Being Proactive!

I just had my very first meeting with my academic advisor today. It was just a get-to-know session between us and her and she did ask about how's everything going on in our firm and wards.

As soon as she posed that question to us, I had expected that all of my groupmates will voice out their unsatisfactoriness towards the teaching from our consultant. Let me just name him as Dr. X to keep his identity anonymous for obvious reasons.

Basically, we had a limited amount of proper teaching from our consultant. He is always occupied with his work and we rarely had the time to meet him in the ward. Undoubtedly, being a cardiologist is a hectic work but he should bear in mind that he also has the responsibility on our teaching. Even if he really do not have the time to meet and teach us, he should assign any registrars, SHOs, or FYs under him to teach us. Plus, his clinic is conducted at the same time as our PBL session. Therefore, we never had the chance to be in the cardiology clinic even though we are about to swap firms!

I felt jealous when I heard some other groups bragging about the proper teaching that they had in their firms with their consultants. They would always compare with each other what kind of skills, examinations and procedure that they have done. For instance, a guy would say they have performed a venepuncture on a patient. Then, there would be a girl claiming that she had done an ABG. And the list continues on and on. It seems to me as if all of this is some kind of a huge competition!

Going back to the meeting that I had with my academic advisor, she told us to be more proactive in gaining our teaching. Well, that was what we actually did for the past 6 weeks! All of the teaching in the wards that we had was like a ad hoc session. We would turn up and grab any consultants or doctors in sight to teach us something related to our case for that week.

When we get ourselves to the wards, we would always meet the nurses first and ask them if there are any patients that we could talk to and practice our history-taking on them. In terms of skills teaching, we could say that we lack a bit on that part because all the doctors in our ward rarely had a huge time to go through all the examinations that we did on the patients. Luckily, we have a clinical debrief session once a week to compensate on that! And of course, there would be certain time which all the doctors are really busy and they do not even have time to teach us and turn down our request.

In all, we have been very proactive in getting our teaching since we started our placement in the cardiology ward. We would always try to get our hands on every single teaching opportunity that is available. If not, how would we have even survived the past few weeks!

Life In Clinical Years

I keep delaying and telling myself to write something in this blog some time later which ended up I didn't post any entry for the past few weeks. Right now, I am pulling all of my strength and energy around me to write an entry after I left this blog unattended for a while.

As most of you guys might have already know, I have just started my clinical years in Wythenshawe Hospital and I'm gonna spend my time here till I graduate. The hospital is actually located quite far from my house, near the Manchester Airport, which kinda force me to wake up very early in the morning to commute. Basically, my daily timetable has totally changed vastly now. Everyday, I wake up at 6 am, get ready, and leave my house at 7.30 am and reach my hospital at 8.30 am everyday. That's quite an early time for some people to get out of bed, huh?

And when it comes to clinical years, all of my schedule are really packed with all sorts of clinical teaching such as ward rounds, skills teaching, clinical debrief and ward works. Most of the days, I will always get home at about 6 pm and feels extremely exhausted. Don't know if it's the journey to and from the hospital that takes out most of my energy but when you have a hectic schedule, it is unlikely you will end up not feeling worn out.

I could still remember a senior told me to appreciate and cherish the free times that I had when I was in first and second years because clinical years gonna is not gonna treat you well. I guess there are right and now I am starting to feel the tense!

The main entrance for Wythenshawe Hospital

In all, I think that the very early start schedule everyday is to get me used to the real life as a doctor. Once, an FY2 doctor told me that his work starts at 8 am and finishes at 6 pm everyday. Guess my schedule was not that bad and it could be worst. Otherwise, I am grateful with my life and will always try to lead an active life of a medical student. Peace out!

My New Sacred Resting Place

To divert my mind from thinking any other issues, I have decided to write about my newly-renovated room.

I have arrived in Manchester for about 5 days ago and really don't have much anything to do. The main thing on my mind was that I need to settle down and had a long to-do-list to prepare myself for the new academic term. And the first thing on that list was renovating my room. For me, it's important to have a neat, tidy, clean and comfortable room as it is the place where you would study, do your work and get a good night rest. It is the best sanctuary in your home.

Before this, I admit that my room looks kinda boring and dull. I don't have much stuff for decoration and the lighting in the room was not that good. The only source of bright light in my room was my desk lamp and it shines much brighter than the ceiling lamp. Thus, I brought my own light bulb from home to solve this issue. It's a Philip, an electronic brand that you can trust, and use 18 Watts to shine. Trust me, my room now looks more clearer and I could see any dust or clutter on the floor with this kind of light.

Then, it's the duvet cover and pillowcases. Since my bed is a double-sized bed, it is undoubtedly the main attraction in my room. People would surely have a look at my bed first before scrutinizing everything else. Before this, I have used a bright red silk duvet cover and pillowcases which didn't work out very well. Now, I decided to change all of that and replace it with a more 'metro' kind of style. Look at the pictures below!

The furniture arrangements in my room also needs a change to instill a new environment in this room. The new arrangements made my room looks a little bit smaller than before. But, I think the new available space would suffice for me to pray or do some indoor exercises. That's good enough for me. Let's just hope that there won't be additional furniture in my room later on.

Have a look at the pictures below and you can imagine how comfortable and neat my new rooms is! :)

View from entrance

My stuff

Look at how bright my room is now!

p/s: There is more to come. Some finishing touches still need to be done. :)

The Sense Of Dinar And Dirhams

I felt intrigued after reading a news article a few days ago about the Kelantan State Government introduced a new currency only for its state called Dinar and Dirham. Each dinar is worth RM180 and one dirham is RM4.

Whichever way you look at it, the fact remains that the opposition party of the Malaysian government has introduced a new system of currency. This new currency is really interesting as the last time an Islamic country used this syariah currency was the Ottoman Caliphate, dated back about more than 100 years ago.

The dinar and dirham are said can be used in more than 1000 shops in Kelantan and are accepted to be used to pay zakat and dowry.

As expected, Bank Negara Malaysia issued a statement, claiming only Ringgit Malaysia is the legal tender in this country.

Then, the Kelantan state governement said that their administrative staff will be paid in this new currency. Problem would certainly rise later on because if the staff were to spend outside the state, they need to change their money first which I would think most (possibly all) money changers would not accept as it is not an official currency of a country.

