Category Archives: Ponderings & Personal Development

My Final Year Project (FYP) for Psychology is complete

Posted in Adult Learning, Ponderings & Personal Development by

When I first started, it was difficult to envision the end. Eventually, I did. All I had to do was take it one step at a time, holding the hand of my supervisor.

I studied motivation among the staff at my clinic. The biggest hurdle when conducting any study at a KKM facility is that I need to get approval from the Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC). That means having to set up a National Medical Research Register (NMRR) account and doing another set of study protocols based on what I have already written for Chapters 1 to 3 for my Open University Malaysia (OUM) subject. Once the study protocol was written and the relevant early permission was granted from my superior at the workplace and the district health office, I had to submit these documents to NMRR. I had to revise my protocol and my consent forms twice. It was disheartening at first because I was running out of time. I initially wanted to complete my FYP in 2 semesters, but I do not have control over the technical aspects of other things. This became my second hurdle.

I learned to accept that some things are just out of our control. The things I could control at the time were my reading and understanding of the topic through literature reviews. I also tried my best to perfect my chapters. I used a thesaurus a lot because the words I used were, at times, less academic. Even then, everything just comes together. The ethical approval came just in time when I wanted to start my data collection.

The data collection period was exhausting. I had to transcribe on my own. I had to squeeze in the tasks of analysing, transcribing, and reading the data between the times of the early morning, after work, and over the weekend. Writing up the report was an equally exhausting stage as I tried to make sense of what my results were. It got to the point when my sympathetic responses went into overdrive mode. However, the euphoria of being absorbed in the process and fully understanding what I wanted to achieve kept me going. There were certainly some things I initially overlooked, which just underscores how vital it is to have an engaged SV. I’ve had my sights set on this SV ever since my semester studying social psychology. She was one of the first people I considered when we were selecting our SVs, and it turned out to be an excellent decision. You can genuinely feel the positive energy of an exceptional SV radiating from her. A hallmark of a great SV is her ability to guide me through complex topics, even outside her field, ensuring that external readers can easily grasp the concepts.

Towards the deadline, there was a lot of ping-pong going on with our emails but we persevered. I felt a huge relief when I submitted my report to OUM. On the day itself.

Is this the end of my FYP? Technically yes, but remember the NMRR and MREC I mentioned earlier. Now I have to submit a report to them. I hope I can use my OUM report instead of re-doing it with a different format. I will check on it soon.

HIV Programme – a rotten tomato rating to myself

Posted in All in a days work, Ponderings & Personal Development by

I wanted to host my HIV programme in a different format this year. Instead of another aerobics session with a public talk, I made it into an organised CME session. The turnout was bad as I overlooked certain things that could have made a difference. Less than 10 people attended the talk.

  • NO hype. There was no hype built around the programme. Hence, people were not excited to attend the session and just cited ‘being busy’ or ‘patient ramai’ as an excuse. I could do better by explaining what World AIDS Day is and emphasising the importance of healthcare worker’s support.
  • Existing HCWs do not see their role in HIV care. To them, it is a distant thing managed purely by myself, Dr Minci and members of my team. While it is true that we coordinate patient’s care, other healthcare professionals are equally important in managing these cases.
  • Team spirit. It is noticeably lacking as compared to my NCD team. Perhaps it is predominantly male making them less enthusiastic about the frills of any celebration.

Anyway, InsyaAllah I can do better in 2025. I will be having a new co-champion. I hope that everything goes well. Amin.

Ina Naim, Selamat Pengantin Baru

Posted in Current Events by

As much as I am not a fan of Ina Naim and her late husband’s parenting techniques and lifestyle, I feel that there is nothing wrong with her entering marriage life again. After all, it was a choice she made at her own will with her kid’s best interest in mind. It is not a crime to find love and comfort in the arms of another man after the passing of her husband.

I was honestly flabbergasted at the comments left by other women on her wedding news. Things like, “How could you forget your own husband already”? or “You are being selfish, you should think about your children!”

Ina Naim is a mother of 4. Before this, she had no income of her own and depended heavily on her husband for matters of everyday living. To have Khairul, her new husband, in her life is a huge step as they have to come to terms with the changes that will happen with this union. I really hope this man can be a great father figure to her children and that Ina Naim will be showered with much love and respect as a wife and mother.

I mean, shouldn’t we all wish the best for everybody? A little bit of thought and kindness goes a long way.

