Tag Archives: memories

Housemanship in Kuching

Posted in Everyday Life, Medicine/Health by

I was scrolling Threads today and came across a post from a medical student, asking where would be the best place to do housemanship. Since I’ve only been in Hospital Umum Sarawak (HUS), my answer was obviously Kuching. Personally, I think Kuching is a great place for a Malay from Semenanjung to work because, despite the cultural shock bound to happen, it should be less intense if you’ve been born and bred in Semenanjung for a while. My husband was from Melaka and he did very well in his housemanship. I ended up marrying him and following him to Melaka. Ha ha ha.

If you are a Malay, working in HUS will force you to learn and adjust on how to work with bosses and seniors who are majority, non-Malay. We do not have as many Sarawakians to cover the whole state in the healthcare industry, especially in the medical role of doctors. The vibe is different. The language you use with the patients is also different. Your interaction with your colleagues would also be enriched as you struggle together to get the job done. Is the workplace environment toxic? If toxic is defined as your welfare not being taken off. The answer is a definite yes. In fact, no matter which hospital you go to, toxicity is part of the training. Like it or not it happens. Mind you, I do not condone bullying or ‘during my time’ gloating sort of thing, but it is inevitable.

However, it is what you get out of the housemanship period

  • the empathy towards our fellow Malaysians upon realising that we still have a long way to go in empowering healthcare literacy among patients and the community as a whole
  • Malay supremacy means nothing in this part of the state
  • racism exists but tolerance is a must to live in harmony. Raya, Christmas, Gawai and Chinese New Year is so meriah here. Deepavali not so much because there’s not many Indians but it is still celebrated by them on a smaller scale.
  • housemanship is hard everywhere but being in Kuching gives you that unique experience when it comes to the people and the natural beauty of the state. Do visit it’s local islands, caves etc. As for the people, they are the true embodiment of Bangsa Sarawak. You couldn’t tell if they were Iban ka, Malay ka,or Melanau ka. It kind of reminds you of Indonesia. They talk in the same language and turns out to be of Chinese ethnicity and all. The only difference is we are not compelled to have Indonesian names like they do in Indonesia. So you could still guess their ethnicity. And did I tell you Sarawakians talk so soft and gentle? They have a beautiful rhythm to their speech.
  • if you’re Muslim, you would InsyaAllah become a better Muslim as you would be creative in thinking how, when and where to perform your prayers. Be extra vigilant in choosing places to eat or cooking your own stuff. Cause honestly the nasi paprik I bought in Kuching tasted weird. Halal eateries are easily available in certain areas only. Otherwise, you would need to check with the local website. Ha ha. But the local dishes are to die for.

What if you are a non-Malay or non-Bumi? I would recommend Kelantan. Don’t worry. You wouldn’t be Islam tiba-tiba. Somehow I think the locals would adore you and want to give you their best hospitality. That is what I THINK. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IN EVERY WORD OF IT. The dialect will be challenging but just like in Kuching, it is nice to see everyone of all ethnics talking in Kelantan. I am saying this because I used to have a Chinese colleague coming from Kelantan. Talking to him in Malay with a tinge of Kelantan accent sounds so cute. He could speak Chinese too.

Housemanship is intense. You will feel stupid. Your feet will swell. You will feel that you want to quit or die. But just hang on. Pray. Doa. The hardship will pass and you will reminisce on the good times. Entah2 jumpa pasangan hidup. Macam tu lah.

Revamping the study room

Posted in Home Management by

This was my study table back in Preston when I was in my third year of medical school. I chose to be in the smallest room because I liked that it was cosy but most importantly I loved the view from my window. My housemates coaxed me to just take the living hall but I felt that my room, though tiny, was enough.

I really loved my PC and my mini speakers. I am considering getting one of those ALL-IN-ONE (AIO) set soon. It is such a hassle to disconnect my laptop and pack up the wires to work every day. Especially now when I am doing quite a few things on my laptop. I saw a few sets from HP, ASUS and ACER that I’ve put in my shopping cart at Shopee. Just waiting for the right time to purchase it.

My room at Preston
Studying at night
View from my window. I loved flowers and it was easily purchased at our local grocery store. As you can see I also had a lot of love for books and cute stuff.

It certainly brings back a lot of memories when it comes to studying. I am currently in the final year of my psychology studies. Soon, I will have to conduct my final year project. I created an environment that would encourage me to focus and study better for the year. I have decluttered much of my fiction books and have exercised patience, not giving in to the lust of purchasing more books. I take it back. I bought new books. I took out my worn-out black bookshelf from my study and purchased two new bookshelves from Shopee.

It was cheap because it was online. Meaning I have to assemble it myself. Indeed, I managed to do it ALL BY MYSELF. Penat tau tak. It was a very heavy bookshelf. Still, it took me less than 1 week to get it sorted out. I also bought a PVC cover for my wide Japanese study table. I just need a few more things to make it complete. One purchase at a time, limited to budget and space. Even now it is already a great setting and I look forward to my 11th semester.

Will update later.

November Rain and my OSTs (again)

Posted in Everyday Life by

I made a short visit to my old littlehealer blog and chanced upon Ayumi Hamasaki Heaven song in it. I was immediately brought back in time to days I was watching the movie, Shinobi and a thing that occurred in the month of November.

November 2006, whilst in medical school was once a really really sad month from me. I got dumped by my then boyfriend of 6 months on a weekend just before the exams via Yahoo Messenger. Kejam kan? It was a long distance relationship. Him in Malaysia. I was in Manchester. Although he said the relationship has to end because the problem was with him and not me, he still managed to make a list of things which was wrong with me and how he thinks should be better. Itu khinzir namanya. 

My life OST at the time was UNGU- Tercipta Untukku.

But I had really supportive housemates.

Despite the stress in facing the exams, they did not disregard my broken heart and together we indulged in activities to make Minci (pronounced Min-chee) feel better. Gradually I did and went on a dating spree before I met my husband.

Meaning in between my Ex and my husband, I dated men from different walks of life.  Some young, some older as in 20 years my senior, non muslim, old friends but most prospects never got past the 1st date. On rare occasions, 3 dates but that’s it. Source of prospects? Forum, blog hopping, chat rooms, workplace. But I did get into a somewhat longer relationship called Teman Tapi Mesra. Yup, that became an OST of my life as well. Not to forget, Azlan and Meet Uncle Hussain’s song Lagu Untukmu and Bad English – When I See You Smile.

I think my longest dating relationship was about 3 months with this guy I knew from my Orthopedic posting. We kind of like have an inkling that it’s not going to work out but I guess we were just curious to see how it’s like to date someone from a different religion and background where the only common language you can talk to each other is English. True enough, his expectations of a relationship is different from mine. The fling we had just faded. Fueled by his cheating charades of course. Ignore calls tetiba putus. No proper closure.

Still, being hati tisu – I was deeply affected. The breakup happened during my paedatrics posting. Tengah jaga NICU pulak tu. I got so overwhelmed with my emotions that one day after work, I did not change or go back home.. instead I checked into a nearby hotel with my oncall bag with whatever stuffs inside – adalah change of undies, telekung and toileteries and stayed there for a night. I think my telekung did not have a kain at the time – I had to be creative. Macam bodoh pun ada.

My Life OST at the time was Black Eyes Peas – Meet me halfway.

I spent the night in the hotel alone and the next day I went to work. With the outfit from the day before. I was in a bit of a mess but I think my colleagues kinda figured what’s up. Thankfully, work for that day was just till noon cause I badly needed to get out of my clothes. Rasa mcm kotor sgt. Tapi tgh berduka, otak mmg mereng skit.

Songs undeniably bring on certain memories. Like this one. Home by Buble. Everytime I listen to it – I will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have Rome in mind – a wonderful trip I had with my friends. Despite being lost in the city of Rome at the time, driving in circles – it is one of the good memories I keep returning to whenever I feel nostalgic or melancholic. In fact, a very specific memory – in the backseat of the car staring at the dark sky with stars, lost in my thoughts whilst my friends figure out how to actually get us back to the hotel. HA ha ha.

 

The chapter of my life about Arin

Posted in Everyday Life by

I am typing this while listening to Breathe – by Lee HI. 

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Arin was in his early 20s. I was in my late teens.

We met in Hospital Putrajaya. I was a patient. Warded for 11 days. Treated for (the final diagnosis) Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and Arin was the guy who served my meals in the ward. There was no PPK at the time. The servers were those from the private companies providing the food.

It was a brief friendship in the most unlikeliest place. Arin was at that time  – A Coincidence. He just happened to be there (as the person who served us meals in the wards). Our conversations were also short as he did most of the talking. I listened more.

He would pass me extra sachets of milo for my supper later at night . Or swing by to visit me in the wards after he finished his work. For a while. He would ask me what I was reading. My dad brings me my novels to keep me occupied in the wards. Arin would narrate to me his day. He was always in awe when he knew I wanted to study medicine. He said he was not smart enough. Our world was different. I was what he called, privileged. His, was a world of grit and hard-er work. I wish to tell him that even those who are privileged has their own challenges and expectations to live up to. But I didn’t. It was not what he would like to hear.

I allowed him to be proud of his hard, honest work. I let him talk about his might and glory. He should feel listened and appreciated. To me, he earned it. Especially when he has so much responsibilities to shoulder at that age.

He smelled of tobacco, biasalah.. youngsters. He rides a simple motorbike. He does not have any girlfriend (he made that point quite clear, wait, was he hitting on me?). He was ‘Along’ at home for he is the eldest and he stays with his mom and younger siblings. He never mentioned his father, perhaps he was not in the picture. I did not ask. As a stranger, I thought I should not pry too much.

It was a good time while it lasts. He gave me that letter on the day I was discharged.We exchanged phone numbers but my study commitments made it impossible to keep up with the friendship. Furthermore, we have different aspirations and goals. Later on, I did not feel like I want to listen and bottle up my thoughts regarding his ideas anymore. I had an opinion but to voice it out might not be the best thing. So I distanced myself and like a withering flower, the friendship too begin to falter. Hence the end of my chapter of Arin.