Some might see this act has something to do with politics and I do not doubt that. Maybe PAS also wants to create a sense of belonging to the Kelantanese and to show the world that they are serious in upholding the Islamic most prestigious currency.

The Kelantan Dirham

In terms of practical reasons, how much of the currency of one state can be minted and circulated widely? Lets just wait and see what happens next!

I'm Not A Superstar

My brother just showed me a video clip of a song, made by an Indonesian group called Project Pop. I'm not sure whether this group is famous or not in Indonesia as this is the first time I've heard of their name, but by the looks of number of views for this video, it is really promising. I know I'm maybe a little bit behind in publicising this video because my brother told me that this video has been popularly known since few months back. What the heck!

What attracted me the most about this video is the way they imitates top superstars of Indonesia in a much candid and funny way. Watching them copying the style and habits of Ariel Peterpan (currently known as Peterporn due to his involvement in a sex video), Glenn Fredly and Mulan Jamilah in this video is simply hilarious! You guys really have to watch it! Enjoy!

What's Wrong With What I Ride?

When we have reached a certain age in adulthood, our mode of transportation is one of the most important matter in our life. Your choice of transportation is essential as people would perceive your financial status based on that (at least that's how Malaysian thinks). If you are still riding a motorbike in your twenties or thirties, people would think that you are broke and they would look down on you! I had my own episodes in this matter which I think suitably to be comprised of 3 parts as follows.

Lets start at the beginning, shall we?I could still vividly remember that when I was 10 years old, I wanted a bicycle! A bicycle with changeable gears! Not just the normal, cheap ones. But my father objected my wish because he said that I do not need a bicycle as my school was only a mere 5 minutes walk from my home. Hey, I was a kid back then and didn't really understand about the things that I want and the things that I need. I made a deal with my dad, that if I were first in class again in the exams, he would buy it for me. In the end, I won the deal and my father had to buy it for me. I felt really satisfied and happy and continue wandering of throughout my 'kampung' with pride on the first day I got that bike. Really, I admit that I was a big ass show off back then!

Then, when I reached the age of 16, the craze for motorbike started. Well, this fanatic for motorbike didn't really hit me, most probably because I entered a boarding school. Being stranded in exile, away from this 'pointless influence'. Thus, I can see it in my brother and some of my friends who study in daily schools. The obsession of wanting a Yamaha or Honda motorbike was a priority, other than academic achievements of course. If you had a Modenas or Egos motorbike, you just barely make it to the par because your country-made motorbike is regarded as 'second class'. The more expensive it is, the more look-of-awe that you'll get! Whats even worst is that if you were still riding a bicycle to school, you could be mocked or teased by those idiot people. And having a 'first class' motorbike is also considered a 'tool' to catch some high school 'chicks', (Takkan nak ajak awek jalan2 naik motor kapcai aje kot? Tak hingin i! :p)

The final part of this ridiculous transition is when you have reached your early twenties. Then, the desire to have a car mounted up within you. You will then tell your parents that you feel as if you are getting tired of riding a motorbike. You will use excuses such as the weather is always rainy and your college or university is too far to be reached by a motorbike. With a puppy-lost look face, begging and hoping that your parents will agree on buying a car for you. But the irony thing about this part of transition is that the first choice of car would be the one made in Malaysia such as Kancil or MyVi, with the latter being the one most sought for. Not the Japan-made or Germany-made vehicles as before. Obviously because of the price of course. Then, the funniest thing about this part is that you will be filled with pride with your 'own' car and upload pictures in your Facebook the trips that you have done with 'your' car and posed with various styles to show the world that you now have owned a car. Even though the real fact is that the car that you are driving is under your father's name, haven't finished paying the installments and you still asking money from your mom to fill up the petrol. That is the reality and I do think some of you out there might dislike me for stating the real context here. Bummer, huh? Oh! and another thing, no doubt having a car will act as a 'magnet' to attract all those college and university chicks because now you look macho in a car to attend an event, rather than riding a motorbike soaked in rain.

In all, I would agree that having a vehicle is important to commute from your home to your workplace or university. But, it must come and be used with modesty and do not ever ostentatiously drive your car in front of your friends filled with pride and obnoxiousness because it is not you who pays up the installment of that car which does not make it your car. Yes, that is the fact! If you really wanna do that kind of act, just wait till you get your own job and source of income. Then we'll see the real car that you really capable of using. Adios!

No Operation For Me

As some of you guys might have already know, I was about to undergo an operation on my right knee. I had injured and tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a rugby match during my years back in KMB. It is painless for most of the time but succumb to the fact that I can't play any rough sports due to this injury is something that is difficult for me to take. And for me to regain full recovery and strength, I need to have that surgery.

But, guess what? Yeah, you're right if your guess is based on the title of this entry. It got cancelled!

Why you ask?

The answer lies on the specialists. There are only four orthopedics specialist in the hospital and believe it or not, they are all fully booked till August. I was surely in a dismay state at that time and tried to plea if I could ft in any slot for the surgery. But my effort came to no avail. There was even this one specialist, he even opened up his diary in front of me to prove that he has at least 2 surgeries to be done each day till August. If I really wanna have the surgery, I need to stay back till August and extend my summer holiday till September. That is something I can't afford to do.

Another thing is that the doctors explained to me that my injury is not an emergency case. Which means that they will hold me back to give priority for the most needy ones. Get in the queue lad!!

I would have the surgery if I were to stay here till September, but that's not gonna happen because I will be leaving Malaysia quite early this year as my clinical classes will commence on the 1st of September.

I have thought of getting the surgery in a private hospital, but the doctor said that it would cost about RM6000 in total. My parents would surely stand against that idea as we are really tight in our expenditure for that kind of amount.

Then, the final resort would be having the surgery back in Manchester. UK has a really good welfare system for students because I don't have to pay a single penny if I have my surgery there. All of it will be taken care by the National Health Service. Sounds great, huh? Only the problem is, I'm not sure where I could fit in the time for surgery and recovery as my timetable would be really packed for next term. Bear in mind, starting from next term, I will be having my clinical studies in South Manchester Hospital from 9 to 5 for most of the day. Even commuting from my home to the hospital would take about 40 minutes one way. Will I have the time for the surgery then?

I am in a complete state of nothingness right now. I guess it's another year of 'sport-less' for me then. No intense running. No tackling. No kicking. Well, i could do for a jog, but that just wouldn't cut it. My closest friends sure knows how much I like to have my adrenaline and blood rushing through sports. Let's just hope that next year will fly past really fast and all goes well, shall we?

Don't Stop Believing

This is my new obsession! Glee's official theme song - Don't Stop Believing.

I've been listening to this song since I've started watching this TV show when I got back home from Manchester. Well, when you don't have anything to do, you would eventually find something interesting to fill up your time.

Enjoy this catchy song! It surely does made my day and could lift up a fainted spirit :)

No More Scholarship For Studying Overseas

My title for this entry may sounds harsh and could make any hopeful students worried, but the real situation is actually not that severe. The Public Service Department (PSD) is not entirely stopping giving out their scholarship but their scholarships will be given for those undergraduates who will be studying at local universities or postgraduates studies. If you would like to have a PSD scholarship at undergraduate level, you must get an offer from top universities in the world such as Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford, which I doubt will be easy as other foreign universities due to their extreme high standards and quota.

The original article can be found here.

Now, let us reflect this kind of action taken by the current government. Is is fair to stop giving out scholarships to study abroad? I mean, the scholarships are actually taxes payed diligently by citizens of Malaysia every year. So, is it fair for the government to handle the people's money this way? Is this action considered as depriving the bright children from getting better quality of education abroad?

Every year, about 1500 bright students will get the PSD scholarship to study abroad. But it seems that this number is not enough as we will always see complaints from unsatisfied parents who thinks that their child supposed to get it. To tell you the truth, I think this incidence will happen every year because the number of 'intelligent' students are increasing day by day - blame it on the advanced technology and workbooks! 'Intelligent' here for me actually refers to student nowadays who are just memorizing past years questions and then expect to get an 'A' for every subjects. Not much of a thinker. So, let's just stop the scholarship and no one will get to study abroad. And no students who just memorized all their way get to fly overseas. It's much fairer that way.

And then, people might say that the number of universities in Malaysia is not enough. I think now there are many universities in our own country who could cater the needs of education for our own students. Lets say that most of the students in this nation wants to read medicine. Before this, there were only like 5 universities which offer this course, thus places are limited and highly competitive. But now, there are more medical schools than that - we now have IMU, CUCMS, MSU, AIMST and much more. Hence, the number of places is not a problem anymore.

There are still out there who might associates studying in a foreign university with a much more glamorous status. Yes, I admit studying oversea brings much attention to me. But that is only if this case is being looked by lay-minded people. The new generations now must have been aware that it doesn't matter where your degree comes from, but it is the passion and desire in the profession that matters. Maybe this action of stopping giving out the scholarships will shattered the dreams of many students who dreamt of playing snow during winter or travel around Europe, but it is for the betterment of the future. Besides, if you want to play in the snow, or go on a eurotrip, you can always do that whenever you have worked. It's much more worth it. Trust me ;)

Don't Tell Anybody

Sometimes, our heart is longing something that we will never get.

Finally, I'm Home

It has been 3 days since the moment I step my foot back in my beloved home. I finally got to fulfill my cravings for a 'roti canai' in a mamak stall for breakfast, eat my mum's cookings and assimilate with the hot and humid weather of Malaysia. Probably, if I'm lucky enough, I'll get tan a little bit. So far, so good.

As it is also a time for school holidays, a lot of wedding ceremonial events are taking place and many invitations needs to be attend. In my large family, two of my closest cousins are not going to miss this opportunity as they will be getting married and lead on a more prosperous life with their new spouses. Well, I have actually missed one of them because I was still in Manchester. Guess there's only one left and it looks like I have lend a hand in helping the preparation.

I am aware that in my comfortable state at home, there are still lots of my friends who are still struggling doing revisions and practicing for their exams. Honestly, there are some feelings and desire inside of me to upload some nice and tasty pictures of me in Malaysia that would make them jealous. But, I keep refraining myself from doing that to avoid from any harm that would effect them mentally (nasib baik korg - apip dgn klone :p)

And not to forget for the person who will be having the biggest exam in the year. All the best and may Allah help you in answering all the exams questions that will be asked to you. Good luck!!

How Things Are So Far

It's pretty weird why I always have the urge and idea to write an entry in my blog whenever I am doing my revisions at the University Place. Well, here I am, rummaging through my books, feeling lethargic and it's like my mind can't take in anymore information. I need a rest for a while now. Besides, our brain can't work non-stop and need some rest to re-energize. Even machines would eventually break down if it is being use continously.

So far, my academic life here has gone as 'normally' as a student should have. Exams are only making things worst. I'm not blaming the exams because I know exams are important to assess what we have learned so far. But due to the amount of workload and pressure from sponsor that is mounting up, I need to get hold of myself and face the upcoming exams, prepared. I have just finished one paper of my semester exams, which means there will be another more paper and one oral presentation. Hope everything goes well and I won't startle too much during the presentation.

Another thing is that I think I have become an 'outcast' here in Manchester. It's not because I have done something wrong or anything bad. It's just that I have been spending too much time alone (sometimes being accompanied) in my room or my 'private study room' for revisions which kinda isolates me from my other friends. I usually rejects any offers to play sports and to hang around with my friends. I even barely see any sunshine nowadays!!

Honestly, I can't wait for the summer holidays to come!! I will be flying back home to Malaysia on the 3th of June and spend a relaxing 2 months of holidays there. Lots of trips and meetings have been planned before hand for the whole study-free holidays. One thing for sure is that I'm going to meet most of my schoolmates, friends from college and the special person in my life. We are gonna have a blast!! And there's nothing more that I could ask for than that. :)

Malaysians Do Got Talent

Between our study group sessions a few days ago, Wahida showed me a really cool and catchy song by someone called Mizz Nina and in the song, she featured a very big singer and discographer named Colby O'Donis. To be frank, I really don't prefer disco songs compared to other genres of music. But, I have to make an exception for this one. I love this song at the first moment I heard it.

Then, I began to do some research on the girl who sang this song. To my surprise, she is actually a Malaysian and she was a former member of a famous hip hop group called Teh Tarik Crew. Mentioning the name of this group really brings back the memory when I was in high school. Well, maybe this group is not as famous as Too Phat but some of their songs are quite good and well worth to hear. It's just that maybe there were not so many people who fancy their songs which causes the group to split up and follow their own paths.

It had really caught my attention how a Malysian artist could work together with a very well-known singer and discographer in the world. I mean, Colby O'Donis is very popular in the music industry and he have been asked to be a featured artist with big names such as Lady Gaga (Just Dance) and Akon (What You Got). Now, he's singing with a Malaysian artist! I don't know who approached who to produce this song but their duet is really awesome! Try check out the video above!

p/s: Credits again to Wahida for introducing this song to me. If not, this song won't exist in my iTunes as today. :p

Why We Left And Why We Will Continue To Leave

I recently found an interesting article in the online newspaper, The Star, about a doctor's work life in Malaysia. Just thought that I might share it with my fellow medics friends. This blog gave a picture from an experienced doctor point of view, who is clearly being dismayed by the healthcare system in our country. Maybe after reading this article, you guys should have a rough idea on your future in this profession and how we can together improve this damaged system.



I read an interesting article today about a few prominent figures addressing their concern over the increasing UKM and UM medical graduates who have left the country to continue their medical practice overseas.

After reading the news for 3 times, I called a very close friend, an MD (UKM) graduate to ask his opinion on how the news might have affected him. He has been working in Singapore for more than a decade as a Consultant Surgeon with a certain sub-specialty

"Why be a slave in your own country, when you are a king in another?" He replied.

Indeed, if anybody would want to find a reason why all of us left, either after housemanship, after being a specialist, or even after sub specializing, and now, even prior to doing housemanship, they need not look at our payslip, or the wealth that we have gained overseas, but only to the Medical System that has been rotting in the ignorance and politic-based stupidity that Malaysia has been well-known for (in the medical field).

I have served the system for nearly 2 decades of my career, waiting for it to improve for so long, and only finding myself in despair, quitting with a 24-hour notice and serving abroad. The system is, in my opinion, keeping doctors, since the beginning of their career as House Officers to the end of it, in the lowermost priority. When I was working there, doctors are so ill-treated, while the nurses and the medical assistants are overpowering us.

I still remember the days when I was doing seeing patients and rounds as an MO, while the staff nurses would mind their own business, having breakfast in the pantry, or having gossip chats at their own leisure. My House Officers would then have to do merely all the labour-work, up to the extent of setting intravenous drips, and serving medications. If I am to expect the nurses, my patients would have been dead, or the work would have been too slowly or incompletely done.

When I was a House Officer, I had to run down 4-5 floors just to review a blood investigation of a dying dengue patient. The ward staff would either be nowhere around, or will say that he is busy (busier than the doctor?) or the answer I got at that time:

"Doktor nak cepat, doktor turun sendirilah, gaji doktor lagi banyak dari saya"

Even when I was a Specialist, the staff nurses had to be called again and again just to make sure the management plan for the patient would be done. I was already used to answers from them:

“I’m busy with something else"

“My shift is already over"

...it was routine for me.

The Medical Assistants were worse. They would hide behind their so-called boss, the Head of Medical Assistant. They feel hiding behind him would make them not under our jurisdiction, that we have no power to instruct them in managing the patient, that they have power to manage own their own. I've seen them giving medications not as we prescribed, performing procedures without our knowledge, as if they are the actual "Doctors". They are in their own world, and we have to do their job, taking blood, labelling samples, and even cleaning gadgets from the procedures that we have done.

Oh, but the ministry loves this group. They even let them run a clinic now, instead of upgrading the clinics already run by doctors. The government feels that the MAs are very important and should never be ill-treated by those big bad doctors. One time when I was a District Hospital Medical Officer, I was conducting a delivery of a baby. An MA insisted that I remove my car which was block-parking his car. I answered through the phone that I was busy.

He came to the labor room and yelled "Semua orang pun sibuk jugak, macamlah doktor seorang yang sibuk!”

It is insulting that an MA or a staff nurse claims that they are BUSY, as busy as a doctor? As a Malaysian Doctor, I have even worked for 72 hours straight. I have experienced working until my 6 month old daughter did not recognize me at the end of the week.

Is that how busy they are? I am very sure that they are so busy, that they can only spend 2 hours at the nearby Mamak stall, or can only leave at 5:10 PM instead of 5, or can only have 1 hour of lunch.

The management staffs are worse. I have to beg and plead so that I can get my on-call claims, of RM25 per 48 hours of work. While sitting in an air-conditioned office, they will at their own leisure, process my call claims so that I will receive them by the next decade.

The state health or Hospital Director would just give another inspirational talk (of bollocks) on team effort and beauty of teamwork.

That is how Malaysian doctors are treated in the government sector: without respect, without dignity and without significance. Why?

It is because we are bound by ethics to try our best to save lives, despite how ill-treated we are. We hardly have time to complaint because we are too busy or tired, and we would rather spend the precious time resting or seeing our loved ones. The burden of trying to save lives is on our shoulders alone. No MAs or Staff nurses would shoulder it with us. They have their own bosses: the Sisters, Matrons, or Head of MAs, which job description is to ensure that the big bad doctors will not ask their underlings to do extra work.

This is how the Malaysian Ministry of Health have treated their doctors. I am very sure that in each and every doctor, there is a slowly-burning patience in serving the Malaysian people, which will eventually fade and cause them to surrender to serving a place that treats them better.

A few colleagues who graduated from UK choose to serve there:

"The pay is more, and we get the respect we deserve"

Another works in Brunei:

“Here the staff nurses respect Malaysian doctors, and they are very co-operative" (He ended up marrying one)

A few are consultants in Singapore (working with me):

"Here we are treated well, we spearhead the management, and every else do their work to the best of their capabilities".

A few even enjoys working in Indonesia:

“The work-load is horrible since there are a lot of patients, but we are well respected by every hospital personnel" (They have migrated there for nearly a decade)

I am sure that people will see doctors as power-hungry individuals who want to be the boss in the hospital. Trust me, after having graduated 6-7 years of medical school, earning a DEGREE, and subsequently MASTERS, and SUBSPECIALITY, you would expect a degree of respect and being considered important. We are trying our best to improve patient's quality of life, or making sure he lives another day. Is it too much to ask from the system that we are important?

I find that Malaysia is the only country that is making doctors' lives miserable and treated like rubbish. It was never about the pay in the first place. It is about the treatment we are getting and the false political-based promises. Do you know that the so-called circular about doctors can have the day off after working 24 hours straight released JULY 2009 is not yet implemented? Do you know that the raise of UD 41 to 44 does not involve every doctor in the government service?

We are waiting for improvement. We have waited a long time when we were working in the system. Somewhere along the line we decided to leave and wait outside the system. Until the system changes, we will continue to work overseas, in countries which are appreciative of us. Trust me, Malaysian-graduate doctors are considered highly skilful and competent in neighbouring countries, and the 15 % brain drain is more significant than you think.

We will return when the system prioritize us and gives us the quality of life we deserve.

If it stays the same, Malaysian Hospitals would end up having Staff nurses and Medical Assistants as "Doctors", and we would have to send patients to Indonesia for an appendicectomy.

Hear our voice. We hardly speak, but will usually fade away from conflict (and fly to another place).

posted by: MS Mohamad

The original article can be found here.

Chicken Tikka BBQ

I have learned something new today - how to marinate a chicken. I was supposed to marinate and grilled about 100 pieces of chicken for the Farewell Party. Grilling a chicken is no problem to me but marinating a chicken is. Therefore, I have asked opinions for recipes from some of my friends on how to do this and I ended up combining all of their ideas and make it more simple.

The ingredients are very easy to obtained and can be found in any grocery stores. They are - chicken, natural yoghurt, chicken tikka powder, olive oil and salt. If you guys can't find the chicken tikka BBQ powder in your nearest store, you can replace it with curry or tumeric powder.

The recipe are as follow:

• Place a natural low fat yoghurt into a container
• Pour in the Chicken Tikka BBQ powder
• Put in some salt and olive oil (depending on the amount of your chicken)
• Stir it well (it's better to use your hands)
• Leave it for about at least an hour
• Put your marinated chicken in the fridge to get better results and taste

Then, it's off to the oven. Cook it for about 40 minutes until the outer part of the chicken turns dark brown. Ideally, it is best to barbeque these marinated chickens outdoor to get its exquisite taste after beinq barbequed with heat from charcoals.

Me washing the chickens

Apip, Bat and Mursyid giving me a hand (or hands)

Grilling the chicken

The end results - deliciously looking good

I know the recipe I suggested here is kind of very simple and vague. Be sure to alter it according to tour needs. That's all for now. See ya!!

The Things I Do At 3.30 am In The University

It's a cold and dark morning outside. I am in the University Place computer cluster at the moment I'm writing this entry. Lots of people have gone back to their home for a good night sleep in their comfy bed. Only a few are still in this building, trying to get their courseworks done and some revising their studies. And not to mention, there are some inconsiderate people staying back here just to listen to Youtube and putting it out loud on speakers to let the whole world acknowledge their 'awesome' music. God! Don't they have internet at home?. They really don't have to spread their music to the people (or nerds) here. No one's gonna say "Hey, I love your music. What's the name of it?". Pathetic.

I, on the other hand, are still struggling to finish a part of my revision, which is my aim for tonight and then pack my stuff and go back home. I am being accompanied by my friend, Klone, who are sitting right next to me right now, smashing his head to find solutions for his coursework. I wish I could help him, but I'm no good in Maths and I'll end up making things worst. :p

University Place, University of Manchester

Back to work now. I'm just writing this entry with the intention to clear my head off and get some time-out from medical and clinical textbooks. There are still lots that need to be covered. Seems like an endless road to me to finish it before the exams. But, nothing is impossible!

Of Exams And Going Back Home

I really need to be more focused now. This one month will be an intensive one due to the amount of workload that needs to be done. The exams are only two weeks away and there are still lots of topics need to be cover. After this, there should be less time for playing, movies and more time revising.

Even though I'm busy with my studies, there are still some responsibilities and tasks that I need to do. First thing, is the Farewell Party for the final years in Manchester which is to be held this weekend. Gifts for the final years have been bought and things are going as planned for the time being. I hope that the event will run smoothly this Sunday.

Then, I have to find some souvenirs for my family and friends back at home. After the exams, I have only about 3 days for to pack and organize my stuff before I leave for Malaysia. It seems that the amount of time will not be enough considering the fact that there's to much stuff to buy.

My exam time table for this semester

I really want this month to finish quickly. Stress is a common occurrence among students during this particular time and that's why I still look for some time to just chill out and hang around with my friends. I always said to myself that after the end of this month, I will be back home, free from any obligation to study and will be with the ones I loved.

Help Me!

I don't know what's wrong with me right now. I really can't get this song out of my head. Yes, Cheryl Cole is pretty and this song is amazing. But it is too much for me right now. Help!!

Holidays, SSC and Portfolio

Hi to all!!

I am finally in Manchester after a long trip in Spain for about a week. It is extremely tiring and I promised to myself not to do such a long trip ever again. You guys might have already knew that I was on a trip to Italy for about a week as well. Came back to Manchester for about 3 days to re-pack my stuff and then continue with my journey in Spain. Sounds crazy, huh? I think no one has ever matched a two weeks trip as I am. What a 'good' way to spend your three-weeks of Easter Holiday. And not to mention the money in my account as well.

In the garden of Al-Hambra, Spain

A lot of academic works was waiting to be completed by me. These works was supposed to be done during the Easter. But, as a 'normal and average student', I did what a 'normal and average student' does - procrastinate my work. Which ends up leaving me with a heavy burden to finish up all my work in a short period of time.

SSC is one of the tedious homework that I need to do. Luckily, this is a group work, so the tasks are divided among us and I only have to make sure that my part is done. I really hope that my group will do well in creating the poster and also during the presentation day.

Then, there's the portfolio. As a medical student in the UK, we are obliged to have a portfolio not only during our studies, but it will be continued until we are in the real settings of the medical field. Portfolio is a written record of what we have learned so far, any skills that we have performed and any memorable experience in the medical career. It actually helps us to assess our development from day one of medical school until we are retired. The problem is, I'm not the kind of person who likes to write and record any experiences that I had. Therefore, I had to write up all the things that I have learned the whole year in just 2 days!!