Making informed decisions based on the choices we have

Posted in Ponderings & Personal Development by

Perhaps we can start with food.

Every year there will be parents passing comments on Facebook about how displeased they are when their kids receive junk food as goodies during the end-of-year class party. The way I see it, if you have been feeding your child with mostly quality food for the whole year, then I believe that even if the child receives those goodies, he/she will know which ones she could indulge in more, and which ones to space out in terms of its consumption frequency.

Ramadan is coming soon. I think that is a good month to train ourselves as adults and our kids to make better meal choices during Sahur and Iftar. Malaysia has a very food-orientated scene during Ramadan. The bazaar keeps popping up more than the year before. I would expect the prices would be freaking expensive as well. Sadly, this is where food wastage happens as well. I feel that as Malaysian Muslims, we need to focus on sweetening the ibadat component of Ramadan.

Food should be back to what it is – a form of sustenance to feed the soul and body. Not as a means to satisfy cravings per se. Having said that, I am not against the idea of organising Iftar to form meaningful connections with family and friends. If it is well-planned and promotes togetherness, then that is also a form of Ibadat.

The life we live is based on the choices we make along the way. Make better food choices. Live a better lifestyle. That is what I am aiming for in 2025.

This is a challenging moment to be Vivy Yusof

Posted in Current Events by

Ever since the Khazanah x PNB investment loss of 43M came to light, netizens have not stopped asking for an explanation of what went wrong with Fashion Valet. Many have demanded that the husband and wife duo/founder of the company step forth and clarify the news to the public.

I thought it was interesting to discover that a lot of people actually do not want FV to succeed. So many people were talking trash about her. In fact, ever since Vivy was portrayed in mass media at least more than a decade ago for her bright idea of championing local designers to Malaysians through an online platform, people were still sceptical of her talent. She had the privilege of using Daddy’s money (which is true) and that somehow placed her in a rank similar to those who are not regarded as true entrepreneurs. For example, celebrity turned businesswoman or brand ambassadors etc. As opposed to those who have trouble securing a grant or a loan to kick-start their business. Even then, I still thought that if someone used Daddy’s Money and lacked entrepreneurial talent, the money would still go down the drain. Instead, Vivy’s business thrived and more people began to appreciate the works of our local designers. We should applaud that.

Even I was influenced to grab something from FV or more precisely dUCK. Too bad, I am not a fan of their collection and just bought a few scarves packaged beautifully in their signature purple boxes. Enough to convince myself that I was once part of the crowd. The interest towards the brand waned off sooner than I thought simply because of the high price tag. Although I could afford it, I did not think that it was worth my hard earned money. And so, FV or dUCK was just a ‘catalogue’ I enjoy browsing from time to time because of it’s aesthetic nature. While it’s visually appealing, it requires considerable contemplation before making a purchase. A RM300 scarf or RM400 tote could get me quality groceries for two weeks.

Over the course of time, it is expected that the designers no longer need FV to grow their brand and presence as digital technology has become more accessible and cost-effective to manage on their own. This was what I grasped from her book, The First Decade. To me, the book did not have a forceful presence like Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ or “My Name Is Hasmah” by Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. It felt like reading her blog as the tone is perceived as quick-paced. I could actually hear her voice in my head while reading. Even then, it wasn’t a book without substance at all. There were poignant moments that made you understand that running an online business is not as easy as it sounds.

Investments are bound to succeed or incur losses. What angered the public was that the loss was too huge and FV’s apology was deemed childish. What’s more, Vivy parades her luxurious lifestyle which gives an ick to those who have always been against her from Day 1. I honestly feel bad for her because I feel that she is receiving an inappropriate amount of hate simply due to her being already rich (generational wealth) and yet still being able to secure funds from Khazanah x PNB. In other words, using taxpayer’s money. According to the public, it should have been put to better use by these investors to support other promising and viable ventures. Honestly, I am not affluent in the business world. Hence, I trust that Khazanah X PNB would know what they are doing. Still, this issue does give me this unrested feeling that privileged members of society do have it easier sometimes. Thankfully, the investment made by PNB did not come from our ASNB subscription.

Anyway, I look forward to the turnaround of FV in the hands of NXBT Partner as the majority stakeholder of the business. I believe despite the setbacks, the couple will find a way to rise up again. True entrepreneurs always do. Perhaps in the future, the founders can approach matters with enhanced perspectives and establish an online presence that focuses on less contentious issues with other local e-commerce players.