Author Archives: Minci 先生

Breaking into pieces

Posted in Everyday Life by

I had a moment of realisation the other day. Of how the body can separate itself from our mind when it is under intense stress. Even without us knowing it. I consider myself a relatively independent and resilient person. Often, I can control my emotions and remain focused on my task until the recent event.

It was a normal working day. Only that I had concurrent ear infection which was treated with oral antibiotics. Otherwise, the pain is bearable although I would choose to attend patients that does not require any auscultation in their physical examination since my ears hurt when using the stethoscope.

As I was seeing a patient, I felt a surge of uneasiness. I would describe it as like walking on air, the type of feeling one gets after having a bad on-call and still have to work regular hours the next day. I did not think much of it until the agitation began to get worse. My fingers were also getting extremely cold. The peripheral vasoconstriction was so bad that my hands were almost cramping, making it difficult to type and hold objects.

Amidst the agitation and restlessness, I looked for an oximeter and upon placing it on my index finger, it read a Spo2 of 98% but a heart rate of 136. I knew I had to get myself checked at our clinic’s emergency area because I was concerned about two things. It is either I would blackout suddenly or experience more debilitating symptoms that point toward a stroke or a thyroid storm.

Upon reaching the emergency, I asked a medical assistant colleague to check my vital signs. I was already feeling slightly light-headed with numbness over my fingers. My breathing seems a bit laboured with ant-like crawling sensations on my face.

The first BP reading was >200/100 with a heart rate (HR) of>100
I was advised to rest before they repeated my second measurement which is >150/110 with an HR >110

What happened next was astonishingly out of my control as a composed medical professional. I remembered curling my body into an almost fetal position in the chair with a clenched fist while letting out an agonizing groan. This then progressed into a whimper before escalating into a full wailing sound at the ER. I was crying uncontrollably for no reason I could think of.

It must have startled everyone for the doors were immediately closed shut and female medical staff were called to assist in the situation. I could hear them asking me to take deep, long breaths but as much as I want to, it was so difficult to shut down the sympathetic response in override mode. I can listen and think to myself to ‘remain calm’ but my body is acting otherwise. It was a very surreal moment.

My chest felt tight. I could not breathe. My limbs felt stiff and cold. The sympathetic response was short-lived as afterwards I was able to make a normal conversation with my superior as she explored on what happened. I was told to complete my antibiotics course diligently and given medical leave for the day.

While resting at home, I tried to make sense of what happened. I felt broken into pieces.

  • Maybe I was actually under a lot of (bottled-up) stress factors. Although my mind was not acknowledging it, the physiological changes might have surpassed its threshold and become exhausted resulting in that physical breakdown.
  • My father-in-law died just last week and yet I am already at work after one day of bereavement leave because I felt obliged to do my on-call duties. I may not shed tears but his absence was palpable.
  • I was sleep deprived. There were a few days when I really could not sleep until 4am. I thought it was the caffeine effect from ZUS’s Jasmine Cham Latte but for it to linger until a few days was too much. although I did not feel too tired the next day, it could mess up my cortisol and other stress-related hormones.
  • I had a lot of things to juggle too. I tend to be busy with my Diabetes and HIV programme towards the end of the year. I admit I have been brainstorming a lot on the types of activities I’d like to do on top of my usual workload and my report write-up for my Final Year Project.

I hope I won’t be caught up in the same situation again. That means I need to do some troubleshooting on my part.

  • Take on fewer responsibilities. Stop volunteering. Stop pleasing people.
  • Delegate more.
  • Use my annual leave more. I get 30 days every year. I usually have a lot of leaves rolled over into the following year because I rarely use them. I do not take MC that often either. In fact, my first MC of the year is the one I just had during that meltdown. Regarding my annual leave, despite putting aside a range of 5 to 10 days leave for my GCR, I tend to have at least another 10 days to use in the new year. Even now, in October I have a remaining 28 days to use till December. So Minci, use that leave.
  • Eat better
  • Drink more water
  • Share problems with understanding colleagues and trustable friends. Or sister.

