana bawahlah, dalam itu toilet bowl " i can't help laughing. no wonder it does not work. the suppository was supposed to be inserted into her anus and not into the toilet bowl.

To Professor Sir Harry,
Thank you for your guidance, trust and encouragement. Do rest in peace !

Sunday Routine

come sunday morning, adik's usual remark ... 'abah, hari ni lunch mana ?'. the kiddos know it very well that since we're only free on a sunday, we always bring them out for lunch or dinner on our free day. needless to say we've to forget about dieting on a sunday !. but the biggest question as always is nak lunch or dinner kat mana ?? the usual options - nasi padang at natrabu or puti bongsu, tarbush, thai village, nasi kelantan in kg baru, legend, le meridian, penang village, grand seasons, marriot putrajaya, pelita nasi kandar (and the list goes on ...). the only problem is geena and farhi always has a contrasting taste. farhi would opted for nasi padang and his ice telle or the thai dishes. geena on the other hand would go for lasagna, speghetti or penang asam laksa. the parents, semua boleh !

so here we're today. at one of our usual pot ! the good thing about this place is ample parking space, only 10 minutes from home, not many customers (you can drop by without an appointment on a sunday but definitely not for lunch on a working day !)


having lunch or dinner at leisure with the kiddos at least once a week on a sunday is something we always look forward. usually this is the time we talk to them about school and their friends. and on their part, this is the time they put up their requests. and geena's request was a bit odd today ..'tasha tanya, boleh tak geena jadi flower girl for her sister's weeding kat bangsar next week ?'


and of course, to maintain the waistline we do have to diet !

Happy New Year - 2008

i'm still down with low grade fever. this irritating non productive cough is killing me. and for the last 3 nights i've been sleeping alone in the spare room. kira very considerate lah sebab tak mahu the other half terjangkit pulak dengan upper respiratory tract infection ni.

saw some fireworks fired from klcc via the window on the upper floor at the stroke of midnight - nothing interesting ! and the neighbour's daughter with her group of teenages friends punyalah bising memekak celebrating the new year. was called in the wee hour of the morning. two arab students who were drunk had a browl in the pub, landed in the emergency department with kepala koyak sana sini.

azam for the new year ? . nothing new. last year punya pun tak tahu dah tercapai ke belum. as usual, just hope to make more money this year. *** SO HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY ***