Thaipussam
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: Night life & other action
This is probably one of these days on which the already fragile traffic regulations in Malaysia are really hung in the highest tree. You only need to drive a car for 1 day in KL to understand what I’m trying to say here (or to work 1 night in first aid, when the injured motorcyclists start sipping in one by one). Did I tell that story about the woman who came in from Ipoh (2 hours drive from KL) with the rest of her arm in a cooling box on ice ? Well, she survived, and what’s more, they managed to put on the arm again with apparently intact circulation… bloody wizards, those vascular surgeons. Anyway, drifting away here; I was actually gonna tell something about Thaipussam. This is the big 3-day Hindu festival, with one of its highlights in the temple at Batu Caves, just outside KL. As the matter of fact, it’s quite easy to reach just by taking the LRT monorail-thing and subsequently a bus (for all you cheap Dutch back-packing guys, hehehe). Now I can tell you about the huge crowd over there and how part of it is made into a pseudo-fancy-fair-slash-night-market or about the interesting people who decided to walk for long distances (as I’ve been told) with their back full of hooks and other stuff, but I guess you’d better look at the pics (click-on-the-pick).
Back to the traffic; anybody ever seen that videoclip of REM ? Where the guy just pulls over his car and gets out and starts walking (I still haven’t figured out why) ? And all the cars stop and like a huge traffic thrombo-embolism the whole highway gets blocked ? Well, that’s what it looked like. The emergency lane as well as some areas with road divider markings were used as huge parking lots, people were crossing the highway in a manner as if they were looking for a nice place to have a picnic and some motorcyclists even figured that they just as well might convert the highway in a two directions lane on both sides. Is it a coincidence (if I remember correctly having read) that it was India being ranked as having the worlds most disastrous traffic situation a couple of years ago ? Of course in being a Hindu festival, most visiting people were ethnic Indians. Ah well, whatever, our bus driver, who got his license in Kamikaze-Traffic-College inc. ? got us home safely and in one piece (and today I still wonder how).

Bloody ice-cubes & bloody tenants
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Everyday life (weirdness)
Yesterday evening I was helping out in the operating theatre again, having a gig in an effort to cope with my disastrous financial situation (which is; still working without getting a wage). But actually assisting prof. BK & prof. Patrick is always good fun anyway, as the discussion topics will cover a wide range of subjects. Of course the main topic that evening was the technician, who thinks he’s some kind of half-god for managing to get the air-conditioning to function, while in the mean time we’re freezing our toes of. The only reason why the patient is not loosing too much blood is because the blood drops turn into little ice cubes as soon as they roll out of the blood vessels. But seriously, it’s not normal if in a tropical country, you have to wear 4 OT-shirts on top of each other, completed by an operating gown and even then shivering. Next time I want to operate with padded rubber gloves…
The other topic was of course my lousy tenants who are again not paying the rent (see also 31-10-2004). So prof suggested a possible solution to "convince" my tenants would be to hire a Thai hitman. An interesting suggestion it is, and it only costs 5000 ringgit !! However, prof also mentioned that in getting such a hitman it always involves getting a second Thai hitman as well; to get rid of the evidence by killing the first hitman. No worry about the price, cause by doing such the costs of the first hitman would disappear. However, in getting so complicated I think I'd better restart the procedure to get them to court, so I contacted my lawyer again. Let's see how strong their nerves are; never call me bluff...

Bloody ice-cubes & bloody tenants
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Everyday life (weirdness)
Yesterday evening I was helping out in the operating theatre again, having a gig in an effort to cope with my disastrous financial situation (which is; still working without getting a wage). But actually assisting prof. BK & prof. Patrick is always good fun anyway, as the discussion topics will cover a wide range of subjects. Of course the main topic that evening was the technician, who thinks he’s some kind of half-god for managing to get the air-conditioning to function, while in the mean time we’re freezing our toes of. The only reason why the patient is not loosing too much blood is because the blood drops turn into little ice cubes as soon as they roll out of the blood vessels. But seriously, it’s not normal if in a tropical country, you have to wear 4 OT-shirts on top of each other, completed by an operating gown and even then shivering. Next time I want to operate with padded rubber gloves…
The other topic was of course my lousy tenants who are again not paying the rent (see also 31-10-2004). So prof suggested a possible solution to "convince" my tenants would be to hire a Thai hitman. An interesting suggestion it is, and it only costs 5000 ringgit !! However, prof also mentioned that in getting such a hitman it always involves getting a second Thai hitman as well; to get rid of the evidence by killing the first hitman. No worry about the price, cause by doing such the costs of the first hitman would disappear. However, in getting so complicated I think I'd better restart the procedure to get them to court, so I contacted my lawyer again. Let's see how strong their nerves are; never call me bluff...

Tsunami
Mood:  blue
Now, about a week after the whole disaster, it becomes fully clear what exactly happened. For not being fully informed somehow eventually was merely caused by not having access to a decent television station as well as somehow not having lied my eyes on the news papers the subsequent 2 days after that... Many heart breaking stories that made it to the papers. Also heart warming on the other hand to see that so many people – not having that much money themselves – started gathering goods and money to help their neighbouring country; Indonesia. Finally religion (the main organisations) turns out to be good for something... As the matter of fact, 4 of my colleagues in surgery (where I'm currently stationed), are planning to join several aid organisations this week. that's when it downed upon me that – being so close to the whole thing – I could also contribute in helping the people in the disaster areas in being there for them as a doctor. After all, in Aceh for example, all 3 hospitals catering the whole city, have totally been washed away by the water, taking with it the lives of all the nurses and doctors working there. Being mainly trained in obstetrics however, I felt I would only have a minor role in helping out the victims. That's why I decided to help in another, maybe less inspiring way by deciding to donate my last Monday’s earnings in the private clinic to the international red cross, as for the presence of my colleagues ix no good if there's no money to get them medicines or equipment to work with... hope it inspires others nevertheless though being less heroic. Shireen, Sia and the others; good luck & take care !!

Happy New Year !!!
Mood:  spacey
I just wanted to wish all my family and friends and all other people visiting a splendid 2005 !

Malaysian burocracy (1)
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: (scary) hospital stories
Finally !! The Malaysian Medical Council has granted me a practicing certificate !!! It’s a big relief, for people had been telling me horror stories of waiting for more than 6 months which in the meantime would mean officially not being able to do anything but just observing. Friends told me about “the Malaysian way” of processing papers. The papers would be infinitely on someone’s desk; on Fridays they won’t process it cause they’re busy looking forward to the weekend, on Monday they’ll still be too tired from the weekend, on Tuesday they’ll be recovering from the Monday, on Wednesday they’re on sick leave and on Thursday it’s almost Friday again. Only if you call them practically every day they’ll process it just to get rid of your phone calls. It is only so true; when I came to the dean’s office 1 week later, I found the person in charge of processing was on sick leave. Upon returning the Monday thereafter to ask where she had sent the papers she told me without too much embarrassment about her pitiful excuse all the papers hadn’t left her desk yet. GGGGRRRRrrrrrrr…… I asked her friendly to prepare them in order for me to hand them over personally to the responsible person in the government office, and so it was done. Anyway, a hurray for the MMC-staff and especially my friends friend Dr. S. for getting the job done in a smooth and fast manner… I guess I owe them some chocolates… Now I’m up for my next challenge; getting a contract in order to get paid for the same thing I’d otherwise do unpaid…

@ Starbuck's
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Starbucks
Well, there I am again, sitting at Starbuck's coffee place on the terrace with the laptop. I love the fact I can just sit down here, plug in and use the wireless internet. Just this week bought my wireless LAN-card. Bla-bla-bla... technical B.S.... And their small espresso's are quite nice... But ehrrr..... my cafeine levels are rising sky-high hahaha

Interesting roommates....
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: Everyday life (weirdness)
Today I went to take a look at an apartment together with a colleague, who was looking for a place closer to the hospital. Having just come back from a coffee break – although actually the working day was finished already – a couple of us were still joking around a bit about living together and sharing apartments. Being almost 1 pm though we had to hurry to the apartment building. We met Mrs. Ching just in time and she was willing to show us 2 apartments. The first though upon entering was obviously by far the one to be preferred; much cleaner and well-kept. The only thing left now was for my colleague to talk to her mother. Not because she had to get her approval, but rather because the mother would also be moving in and share the master bedroom with her daughter. Well now, I’m sure this is gonna be an interesting episode. But what is way more important is that it would mean I don’t need to worry about where I’m gonna end up in a couple of days. As for the rest of it, I’ve got the feeling that it’s all gonna work out in a good way; just go with the flow and see where it ends.

Mood:  cool
Topic: Everyday life (weirdness)
On a very warm day like those non-aircon-days it is nice to have a swim at the end of the day. There is a reasonable swimming pool in the apartment complex. Actually they have a lot of good facilities, but unfortunately by next week I’ll have to leave the place. I was sharing an apartment with a friend and an Australian girl, but they’ll be moving out and I cannot afford to pay some 600 euros on my own.

Pro's & (air)con's of a tropical country
Mood:  chatty
Topic: (scary) hospital stories
I guess the aircon functioned for a day or so and then broke down again. Meaning that this whole week we had to manage with fans… well, it’s actually bearable most of the time. Yesterday a woman came in, who had actually given birth in a maternity centre. She was referred for post-partum bleeding. Besides the fact that we were all wondering why she couldn’t have been treated in the clinic where she delivered the baby, we were even more astonished about the fact that she came in walking by herself with a letter from the other clinic, giving no information whatsoever on amount of blood loss, fluid therapy or hemoglobin levels. There’s more weird stuff going on here, I’ll keep you informed.