PBL can be set aside for a while. I haven't even open my PBL book after I got back from holiday. I think the other medical students, apart from the ones who are really nerd, are in the same situation as me. Everyone is focusing more on SSC because we need to submit it on 5th May.

In all, I made a promise to myself to not have a long two weeks of holiday in Europe again. One week is still OK, but two weeks is just too much. And never ever procrastinate my work again (Hmm..heard that sentence before).

Gelato Or Ice Cream?

Some of you guys might have already knew that I was on a trip to Italy for the past 8 days with one of my course mates and two new-found friends. How was the trip? it was a blast! We went to all of the interesting cities and places that Italy could offer. However, exciting details of the trip will be written in the next entry as I am extremely tired right now due to the long-hours of walking during the trip and I really need a good rest now, badly.

But, in this auspicious time of the day, I decided to spend some time to write on one particular detail that we really loved in Italy - Gelato! OK, I know most of you guys out there do not know what Gelato is. And maybe some of you never even heard of that word before. Now, let me explain it here.

Gelato is actually Italy's own version of ice cream. And yes, therefore it is only available in Italy and any other versions of Gelatos outside Italy will not taste the same. It's not the same as the ice cream that you guys had in Moonlight or Treats. The difference between Gelato and normal ice cream that we can find in supermarkets is that they are very silky in terms of texture, much softer and smoother and it comes in a wide variety of flavours, even the ones that you never imagined!

The most common flavours that I can find in Italy are chocolate, fruits salad, caramel, milk, yoghurt, vanilla, strawberry, coffee, and mint. There's even some shops that has after eight-flavoured gelato! I know my housemates would love to get a taste on one of those.

Everytime we went into a Gelato shop or kiosk, we would buy different flavours from one another and then we would compared it among us. I tried all of the flavours and they were some that I like the most. One of my favourites is the fruits salad gelato. It is made by mixing all types of fruit to get that exquisite sour and fresh taste. Shahira likes to try all sorts of flavours and I think she really likes the caramel and mint ones. And she would always be the last one to finish her Gelato because she loves to savour it thoroughly and slowly. Mayura's favourite Gelato in Italy was the yoghurt-flavoured gelato. People who knew Mayura really well would know why she loved that flavour. :p And Fiqah's favourite Gelato was the Amanera (cherry-flavoured).

The price of Gelato varies between places. The cheapest one that we had were in Venice which only costs about 1.30 Euros. And the most expensive one that we could find was in Rome which is 3 Euros for only one scoop! It was really disappointing for us as well because it was difficult for us to find a Gelato shop in Rome, considering that it is the main attractive place in Italy.

If I counted it correctly, I think I had about 7 Gelatos in total during my whole stay in Italy. But it's still could not match the Gelato-fanatic like Mayura who had 9 Gelatos in 8 days!

Shahira and I with our last Gelato that we had at the airport

Mayura and Fiqah at the airport

I really missed all of the Gelatos that we had in Italy. It was well-worth the money and I hope that someday I could make my own Gelato and savour it till the last bit!

A Game For The Gentleman

Rugby has always been my passion since I was in secondary school. I could still vividly remember the first time I step foot on the pitch for training. It was extremely horrendous for me at that time. Just imagine that you need to run at least ten laps around the field and then 20 sets of shuttle run everyday. And that's not all - there was also the exercises to increase our strength which include weight-lifting and carrying one of your teammates on your shoulder. I always feel exhausted during training and there have been once reached to a certain point which I nearly gave up rugby. But, my strong mental and determination prevented me from doing that. I know that all of this training would benefit me in the future by giving me the fitness and strength to play. As what my former rugby coach said - "There are 3 things that are important in rugby - fitness, strength and tactical". Even if one of these aspects is missing, the team will not win in a rugby match. My school rugby team was absolutely amazing. We won not only tournaments at the state level, but also in national level. SBP 10's and Cobra 10's are just the few highlights during that time. We were victorious and seem unstoppable. I really missed those wonderful times. Full of joy, pride and happiness in the air. This tradition of winning has been continued even when I left and entered KMB. My rugby team back in college was also a great one. Even though we had to train and practice by ourselves, we managed to played well and won the SUKOMA Rugby Tournament two years in a row!!

Till now, my passion for rugby haven't fade even the slightest. However, playing rugby in the UK is really different compared to back in Malaysia. Well, it's not the way of playing that is different, it's just the environment and temperature here that makes it different. My hands felt numb and I my lungs felt really cold because I had to breath in cold air.

My first rugby game in UK was against the Chinese Society Rugby Team. We played 7-a-side and most of my team mates are the ones from that I played with since in college. As some of you guys might know, to play 7's you need a high level of stamina, which my team and I lack. So, in the end we lost but not much. One thing that I like was that our team pattern of play was still intact. It's just that we were not fit enough to chase our opponent which made us lose.

Malaysian Barbarians vs MUCSS

The first ever rugby team formed in Manchester (probably in UK as well)

In all, winning or losing is not the primary matter. For me, it's the love and passion for the game that counts. And I hope to get a little bit more action of UK rugby in the future ahead.

A New Unexpected Friend

As my nearly-daily routine, I would go to my gym in the city at night to get some exercise. But, last night, I was pretty occupied with some unfinished business, I went to the gym quite late, at 11 pm. For your information, my gym opens 24 hours daily, 7 days a week (except Christmas of course). So, there I went on my own in the night to my beloved gym.

A glimpse of what my gym looks like

After about an hour and a half at the gym, and full of sweat on my back, I finally decided to head for home. I walked to the changing room and turned the door knob to open the door. To my surprise, the door would not open because normally, the staff would just left the door unlocked the whole day. I entered my PIN number few times and hope that the door would open for me. But, it seems that my effort came to no avail. At that time, I hope that there was a staff still available for me to seek help, but there were none because their working hours is only till 5 pm.

Suddenly, a man tapped my shoulder. I turned around and there's this guy who said to me that the door is actually locked everyday at 12 am and will be opened at 9 am in the morning. I was speechless and stunned by this fact. I could not even call for help because my phone is in the locker inside the changing room. How could a gym that opens 24 hours everyday, have their changing room locked at 12 am? So, basically, the gym is 24 hours but the changing room is not!!

I sat down on a chair in front of the gym, worrying and thinking of what should I do next. If I were to run back home and come here again the next morning at 9 am, it would be extremely tiring and I need to withstand the intense cold temperature outside. Bear in mind, that I was only wearing a t-shirt and my trainer at that time. My second option is that I would just stay in the gym and do some extra work out that night to kill of the time till morning. But, I can't be here at 9 am the next morning because I have promised with 3 of my beloved friends to play badminton with them on the next day at 9 am as well. So, they are my first priority the next morning.

When I was thinking of what my next step is, a person approached me. It was the same guy who informed me about the changing room. He asked me if I was having any trouble. Well, of course I said 'yes' because I don't have any idea how to get home that night. To my surprise, he told me that he would help me to get home by bus that night. I was relieved. How could, a stranger who I don't know anything about him, suddenly came to me and offered me help? I guess, there's still some kind-hearted guy out there.

So, I followed him from our gym to Piccadilly Gardens and took the Finglands bus to home. On our way back home, we talked to each other and get to know about each other a little bit more. His name is Ali and he's actually from Iraq. He's a final year high school student and wants to be a pilot in the future. He actually lives quite near to my home in Rusholme. Even though his english is not so good, I could still understand him perfectly well and he is really chatty. The journey to home was brief, but I could tell that he is a really nice guy. He smiles a lot too and that has made him a lot friendlier. One thing that we agreed that night is that the gym should have posted a big notice about the changing room so that this incident won't happen to others. A lot of Ali's friend have faced the same fate as I had that night before this. But, if this didn't happened, I wouldn't have known Ali, would I?

After we got off the bus in front of Moonlight, I said a million thanks to him for helping me and hopes that we will meet again in the gym some other time. This would be a start of a good friendship. I guess I won't be alone next time when I'm at the gym. ;-)

It's Finally Over

Hi there!!

I guess most of you guys are probably aware that the reason I have not been updating my blog for the past 2 weeks is due to the exams. Now, I have just finished my semester 3 exams on yesterday's afternoon. It was a difficult period of time that I have to go through as a student. Full of sheer stress and endless efforts of revision. But, what lies in the past, stays in the past and we do not have any power to change it. Let's just pray that everything will turn out alright and hope for the best when the results will be announced on February.

The recent semester test that I just had is considered as a tough one by all medical student for generations. The questions are regarding neurology, which is the main topic for my semester. Neurology is a branch of medicine with full of hypotheses, theoretical facts, and assumptions by some of the most prominent neurologists. How our brain actually works is still a mystery that is yet to unveil itself. There are still thousands of research that is still being done to uncover the real truth about the ability of brain.

Ok, enough of all the gibberish medical talk. I just want to highlight that due to many research that has been done about the brain, the implications are that there are many theories about how the brain works. And as a medical student, we are expected to know about all of these 'theories and assumption' to be tested in the exams. Thus, my mind is overloaded by facts from neurology textbooks written by Bear, Titus, Crossman and Martini. Alhamdulillah it's now over and I can feel like the heavy burden inside of me has been lifted.

What makes the exam for this semester more difficult is that there was also an OSCE. OSCE stands for Objective Structured Clinical Examination. The name itself is self-explainatory - this is a practical hands-on exam, not a written exams. I was tested on clinical examinations regarding neurology as well such as the use of opthalmoscope, otoscope, cranial nerves testing, tendon reflexes and electromyography (EMG).

For the OSCE, I have been practicing a lot at Qoma's house with my competent comrades. We practiced day and night, focusing more on the skills that we expected would come out. A day before the OSCE, we practiced from 4 pm in the afternoon till 12 midnight. I felt extremely exhausted but it was really beneficial because with more practice, confidence will build up gradually. With this, I offer my profound thanks to all second year medics for their help and support.

Apart from the MCQ exams and OSCE, there was also the anatomy spot test. I had to cover anatomy for the head, neck and also the lower limb. I'm quite ok with the lower limb, but the head and neck is really a mind-blowing one. Before this, I never knew that the neck contains so much stuff. It is a really complex organ of the body as many nerves, blood vessels, muscles and organs are located there. I hope I did well for the head and neck station in anatomy.

In all, the important thing is that we, the second year medics have finished the exams in one piece. I believe we have prepared enough before the exams, and we have performed very well during the exams. I prayed that all of us will get good results and may we become a succesful doctors in the future.

Roti Paratha Maniacs

Over the past few days, my house a.k.a. Manar accidentally caught an addiction that is so tempting, yet so tasty, that you can't even have the will to resist it - the addiction to Roti Paratha!!

It all started when one of my housemates bought one packet of Roti Paratha from Worldwide, a halal groceries store in Rusholme. His intention was purely innocent. He never thought that all of us would be 'trapped' in this kind of addiction.

I regret the first ever moment we cooked Roti Paratha in this house. The aroma released from its cooking is simply alluring. Even Muslim, who rarely get out from his room, ran down the stairs and traced the irresistable scent which leads to our kitchen and check on what we were up to.

When we have finished cooking the first batch of Roti Paratha, thoughts were boggling in mind about what it would taste like. Its appearance is very similar to the Roti Canai that we have in Malaysia - round in shape and yellowish-brown in colour with 'freckles' on it.

With my thumb and index finger, I gently took a small part of it, dipped it in sugar, and put it in my mouth. I spontaneously reacted as if I'm one of the food judges in the Manga series 'Yakitate Japan' - completely amazed and speechless by its delicious taste. It is crispy on the outside, soft in the inside and have that same exquisite and scrumptious taste as our traditional Roti Canai back at home. I took one bite after another, and before we knew it, the first batch of Roti Paratha was finished. I know the addiction is building up in me, and before it gets worst, I managed to refrained myself from eating more Roti Paratha.

The next day, some of my housemates bought another packet of Roti Paratha. They had succumbed themselves to defeat and loss the fight to the urge and craving for Roti Paratha.

It is utterly irresistable and it seems to me that some of them has even lost control of their normal eating timetable. Once, Apip and Nageb secretly cooked Roti Paratha at 3 am in the morning for themselves just to cure their addiction to Roti Paratha. It looks like when you are really addicted to a particular thing, you won't care whatever the time it is to do it. Let it be in the early morning of the day, or even late hours of the night, my housemates will cook Roti Paratha whenever they want to even though they are not really hungry.

