Author Archives: Minci 先生

2 AM

Posted in Everyday Life by

It’s 2 am.

I should have known better not to touch the coffee my husband bought for me from Family Mart. I have become so used to decaf coffee that the slightest surge in grams is playing its effects on my nervous system. Thankfully, I am still on leave tomorrow. So it’s still alright to be sleep-deprived.

I just finished folding the laundry. I just had 2 marshmallows. I am hoping for the insulin spike to ensue and make me sleepy in a bit. I don’t think I’d be up at my usual 4am. But I’d definitely be up by 6 to prepare breakfast.

I have a long day ahead with so many things to do concerning the household, early retirement planning and work/study stuff. I cannot wait to finish my final year of psychology. Just a few more months and then Insya-Allah I can focus on other projects.

Mee Tarik Sedap Lanzhou, MITC

Posted in Food and Drinks, Places to Eat by

Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province in north-central China, is a fascinating blend of history and modernity. Nestled along the banks of the Yellow River, Lanzhou boasts stunning natural scenery, including the surrounding mountains and the iconic Yellow River. The city is renowned for its delicious hand-pulled noodles, a local speciality enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. This delicacy has now landed at MITC, Melaka.

I never had mee tarik so I have no other recipe to compare. I am glad that it made a good impression for me to eat as a first-timer. The hand-stretched noodles were delicious. My husband ordered the original beef noodles and a plate of dumplings. I did not put a lot of chilli oil but the dish could still hold up on its own. I shared my meal with my daughter because the portion was huge. The beef was tender and placed in an adequate amount for a bowl of noodles. The dumplings were nicely cooked from its frozen state.

There were a lot of other menus at the restaurant. I would probably try the egg tomato noodles if we were to go there again. You could browse more of the food options and watch reviews on their social media platform. (Facebook/ Instagram)

The Retirement Plan

Posted in Everyday Life by

Lately, I saw a few posts of senior medical officers opting for early retirement at 45 years old. These are doctors who have accumulated a certain set of skills from the experience of working in their respective departments for a very long time. We are not talking about clinical skills but also soft skills which are invaluable in managing a patient’s care plan. In fact, some of my colleagues are also considering the same thing as they approach the golden age.

Why is this happening?

The push factors for medical officers choosing to retire early at 45 years old may include burnout from high-stress work environments and heavy workloads. Additionally, limited opportunities for career advancement or dissatisfaction with the current healthcare system could also contribute to this decision. On the other hand, the pull factors for early retirement may involve a desire for a better work-life balance and the pursuit of alternative career paths or personal interests.

While we in Klinik Kesihatan do not have long working hours (yet), the heavy workload is palpable. There are so many things to do for one patient even if they only come for fever. Opportunistic screening, health promotion counselling and arranging further reviews are one of them. In fact, gone are the days when all the doctor does is sit and talk about the health concern, nowadays there are programmes to run in the community and also at the clinic to supplement these consultations to achieve holistic care of the patient. There are KPIs to achieve. For instance, each medical officer has to arrange 3 IFOBT screenings for their patients monthly. Then, there is DM stuff to sort out, the smears etc. A patient with hypertension is not going to be seen for only that, other aspects of their life need to be explored such as their mental health and cancer risk.

When the ratio of doctor to patient is unequal, the quality of consultations becomes poor because the staff needs to breeze through the numbers of the day to finish on time. Furthermore, instead of one MO being in charge of say, one or two portfolios, there will be a few that will have to shoulder 3 portfolios. A portfolio means being in charge and making sure that every demand of the superiors relating to it is met.

The key to reduce burnout is not the carrot on stick approach, it is to reduce demand and increase support – Adam Grant

Yet, we see increasing demands from the public which are not on par with the resources we have within the ministry. There seems to be less accountability on the patients’ part towards their own health status. It is frustrating to see the reluctance to be compliant with their meds and commit to a healthier lifestyle. Perhaps to teach them a lesson – the fee should be increased from RM1 to RM5 as a start. While some may argue that the less unfortunate may find this burdening – I am telling you the less unfortunate are healthier than the fortunate. It’s the fortunate beings that are taking their health for granted. They’d rather buy a viral RM20 chocolate cake drizzled with ganache than spend it on paracetamol or eye drops from the pharmacy.

The Retirement Plan

I have been calculating my financial commitments per month. Most of it would be paid off by the time I reach the mandatory retirement age. But who would want to wait that long? I know for sure that if I choose to retire early, that would mean living below my means. Taking control of my wants and focusing more on my needs. It is easy to finish RM500,000 in 4 years if you give still live on RM10K permonth. But what if I give myself only RM4K/ month instead? That will include payments for my liabilities and the necessary enjoyments like Spotify and my WordPress account. Then I would need to calculate in the cost of fuel for my car, groceries and self-love activities. I figured that now, while still with an income, is the time for me to prepare my house for retirement. That means getting it repaired as needed, organised, renovated, and buying all the nitty-gritty gadgets and all. So that by the time I retire early, all I will do is maintain the house.

