doctors..doctors

I was reading the news today, the Star Online. nothing sounds mover the top today but one of the news headlines really disturb me. it goes

"Too many new doctors and too few hospitals to train them" 

Saturday November 27, 2010

i remember since i was very little, in school and in uni, i heard that everybody (the newspapers/governments/ my teachers/my parents/ relatives/ other people parents/ politicians/television news/ radio news/even the hospitals) were saying, we dont have enough doctors or we are short of doctors or something similar to show that Our country, Malaysia is really in need of doctors. i wanted to be a doctor myself. as a kid, i  sat on my late Grandfather's (the one i proudly bear his name around - Koeng) lap, i always touch his flabby arms and told him that when i grow up i will become a doctor so that i  could remove the flabby thing and make granddad's arm taut and strong again. i was then 6 years old. unfortunately, he passed away not even having the chance to see graduated primarily school. i was a bright kid. i had passed my examinations with flying colors. i was then a straight A'a student. i wanted to be a doctor. to keep my promise to granddad. 

i still had that ambition with me when i enrolled in MRSM (MARA junior Science college - the college for straight a's student like me). i happened  to know that they were so many other people who are more intelligent and better than me. suddenly i was becoming very active and outstanding on the field and less less in the academic field. i was only an average girl. i was doing not so good in my SPM (1st grade but not able to achieve a single aggregate) it was not a fulfilling achievement even though my parents were happy that i have passed with 1st grade. My dad only settled with 2nd grade. i then continue studying in USM where i learn that the world has more to offer and i fell in love with a guy that even makes matters more unfavorable to me. My grades in Matric didn't qualify me to be selected into medical school. i was then being thrown to HBP instead. this is where the architects and the planners and quantity surveyors and building surveyors spent their time acquiring the initial knowledge to be who they are. medical school is way over. mom n dad was rather frustrated, but i like what my uncle used to tell me, you could only treat one patient at a time. if you could build a mosque, can u imagine how many people will be using it, till the day the mosque is gone. that did soothes me a bit. and when i 1st went to my 1st class in HBP which is the integrated studio RUS101, i remember one lecturer saying that, you see, a life is a doctor is no fun at all, everybody all you have to see is sick people. somehow or rather my guilt for not being able to enroll into medical school is eleviated.

 

doctors..doctors

I was reading the news today, the Star Online. nothing sounds mover the top today but one of the news headlines really disturb me. it goes

"Too many new doctors and too few hospitals to train them" 

Saturday November 27, 2010

i remember since i was very little, in school and in uni, i heard that everybody (the newspapers/governments/ my teachers/my parents/ relatives/ other people parents/ politicians/television news/ radio news/even the hospitals) were saying, we dont have enough doctors or we are short of doctors or something similar to show that Our country, Malaysia is really in need of doctors. i wanted to be a doctor myself. as a kid, i  sat on my late Grandfather's (the one i proudly bear his name around - Koeng) lap, i always touch his flabby arms and told him that when i grow up i will become a doctor so that i  could remove the flabby thing and make granddad's arm taut and strong again. i was then 6 years old. unfortunately, he passed away not even having the chance to see graduated primarily school. i was a bright kid. i had passed my examinations with flying colors. i was then a straight A'a student. i wanted to be a doctor. to keep my promise to granddad. 

i still had that ambition with me when i enrolled in MRSM (MARA junior Science college - the college for straight a's student like me). i happened  to know that they were so many other people who are more intelligent and better than me. suddenly i was becoming very active and outstanding on the field and less less in the academic field. i was only an average girl. i was doing not so good in my SPM (1st grade but not able to achieve a single aggregate) it was not a fulfilling achievement even though my parents were happy that i have passed with 1st grade. My dad only settled with 2nd grade. i then continue studying in USM where i learn that the world has more to offer and i fell in love with a guy that even makes matters more unfavorable to me. My grades in Matric didn't qualify me to be selected into medical school. i was then being thrown to HBP instead. this is where the architects and the planners and quantity surveyors and building surveyors spent their time acquiring the initial knowledge to be who they are. medical school is way over. mom n dad was rather frustrated, but i like what my uncle used to tell me, you could only treat one patient at a time. if you could build a mosque, can u imagine how many people will be using it, till the day the mosque is gone. that did soothes me a bit. and when i 1st went to my 1st class in HBP which is the integrated studio RUS101, i remember one lecturer saying that, you see, a life is a doctor is no fun at all, everybody all you have to see is sick people. somehow or rather my guilt for not being able to enroll into medical school is eleviated.

 

Days after days...

My 3rd trip to Tawau was on the 18th of November. As usual, i have to travel from home in Penang as early as 9am, to catch my flight to KL (it was an 11:30 am flight). I reached LCCT around 1 pm. After checking in at the kiosk, nothing to do until my next flight which was at 6.30pm (6 hours to kill!!), i headed to the place i usually hang out (the sitting area before boarding) and started reading the book i brought along "The Power of Subconscious Mind", this is a very good book indeed, i wished it has no ending.

People might be wondering why i chose to wait for so long to board onto my next flight. I  have a few valid reason, 1st. The last flight was the cheapest, 2nd. to avoid missing the next flight if my 1st flight from Penang happened to delay. this has happen to me several times and i kind of prepared for all circumstances. 6 hours is definitely a long wait and a waste of time but i think it is acceptable because i took the time to be with myself and read and imagine things or even daydreams.

I was seated in between 2 ladies. On my left was a Tawau girl (who haven't been back for the past 6 years) she is a chef in a 5 star hotel in Kuantan. Cool. I can only cook rice and fried an egg. A chef sounds 'holly' to me. On my right was an older chinese lady (she told me she was 60years old) who often travel back and forth from JB to Tawau to visit her family who apparently are staying in Tawau having a bird's nest business. She was promoting me to a health equipment that cost RM4000. i told her i was in house rental business, i'm not into beauty line yet, the next thing i know she was telling me that she could also supply a bathtub for me too. Obviously enough, she is trying to expand her MLM chain, unfortunately i was not interested. I will just stick to AVON or COSWAY because they are reliable and have been around for so many years. In fact i think AVON is the best MLM company that i know, which produce affordable products with lots of free gifts. So fellas, if you want to join MLM, let it be AVON. No hassle... :).

I had BIG breafast in Penang Internaltional airport around 10am, I had a BIG MAC at 3am in LCCT prior o my TAWAU flight and I had a steam chicken in the plane for my dinner. The weather was quite unfriendly, it was a bumpy ride, and i was a little nervous. But when i look at the air hostess who walking up and the aisle with their happy face, despite the bumpy ride, it did soothes me a bit. I should applaud them for being so cool. I could never be as calm. I am a nervous freak. :). A bus ride is 100x more peaceful. thank God that we finally arrived at 9pm. In one piece. The person who stamped my passport was the immigration lady who had argument with me on my 1st time back from Tawau. I remember her rounded face so well, but she manage to smile back at me which was a good thing, if she didn't i will definitely have to report her for an attitude problem.

Hubby was waiting even though he was trying to make some jokes telling me that he had not arrive at the airport but he did. He was scolding me for not trying to look for him. He told me he wasn't there and i buy it and he scolded me for not trying to look for him outside the airport, he was somehow nuts! I saw the Staff car, i saw a soldier but i did not see him around  and he came to me complaining.. "cant u just come out and search for me..bla..bla..bla" well dear.. 1st i believe what u say, 2nd i dont understand silly jokes, 3rd it is safer for me to be inside the building rather than outside and hang with the unfamiliar crowd. No way Jose!! And now you come to me and complain.. i should spank you on the head instead for trying to be funny at the 1st place!

The MT driver was a local Sabahan's who was expecting his 8th child! WHOA!!!!!8th?!! Applause for him and his wife! Me and hubby are very happy with what we have now. considering all factors, we are doing fine with our Adrian, Syukur! We did not go back straight to the Mess instead the driver sent us to to Uncle Burn where i 1st met Ankel's wife, Along. I know earlier that she had a Town Planning background. That i am very familiar of. We started to chat and we immediately clicked. I am happy that Along and me speaks the same language, the construction/ built environment language. Suddenly both Ankel and hubby felt left out.

Our next destination was Za Za Zu, a club at Promenade (a new hotel in a Tawau). We met 2 of Ankel's friend there and enjoy a live band. Ankel's throw a surprise birthday party to Along in the club. She was indeed very surprised and very delighted. The band members were all so friendly and  we really like their attitude of appreciating their guests. somehow or rather, Net Alive should be learning this from them. we finally arrived at the Mess around 2 am. I was so tired. There was no water supply.. and i just headed to bed.. Mess night tomorrow...

Days after days...

My 3rd trip to Tawau was on the 18th of November. As usual, i have to travel from home in Penang as early as 9am, to catch my flight to KL (it was an 11:30 am flight). I reached LCCT around 1 pm. After checking in at the kiosk, nothing to do until my next flight which was at 6.30pm (6 hours to kill!!), i headed to the place i usually hang out (the sitting area before boarding) and started reading the book i brought along "The Power of Subconscious Mind", this is a very good book indeed, i wished it has no ending.

People might be wondering why i chose to wait for so long to board onto my next flight. I  have a few valid reason, 1st. The last flight was the cheapest, 2nd. to avoid missing the next flight if my 1st flight from Penang happened to delay. this has happen to me several times and i kind of prepared for all circumstances. 6 hours is definitely a long wait and a waste of time but i think it is acceptable because i took the time to be with myself and read and imagine things or even daydreams.

I was seated in between 2 ladies. On my left was a Tawau girl (who haven't been back for the past 6 years) she is a chef in a 5 star hotel in Kuantan. Cool. I can only cook rice and fried an egg. A chef sounds 'holly' to me. On my right was an older chinese lady (she told me she was 60years old) who often travel back and forth from JB to Tawau to visit her family who apparently are staying in Tawau having a bird's nest business. She was promoting me to a health equipment that cost RM4000. i told her i was in house rental business, i'm not into beauty line yet, the next thing i know she was telling me that she could also supply a bathtub for me too. Obviously enough, she is trying to expand her MLM chain, unfortunately i was not interested. I will just stick to AVON or COSWAY because they are reliable and have been around for so many years. In fact i think AVON is the best MLM company that i know, which produce affordable products with lots of free gifts. So fellas, if you want to join MLM, let it be AVON. No hassle... :).

I had BIG breafast in Penang Internaltional airport around 10am, I had a BIG MAC at 3am in LCCT prior o my TAWAU flight and I had a steam chicken in the plane for my dinner. The weather was quite unfriendly, it was a bumpy ride, and i was a little nervous. But when i look at the air hostess who walking up and the aisle with their happy face, despite the bumpy ride, it did soothes me a bit. I should applaud them for being so cool. I could never be as calm. I am a nervous freak. :). A bus ride is 100x more peaceful. thank God that we finally arrived at 9pm. In one piece. The person who stamped my passport was the immigration lady who had argument with me on my 1st time back from Tawau. I remember her rounded face so well, but she manage to smile back at me which was a good thing, if she didn't i will definitely have to report her for an attitude problem.

Hubby was waiting even though he was trying to make some jokes telling me that he had not arrive at the airport but he did. He was scolding me for not trying to look for him. He told me he wasn't there and i buy it and he scolded me for not trying to look for him outside the airport, he was somehow nuts! I saw the Staff car, i saw a soldier but i did not see him around  and he came to me complaining.. "cant u just come out and search for me..bla..bla..bla" well dear.. 1st i believe what u say, 2nd i dont understand silly jokes, 3rd it is safer for me to be inside the building rather than outside and hang with the unfamiliar crowd. No way Jose!! And now you come to me and complain.. i should spank you on the head instead for trying to be funny at the 1st place!

The MT driver was a local Sabahan's who was expecting his 8th child! WHOA!!!!!8th?!! Applause for him and his wife! Me and hubby are very happy with what we have now. considering all factors, we are doing fine with our Adrian, Syukur! We did not go back straight to the Mess instead the driver sent us to to Uncle Burn where i 1st met Ankel's wife, Along. I know earlier that she had a Town Planning background. That i am very familiar of. We started to chat and we immediately clicked. I am happy that Along and me speaks the same language, the construction/ built environment language. Suddenly both Ankel and hubby felt left out.

Our next destination was Za Za Zu, a club at Promenade (a new hotel in a Tawau). We met 2 of Ankel's friend there and enjoy a live band. Ankel's throw a surprise birthday party to Along in the club. She was indeed very surprised and very delighted. The band members were all so friendly and  we really like their attitude of appreciating their guests. somehow or rather, Net Alive should be learning this from them. we finally arrived at the Mess around 2 am. I was so tired. There was no water supply.. and i just headed to bed.. Mess night tomorrow...

Business deals

I went up to Kepala Batas (Pak Lah's hometown) today with my dad and hubby to have a look at a piece of land that is offered to us. I had quarrels with hubby prior to the visit. Yeah we quarrel everyday for everything. Afters ending off our boy to school i went home to pick my dad to join us. It was a half an hour drive because i was too careful on the road (lots of complains coming from dad and hubby)

So Relieving Foot Massage

So relieving Foot Massage

It was my last day in Tawau. My whole body aches because of sharing the small super single bed with hubby for 3 weeks. I did not exercise at all, and I spent my 3 weeks doing normal things that a wife would do, ‘housekeeping’ and laundry. I would join hubby and his friends at the mess for dinner at around 7.30pm (this only lasted a week because my skin grew thick after a few meals and I was not suppose to be there anyway because these people will always talk about work). We would go out with Remy after the formal dinner to play pool or to have more food.  Hey! I am a big eater; I couldn’t eat that much in the mess since they don’t serve that much food. And they didn’t expect a girl like me to eat a lot. I still remember a person sitting in front of me giving a cynical smile when I had a second serving of rice. Oh so embarrassing!

Since it was my last night in Tawau, (after a 1 hour session of quarreling), hubby offered me if I wanted to have a foot massage rather than accompanying me to a club. So I said yes!

I found a massage centre in the middle of town, opposite of heritage hotel Tawau, it was called A1 massage centre. It was located on the 2^nd floor. I went upstairs to check out the charges, and they were quite affordable.

40mins foot massage: RM25

1 hour full body massage: RM50

The place was ‘OK’. They placed 15 reclining chairs in a hall, they had no other customer except me so I didn’t find the place congested but I think the situation would change if the place is pack with people.

The masseur was a middle age lady and properly attired. I could tell that she was very experience looking at her swollen knuckles. She told me that they would let a male masseur to massage a male client. No hanky-panky. A real stress relieving body massages. She offered me for a whole body massage but I opt for foot massage instead. She was good but her strokes were sometimes a little too hard for me. But I told her to slow down. She told me that their placed is often visited by football players, athletes, guest from a nearby hotel. The management won’t allow their staff to entertain any request for personal session in hotel rooms to maintain a clean image. I like the way they manage the place and the people. It’s comfortable and unthreatening.

Nevertheless, this massage centre could never be better than the one I’ve been to in Penang. 1 hour of foot, legs and shoulder massage cost me RM30. I go there every month. It is very satisfying! This massage place is located at TESCO Extra Sungai Dua Penang, and they run another centre at an adjacent building to prove that they are really making business. How i wished i have something like that!

Food, Food and more food (but not so much)

As a genuine Penangite, I found Tawau has few to offer (or maybe I haven’t seen or tasted much just yet).  Everybody knows that Penang, has so much delicious food, accessible and most importantly cheap. Tawau signature dish is “nasi lalap” and bakso. These were the two things I ordered upon coming over to this place. Apart from having the so called ‘cheap’ seafood (it’s not cheap, it reaches hundreds of RM). They love banana fritters and their pieces is bigger than what we can find in Penang (that is the only generous thoughts of the seller). Nasi lalap is rice that comes with a flour coated fried chicken and a bowl of soup (just the liquid). Alternatively we can order Nasi Goreng Lalap, an upgrade version of nasi lalap. The rice is fried with some flavor. They are also famous for their nasi kuning. The Yellow rice that is served with sambal (gravy that is a sauté of tamarind juice, onions and chillies). It could be Prawn sambal, beef sambal, chicken sambal, squid sambal, endless list. If nasi lemak is the morning staples for the peninsular, having nasi kuning will be their breakfast ritual. I did not found a single pack of nasi lemak during my stay in Tawau which is quite surprising.

I did found a few Tom Yam outlet, but the best Tom Yam Outlet that offers something similar to the east is located near a Mosque nearby the Kukusan Camp (from the Back Road). Owned by a Kelantanese who is married to a local and he imported his cooks right from Patani. Apart from that there is a good “ikan bakar” (Grilled fish) outlet nearby “highway” (the stretch of road along the esplanade).  According to hubby and all his friends Uncle Burn’s Grilled Fish should be a ‘must have’ list for fish lovers. Even the mat saleh we brought over there loved it. Apart from fish, there were also other types of seafood to choose from for the grill. Eating at uncle burn was never a burden to the wallet. Drinks for 7, 2 plates of fried rice and a big grilled fish only cost RM46.00. Cheap isn’t it?

On the last night before we depart for Penang, we went to dine in Restaurant Balikpapan Seafood. Their specialty is the grilled chicken. We order a set each that comes with plain white rice and a bowl of soup (their usual empty soup). I added fried tempe and stir fried broccoli and cauliflower. The dish is special but the taste is nothing to be excited about. And the price is was acceptable but I still think it’s high. If it’s not because of the nice waitress, I would have doubt for a second visit. J

Another night another dollar spent another disappointment

Coming to Net Alive had eventually turned out to be a routine for my hubby and his friends. The boredom had become more intense from one day to another. They seriously need to find a new place to hang out. Somewhere that could offer them cheap drinks, a free game of pool, free karaoke and non threatening crowds. We were checking out a place called “Red Bull” but it was kind of packed with people. We continue walking to the other block and we found an exclusive club called TRC stands for Tawau Recreational Club.

We were greeted by some safety officers that were on standby near the entrance. The place was cozy; the staffs were in uniforms, no sign of cheap bimbos around which was a good sign. There was only a group who only minded their own business, there was a pool table located in a separate room and self service karaoke. They sent us tits bits upon settling down at our table and I was so grateful for that welcoming complimentary. Hubby enjoyed a game of pool with Remy and I had a chit chat with Ankel, who was telling me half his love life with his new bride. We sang a few songs and had a good time at the beginning.

Nevertheless, my excitement vanished upon receiving the bill. They charged us for a few pieces of cornballs. It was ridiculous. The drinks were pricier than Net Alive, so far Net offered the best price for drinks. The staffs were really looking forward (it was all over their faces) for us to finish our last song and empty the last glass of our drink so that they could close up the outlet. We felt rather being chased out. The lady manager (because she sat at the bar near the cashier counter not wearing uniform) hardly respond to my smile. I wonder whether they have ever been to any PR courses. They should start smiling to their customers. It is very bad indeed. When a customer felt unappreciated, they will never make a comeback. It’s their loss. It’s just too bad.

We left TRC for good and made our way to Sri Semporna II for our early morning coffee. It was almost 2 in the morning. We ordered our hot beverages, and had a long talk about business. All of us were agreed with one thing, to own our own club in Tawau; that have a similar concept with WIP in Bangsar. I love that place but the music was still too loud. It was extremely irritating to have to shout to the person next to you. Sometimes get caught shouting when the music suddenly stops. It was quite embarrassing.  Hubby told me that in Canberra, all that you can hear in a pub or clubs are people voice. I would love to hang out in places like that. Or better still to own one.

The Night When Kelantan won Their 1st Malaysia Cup

Hubby told me that he wanted to have his usual nescafe tarik after he had dinner at the mess. We invited Ankel to join us but he was watching Malaysia Cup Final in his room. We went to the nearby Tomyam Outlet and found out that the staff there was also watching the game. After a while, Ankel joined us and continue watching. 2010 Malaysia Cup Between Negeri Sembilan and Kelantan (Ankel hometown). No wonder he was very excited. Remy (another Kelantan supporter) came a bit later. Both of them were really enjoying the game. Me and hubby who were not so much into football but found out that we were also taking part with the game watching. Kelantan created history when they won the game and who wouldn't me more excited if none other than these two Kelantan die hard fan. We then went to Net Alive for a little celebration.

They played pool as usual, i sang some songs, and the first time in my life a ordered Iced Milo to drink in the club. I wonder if any other club served Iced Milo. They boys have their usual order. This time they played 13 frames of pool and later when everyone was getting a bit bored, Ankel  suggested that we should go to R&B to contiue with the celebration.

We were greeted with a wide smile and a firm handshake at the door. At first i thought they are being hospitable since Ankel is a regular but when i compare the situation with Net Alive, i should give them a thumb's up. We came to Net Alive every other day but no one ever says hi to us. A few stars for R&B for hospitability.

I was a bit underdressed, since everyone put their most glittering and sex appealing outfit. I had on a black  t-shirt and a long skirt which i wore doing laundry earlier. So unflattering. But i still had a good time. The DJ spinned all the song i requested. 2 thumbs up for the DJ. He was a cute guy, wonder if he is single so i could promote him here, haha! Music selection was good but the crowd enjoy old school's songs.

The crowd was ok. Wayyy better than CK, the girls were well behaved. Not slutty. The only had body contact with a single man.