Then, there was a time when my housemates bought 40 pieces of Roti Paratha from Worldwide! It seems like a huge amount to you but no food is too much for my housemates. They managed to finish it in just one day and one night! Now, that's a really big appetite for Roti Paratha and those were only few examples that I could write of. Trust me, there are other occurrence that you won't even imagine happened!! Once thought to be a snack for all of us, now it has turned to be a 'meal of disaster' for this house.

There are two factors that I think is particularly important which contributed to this addiction - the cheap price of Roti Paratha (20 pieces for only 2.79 pounds) and the location of Worldwide which is very near to our house. Hence, each time when of my housemates get back home, they would eventually bring back a packet of Roti Paratha from Worldwide with them.

The food that made my housemates go crazy

I am not suggesting for my housemates to stop eating Roti Paratha, but merely advicing them to control their food consumption intake. I know that a bit of Roti Paratha won't hurt you, but a lot of it would seriously bring a negative impact to your health. You guys know that I love you all and that's why I'm writing this entry. Cheerio.

Revision vs Nasi Lemak

There's nothing sexier than a man who is cooking delicious cuisine in a clean and organized kitchen. And that was what I just did last night. After a long day of revision, I finally decided to take a break by paying a visit to Al-Faruq house which is located not far away from my home. This decision was made abruptly by Icam and I that night. So, we set aside our mounting revision notes and headed towards Al-Faruq with our agenda in mind.

Al-Faruq's members consists of 4 'not-available' bachelors - Aizat (World), Kamal Arif, Khairul Anam and Shahridhwan Ping. All of them were present except for Ping who were on a business trip in Dublin. They greeted Icam and I very nicely and offered us the best hospitality that they could offer. After a few minutes of chit-chat, we told them our plan which they responded positively with arms wide open and hearts in agreement. Plus, Al-Faruq haven't had their dinner yet because there's no one on duty to cook that night.

Without wasting a second, Icam and I get to work - pronto! Our plan that night was to cook, but we don't mean to cook just anything. We wanted to cook the most difficult and tedious dishes of all in Malay's history - Nasi Lemak Lauk Ayam Goreng. Grateful that I had Icam by my side, I don't have to worry that our cooking would be a disaster.

Icam was responsible in making the 'sambal' and 'nasi lemak'. It was amazing to see how easy he made it look like. As if with just a swift of a hand, all of the main cooking were nearly done. I, on the other hand, was in charge in making 'telur dadar' and frying 'ikan bilis', ground nuts and the chicken. I know some of you guys might laugh when I stated about my part, but believe me, making a 'telur dadar' is not easy as it looks. You need extra care, patience, the exact precision and knows the right-timing to turn over the egg. It's a skillful work ,otherwise, your 'telur dadar' might fallen into pieces, loses it rounded shape and looks like scrambled eggs.

Icam - the cook with style (note the hat)

Me - showing off my skill to cook two dishes simultaneously

After about one and a half hour of cooking, our Nasi Lemak Lauk Ayam Goreng was finally completed. As soon as the recitation of 'doa makan' and saying thank you to Allah for his wonderful blessings is done, we ate together with a big appetite in our stomach.

Our version of Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng

A visit to Al-Faruq would not have been complete without playing FIFA 2010. For your information, their house is equipped with two large televisions and a Playstation 2 console. I know some of you guys would agree with me that their game console is kind of not up-to-date, but it still served it purpose very well. We competed against each other and tried to demonstrate our best skills in playing virtual football. To my surprise, Icam was not only good at cooking, but he was good in playing FIFA 2010 as well. I mean, he was extremely good because he trashed all of us that night!

After the feast - FIFA 2010

I know that if I stayed there any longer that night, the addiction to FIFA 2010 would not stop and we would spend the whole night playing continuously without flinch a bit. So, after bidding farewell and a thousand thanks to Al-Faruq's residence, I forced myself at 1 am to head back to my beloved home.

Snowy, Snowy Manchester

Today is the second day of 2010 and it is snowing again in Manchester. Snow down-poured heavily which made 'Malaysian Banff Road' blanketed with white snow this morning. I don't know whether other parts of UK is snowing heavily as well or not, but Yahoo UK weather forecast said that UK will be hit by icy cold and snowy weather again for the next few weeks in January.

I know some of you guys are excited when you hear the word 'snow'. One of my housemates, Apip (bukan nama sebenar), was jumping excitedly with enthusiasm and exhilaration this morning and begging endlessly for us to join him play in the snow. Even though he has played a lot of snow-sliding, snow-ball battle, skiing and ice-skating in December, he still could not get enough of it. Well, this does not imply on him alone. I know for a fact that there are many Malaysians out there who will react similarly to Apip when ever there is a blizzard out there. But, bear in mind, that not all of the things that we see is good and beautiful as we perceived it to be.

Snow has seriously made a great impact in terms of transportation. Flights have to be delayed, train travels have to be cancelled and roads are becoming more slippery which made the condition more prone for accidents to happened. One of my friends got stranded in Dubai when she was on her way back home to Malaysia because her flight from Manchester to Dubai had to be delayed as it was unsafe to fly. So, she missed her transit flight and had to wait for the next one which took 14 long hours. That would be kind of bothersome, wouldn't it?

Even walking would be tricky when it snows out there. Pavements become slippery along the shoulder of the road due to the ice that melts on it. My friends and I had to be extra cautious and be aware each foot-steps that we made just to make sure that we don't slip and hit our heads on anything. I had my own fair-share of experience when I slipped for a couple of times in front of my house and trust me, it is not something that you want to do over and over again.

In all, the purpose I'm writing this entry does not mean that I would like to express my hatred towards snow. I don't hate it, in fact I love it the same way of you guys do. And I'm certainly not blaming Allah The Almighty for it's beautiful creation. I think, I am extremely fortunate to have the chance to experience this snowy weather. I'm just sharing my experiences and at the same time revealing the other 'dark-side' of white snow.

Malaysian Banff Road

City of Manchester

I guess, for you guys out there who haven't really encounter this kind of weather, you guys could have a rough idea of how it is like after reading this entry. As they say, you won't believe until you actually feel it and experience it yourself.