That should do it for now.
This experience was not only a wakeup call for me but it also made me understand why hysteria happens and why some people are driven to commit suicide. Sometimes the body just takes over when your mind gets too exhausted.

Read, in the name of Allah

Posted in Good Things, Parenting, Family and Relationships by

I am happy that my daughter could read. She knows her numbers and alphabets. And she can read the Quran.

My father-in-law passed away recently from the complications of his kidney problems. It was an anticipated death as we knew that his condition had deteriorated and that his prognosis was grave. It was only a matter of time before he succumbed to his illness. He died on a Wednesday evening at 625pm in his own home in the presence of his family members.

We called the ambulance and requested a paramedic to come and confirm his death. A police report was made and the necessary rituals were in order. His death was open-heartedly accepted. His grandchildren also understood that their grandfather was not with them anymore.

While waiting for the Jemaah from the masjid to come, my daughter picked up a Yasin booklet and began to read. It was comforting to see her focus on the words and recite the Yasin independently on the chair. I was beside her reading my Yasin but I could hear every single word being read and it was accurate. Her ability to read not only allows her to learn new knowledge but also portrays comfort to the adults as a 6-year-old kid. She is also doing her bit to help her grandfather go through the Afterlife in the realms of Barzakh.

Indeed kids that read are such a blessing.

Salai at Hayyan Huda Opah’s Kitchen, Seremban

Posted in Food and Drinks, Places to Eat, Reviews by

Food amazes me when it comes to its differing, unique recipes. How can some people prepare a Salai Dish to be not as spicy as others? To me, Salai Masak Lemak almost always equates to a spicy dish. Especially when it comes from Seremban, the home of masak lemak ciliapi. I was proven wrong during our visit to a Salai restaurant there.

We decided to make a stop here at HAYYAN HUDA before the visiting hours start at our son’s school, PPGN. This particular place is situated in the heart of a kampung at Taman Bukit Temiang. Parking space is limited but there’s plenty of roadside parking. The place was aesthetically pleasing with outdoor seating. Its operation hours are from 11AM till 10PM.

Mr Husband ordered Set A and I am glad to confirm that we could palate the mild spiciness. I also loved the fact that there was a station where we could help ourselves with extra plates, utensils, tissues and even bottles of plain water. I have no idea how much the meal costs since the husband is paying. Ha ha. I never question him about the bill.

The service is fast-paced. The sets are served almost immediately once you’ve placed an order on the app. Similarly, the tables are cleared quickly so that the next customers can enjoy the food. They also have a dessert table filled with beautiful cakes and traditional Malay sweets. We bought a chocolate and carrot cake for our son to enjoy in his dorm. He has been having coughs and it seems that some of the students there have influenza. Thus, the school and hostel area have been decontaminated by the district health office. Insya-Allah we will bring home next week during Outing Bermalam.

Kids enjoying their staycation

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Parenting, Family and Relationships by

My son came back home for the school holidays just a week ago. While I was in Kuching attending a wedding, Mr Husband brought the kids to KL for a staycation. They stayed at Silka Maytower.

The kids enjoyed the pool and they sent me pictures of their adventures at KLCC and Ikea Cheras. Most importantly my son had a wonderful sleep throughout the school holidays. So much so that he missed handing in one of his assignments that carried 6 marks. I was obviously crossed. I had to remind him to finish his coursework before putting his head on the pillow. He is like his father, mata ayam. Easily dozes off when the day becomes dark. He learned his lesson.

I noticed that he is getting taller at an impressive speed. Despite not taking his meals regularly because he prefers to charge his social battery more, he seems to be having growth spurts. Again, I have to tell him to at least take one main meal during the day and at best all main meals. He usually skips dinner but he will have a heartful lunch. I dislike the idea of him having too many snacks in the dorm. His father keeps buying him those packet drinks which are full of sugar as well. I get him Bright Cow milk instead for his skin, teeth and bones. I just hope he drinks it.

He is picking up badminton as his sports choice in the evening. I did not see that coming. He never seemed like he enjoyed it before. Come to think of it, we’ve never exposed it to him. With us, he has only known chess, scrabble and ping-pong. He did join the sepak takraw club at school but they haven’t been practicing much. So his interest waned.

We paid him a short visit today as we were coming back to Melaka from Putrajaya. He was alone in the dorm because his dorm mates are from Seremban, so they tend to sleep in their own homes during the weekend. This leaves him as the only one in that room of 3 students to participate in the gotong royong where they clean their rooms every week. Seems a little unfair but it’s already towards the end of the year to be raising this issue. Plus, I think that it’s good that he gets his movement on the weekend. Maybe if they reshuffle next year (do they?), he would have roommates who could keep him company over the weekend. Anyway, the flu bug has caught up with him as well. He has been having shivers and sniffles. Mr Husband bought him some paracetamol and cough syrup. As usual, the motherly advice is to shower regularly, brush your teeth, wash your face, eat regular meals and drink lots of plain water.

Looking forward to bringing him back in another 2 weeks for his outing bermalam.

Grand Margherita Hotel, Kuching

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

GMH could certainly improve their kitchen services. It was odious.

I booked the hotel at least a few months in advance through Agoda.com. It was a 4D3N stay and cost me a total of RM862.72 including tax and fee. My superior Room came with WIFI and breakfast. There was a bathtub, a mini fridge, an in-room iron and board, a TV and most importantly a great view. There’s also a swimming pool in the lobby but I did not check it out. If you plan to enjoy the city, this hotel is definitely in a good location.

It is near to great places to eat. My favourites are Bing and Topspot. Now I have a new one, IG Ais Kacang. Other places worth mentioning are Ayam Penyet RJ, SCR and Chicken Hartz. There are also little pubs nearby and non-halal options that visitors might enjoy. In fact, GMH is very near to Meritin Hotel, another place I have stayed at before.

I had a nice walk at night from my hotel to the Darul Hana Bridge as The Waterfront is so beautiful with the lights. I noticed no more food vendors there since the last time I came to Kuching with the family. I am pretty sure I put in at least 12K steps for the day.

Back to my disappointment with the kitchen services.

I had free breakfast with the package. While it is understandable that sometimes the buffet is crowded in the morning, the least that the floor manager could do is assess and assist accordingly. That means not only getting the number of pax per room at the front door but also checking inside whether there are seats available. There were so many guests walking around the already small cafe not only to find a table but also to fight over the last piece of waffle and such. It got a little too unpleasant during our 2nd breakfast morning as we realised that now, instead of having course participants as the crowd, families with children were also checking in. I honestly do not have a problem with that because I know when you have children, breakfast takes longer. So, I asked one of the servicemen if it was OK to bring our breakfast outside, and he said it was OK. However, there was no effort on his side to help us set up our table. My brother and I ended up making ourselves comfortable by arranging our table and cutleries with the last 4 forks available. We also switched on our own portable air conditioner.

Not only that but their Laksa Sarawak and Kolok Mee stations also had a system where you need to place your order first. I mean it is fine if the chef remembers who ordered what. The thing is he didn’t. He was relying strictly on the fact that the guest would lose hope in waiting and he’d just pass the bowl to someone he thinks ordered the dish. Thankfully on my first breakfast morning, I was sitting just beside this station and I got to check with the chef if my Kolok Mee had been attended to or otherwise. My verdict of the Kolok Mee? Neh.. find something better outside.

I also ordered room service. I requested for my rib-eye to be a medium rare. Unfortunately, when it came, it was well done. I could still accept that but what irritated me was that it was as tough as rubber and I had difficulty chewing. I felt my RM70++ was not justified and of such poor quality service for a hotel of high ratings. Something is definitely wrong with their kitchen.

Apart from that particular downside, everything else was great.