Let’s see if I could retire early by 2028.

The long weekend holidays in the highlands and KL

Posted in Leisure & Travel by

It was one of those anxiety-inducing trips because I had no idea where we were going. I did not know the final destination of our mini holidays and the temporary abode we were bunking in. I dislike being in the unknown. Simply said, I dislike the feeling of being not prepared.

We ended up going to Genting Skyworld. We departed from Melaka at 6am and reached Genting Premium Outlet by 9am. Then took the cable car up to the highlands in the foggiest atmosphere ever. The pictures look lousy. A few areas were shut down for renovation. The Eagle Ranch section was still not opened. Then, one of our favourite rides which is the Epic boat ride was suspended due to technical issues. That was a bummer as we really looked forward to it. We honestly felt that we were scammed out of our tickets which were paid at peak-hours rates. We kept circling the area hoping that the Epic boat ride would be repaired soon enough. Unfortunately, it didn’t and so we left the place at just after 2pm.

My very excited Nezuko with her robe and bag

our tourist-priced breakfast at Genting

Snippets of our activity

Wanton noodle

We had lunch at the cafe in the Ice Age area. I loved the wanton noodle meal. It was delicious and the portion was fulfilling. The kids had a strange mac and cheese bowl with parfait as dessert.

We stayed the night at a duplex apartment located at Eco Cheras Mall. It was thus easy for us to just roam the mall in our free time. It was basically an open area that fitted a living room, kitchen and a private room (bedroom) on the top floor with its own toilet. There is a guest toilet with a washing and dryer machine near the unit’s entrance. It has a fridge, microwave and kettle which was good enough for our length of stay. I have no idea how much it costs per night but it must be reasonable because Mr Husband rarely goes for overpriced hotels and such. ha ha ha. The residents/visitors do not like sharing lift spaces though. They would try their best to shut the lift door by pressing the buttons to avoid others coming into the lift. They would even X out their hands to show ‘no, you cannot step in’. It’s understandable if the lift is super crowded but there is plenty of space and the lift at this place is not the type that functions all at the same time. Mesti ada 1 or 2 that is under maintenance. Typical apartment issues.

We managed to sneak in a movie – Planet of the Apes at the mall. Lunch and dinner were mainly at Nasi Lemak Wau, a restaurant located at the ground floor of the mall. The sambal was not spicy -which I liked. We ended the trip by sending our son back straight to KPPN. He is one of those weird kids that enjoys going back to school. He requested that he reach back the hostel by noon. Maybe he wanted to kejar solat zuhur at the surau or something.

Kolej Permata@Pintar Negara – SPM

Posted in Current Events by

SPM is just a beginning

SPM is not a true measure of a student’s intelligence

These words are often used to reassure our students who didn’t do well in their SPM. Especially when they are faced with high expectations. In some cases, perhaps these words are meant for parents who have high hopes for their children’s success. These parents end up being devastated as they wish their child had more A’s to guarantee a bright future. Indeed, their arguments are valid because scholarship opportunities are only considered for top scorers. Similarly, placements for competitive programmes like medicine are also offered to those with high academic performances. Even for those less adept in logical-mathematical intelligence, sitting for SPM is still important as employers still want that certificate as a sign of commitment to mental vocation. Thus, it’s clear why parents still want their children to score in SPM – that is to grab the best academic chances that use SPM as its benchmark.

A talent for every child – Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence

Kolej Permata@Pintar Negara is not the place for parents and students who think this place is solely to grill kids to get straight A’s and fly overseas. This is because it is evident that many years ago KPPN never scored high on the SPM ranking charts as opposed to the more familiar names in the arena of Premiere MRSM and Elite SBP schools. Personally, I have never seen KPPN scoring higher GPS than my alma mater, STF. Yet, when my son chose to go KPPN, I have reserved a thought that if he wanted to score in his SPM, it will be gruelling as he is also preparing for his High School Diploma at the centre.

As expected, when the recent SPM results came out recently – drama unfolded in the group message where a lot of parents were seeking justification as to how the geniuses were not getting their A’s. Honestly, it was interesting to see the many perspectives coming from the parents. From the limited conversations that my husband showed me, since I am not in the group – there were some points that I agree and some that I disagree.

Disagree : Intensive academic sessions. The concern was that student’s were not studying enough, not trained enough to answer SPM questions in the answer scheme. Some even said because of this, KPPN should hire tutors with SPM experience. Some even intend to send their kids for tuition during the school breaks.

If you can train villagers in China to make replica paintings for sale, you could also train any child to become high achievers. First of all, there is nothing wrong in being a high achiever as it showcases abilities and increases motivation for the individual to always do their best in life. However, parents of KPPN should be prepared to accept that their child might not score in their SPM because their type of intelligence, as per Gardner is not measured by SPM. It is a difficult pill to swallow, I know. As difficult as it was for Pauline Einstein when the teachers back then told her they were unable to teach her son because of his ‘mental deficits’. In a way, Einstein did not fit into the standard features of a ‘good student’ at the time.

Genius kids are not meant to fit into general education standards. When I was in STF, we had workshops where we practically memorized the steps and answers to the problem. Did we understand everything though? I believe if you ask back, the answer is probably a no. Especially in Add Maths hahaha. So yes, you can train someone to answer it like the scheme but later as they venture into the outside world, not many will thrive because they do not have the ability to think for themselves. They were spoonfed. They were standardized.

KPPN comes into the picture to nurture extraordinary intelligence. Unfortunately, it is at the expense of not getting a good SPM result that dismays parents. Thus, refraining these gifted children to stay earnest, competitive and excel in their field of choice! It’s no wonder than desperate parents are pushing for extra classes or tuition just so they could score in their exams. I on the other hand, is not a fan of ‘study all the time’. I have confidence in my child’s ability to process his learning even in a short time and I would prefer that he explored other things like language, religious studies, sports and just being a kid at KPPN. It is a plus point if his emotional intelligence is also nurtured throughout his interaction with the tutors and friends.

Agree : What makes KPPN special then if the students, despite taking on so many subjects in their early secondary schooling, still have to go through the same selection process into tertiary educational centre as other high-achievers after SPM?

As much as I believe that KPPN always have their student’s best interest in mind, I also believe that when highly intelligent people do something – they always lack in communication and direction. Ever heard of statements where people say ‘pandai tapi berat mulut’, ‘pandai tapi tak pandai bercampur dengan orang’. When these traits are brought into adulthood that’s where communication breakdown happens and other people are not able to see the vision that KPPN has.

Parents being human beings, they seek for acknowledgement that what they are doing is right for their children. Which means they need to see what the plan is in the future. I anticipate that since KPPN is a well established centre that nurtures genius individuals, I would expect that the alternative path set for them must be designed to fit their abilities.

I once read an article about a professor lamenting that he has yet to see the products of KPPN participating in ventures of pure science. I thought it was an interesting point. After all, any high achiever enrolled in medical school can still graduate and become a doctor. You don’t have to become a genius to do that. So where do genius fit in the society? In areas that encourage the birth of new knowledge or basic application of it. I am thinking of scientists, philosophers, academicians, technologists, creators etcs. I am thinking of those who proposed the Human Genome project, who created Facebook and Microsoft, who builds planes and electrical appliances. This is the direction I think the children should be exposed to.

Since KPPN does not communicate on the programmes they have for SPM leavers – it is justified for parents to think that these kids will undergo the same selection process into Uni after SPM.

Perhaps if there is an internship programme in the intelligence team of the police force or the military, in a research lab, in an established art gallery, a prominent university, an environmental organisation, an archeological venture, and even in the national library that recognises gifted children and their abilities and is able to support them – parents would be more reassured of their children’s future.

I was asking my son the other day, what does he want to be? He said a policeman. I asked what kind? He said he doesn’t know yet.

At the mention of being a policeman, some would automatically think about those who do their rounds in the car on the road. Or those who take your report of an accident at the police station. To me however, I think of Bukit Aman and it’s intelligence team. Surely, there must be some smart ass cop hiding somewhere who is really good in investigating crimes – studying patterns of heinous activities and profiles of suspects. Surely, there is a role for geniuses in the police force to not only go after villains but put in an effort to protect the integrity and safety of the police force. Perhaps there are brains that create items or systems to enhance police safety, task speed and maintain the country’s secrecy from hackers and stuff. Is that not an area that geniuses could contribute to as well? Boleh kan…

So I feel KPPN needs to explore this. Or if it already being explored – make it known to the parents. ‘kita ada program has dengan PDRM bla bla bla.. setelah SPM akan dapat biasiswa bla bla bla.. selain meneruskan pengajian di UKM.. mereka juga diberi latihan khas di bawah seliaan PDRM bla bla bla… sekiranya berjaya .. akan diserap terus ke dalam unit intelligence PDRM bla bla bla… ‘. If KPPN does this, trust me, the parents will kembang hidung and badan for the next decade at the prospect of their child being able to thrive differently than high-achievers. Takdelah terkilan if the child is not able to study overseas.