Kenapa mahu menjadi doktor?

Found a very interesting article on the internet. 'Kenapa mahu menjadi doktor?' To read, click here.

For most us who have come to the end of the road of medical school, perhaps it's too late to turn back. And yet, it is something we must reflect upon.

To those who are considering medicine as a career, there are a few more issues you have to think about.

What drives me absolutely bonkers....

The sound of water dripping from the tap of the sink in my room.

Arrrrgh it's so annoying! I keep getting up from my chair trying to turn the darn tap off!!

What Medical Specialty is for You?

The medical specialty for you is.... OB/GYN

OB/GYN is the best of all specialties. As an OB/GYN, you have chosen one of the most noble fields in medicine. You will work longer hours than a surgeon, but without the high pay. But you will still do it because you have a passion for the field. And after you rush to the hospital at 3 in the morning for the third night in a row to deliver a baby, the parents will turn around and sue you if there were any unforeseeable complications, which is why your insurance rates are so ridiculously high. Come to think of it, OB/GYN?? What were you thinking?

To find out what specialty best fits your unique personality, go to:

What Medical Specialty Is For You?

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Oh boy......am I ready for this??

American Idol

Got hooked on American Idol when I was back in Malaysia doing my medical elective.

As of now, it's down to the last four :

Blake Lewis

Lakisha Jones

Jordin Sparks

Melinda Doolittle

Now, back in London, watching the show is not an option for me, so I've been depending on YouTube and Google to find out abt the latest news/performances.

Blake Lewis is quite okay, and although vocally he's not the strongest competitor, he has a lot of originality. His beat-boxing of Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love A Bad Name' last week was a courageous attempt, which I thought sounded very fresh. I think he'd do very well in writing/producing songs. Although he won't win American Idol, he'll add something new to the music scene.

Lakisha Jones? She's a great singer, and if other singers like Melinda or Jordin weren't around, she could win AI. But she lacks personality, nothing to endear her to the audience. That's gonna cost her. In fact, I think she's most likely to make the exit this coming show.

Jordin Sparks is, in my opinion, one of the two best singers, apart from Melinda Doolittle. Sparks is 17, and can sing all right, although her songs sound a bit too saccharine for my taste. She may even win American Idol, mostly because people think she has the whole package (talent as well as looks, not to mention that she's really young; a fact that Randy Jackson keeps pushing into our faces)

My favourite? Melinda Doolittle, without any doubt. She has great vocals, can sing ABSOLUTELY anything (yeah, she even nailed the Bon Jovi night!). Someone said that if she sang the phone directory it would still sound fabulous. And I agree! To top it off, she has a down-to-earth personality. She comes across as a shy person, but when she starts singing, she has a different persona. She's destined to be among the great singers and entertainers. Simply amazing. She deserves to win.

But hey, it all depends on the viewers' votes. The Americans messed up a bit by keeping someone undeserving on the show for so long (read : Sanjaya) but they mostly got it right. Right now I have more faith in them than Malaysians who vote for their idols without any regard for talent.

In two weeks' time, all will be revealed...

In the meantime, here's Melinda's latest performance. This woman is unstoppable!

p/s: Jon Bon Jovi is actually 45! Darn, he looks like a man in his early thirties...

Spiderman's Back!

No, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not a big spiderman fan. But I did watch Spiderman 1, 2; and today 3.

Overall the movie was good entertainment. It was quite nice watching it at the cinema, where there were lots of people to laugh along with you.

I have to say though, Spiderman's the geekiest, nerdiest hero ever. Don't know what Mary Jane saw in him. And he was quite full of himself in this movie (those were the comic moments, but there were times when I felt like slapping him on the head).

Highlight of the movie : James Franco (who played Harry Osborn). Now THAT'S really a....really a...sigh... *dreamy eyes*

Hey, I'm human too okay.

Too bad we're not on the same continent...(LOL....ada hati lagi tu...)

Addendum : I have to declare here that I'll be over James Franco by tomorrow (or else I might get into trouble hehe). It is just a passing phase. Just enjoying it while it lasts. At the end of the day there's ONLY ONE PERSON. Capiche?

Ack, that's almost a romantic declaration. God save us all.

Contentment

You know what is nice?

Doing work - no, that's not the nice bit..wait for it.. - while listening to songs you grow up with.

Last couple of days, I found several websites with loads (and when I say loads, I mean LOADS tahap super gaban) of Malay songs. Lots of lagu melayu lama, e.g. songs by R. Azmi, Normadiah, even the soundtrack to 'Marah marah sayang'!! (anyone remember this movie??). Been downloading like there's no tomorrow.

And I found lots of lagu pengantin (NO, it's not my time yet, but I like those songs because they're so fun. Also reminds me of the days when my cousins got married..good times they were..).

So yeah, sesape nak lagu orang kawin, just let me know! (Come on...you know you want to *grins*)

Cool, cool doowop

Watch this.

I love love LOVE how well their voices blend together.

Reminds me of the good 'ol times in secondary school....

If anyone can tell me where I can find the mp3/album, I'll give you ANYTHING you want!! (Within reason, that is. I'm not THAT silly. But I AM close to being desperate....)

Story of your life (shower acapella)

Been surfing youtube for acapella groups. Love acapella songs. Came across a group, 'The Randy Bandits'. Their original song 'Story of your life' is very fresh, very fun (if you like acapella). Thought I'd post it here. Enjoy!

And yeah, they sang the song in the shower. Better acoustics I guess. Hehe.

Start of something new

My first day of SSM (Selected Study Module). I'm doing Perinatal and Paediatric Pathology for 1 month.

Saw a post mortem on a 24 week old baby in the morning. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. After lunch, the Specialist Registrar showed me quite a few slides of tissue samples from babies and placentas. And I made a new discovery. One can get motion sickness looking down the microscope as the pathologist moves the slide from side to side.

Also found a healthier way to de-stress. Instead of moping and moaning all the time, I do kickboxing. Does wonders to all the pent-up rage. I seriously recommend it.

Back again

First entry in London after almost 8 weeks in Malaysia.

Had a very good flight. When Abah bought the ticket I was allocated a window seat. I hate window seats. Managed to change it to an aisle seat when I checked in at the airport. When I went to the gate to enter the waiting lounge the guy told me my seat was changed. He wrote '17A'.

Window seat again. Just my luck. I was about to protest, then I saw him writing 'UPGD GCCL' (i.e. upgrade to Golden Club Class).

Oh. OH...

Hehe. Naib baik tak sempat cakap pape, silap2 dia tukar balik.

So yeah, I got an upgrade!! My 3rd time these last 5 years. Someone up there likes me! (Rezeki..alhamdulillah...)

But this time around, I don't know why, tetiba rasa macam jakun pulak. I sat beside a Chinese lady. She seemed so at ease, as if she flew Business Class all the time (won't be surprised if she did). Felt a bit clumsy sitting beside her, especially during mealtimes. There she was beside me, sitting with her back straight, eating nasi lemak with such timing it looked like a dance from the corner of my eye (well I couldn't blatantly stare at her, kan?). Me? Well, at first my head got confused by the different types of knives and forks they gave. Then I mentally cursed when I had difficulties handling the prawns (they did peel the prawns save the end bit..that was where I had the problem). When they gave soft rolls I was unsure how to eat them (should I cut into half then spread the butter? Or should I not bother and eat whatever way I want?). I was worried that if I didn't meet the standards of a Business Class passenger, they'd banish me to the Economy Class where I belonged.

Sounds ridiculous, huh? My exact thoughts. And yet I actually felt like an awkward schoolgirl. Strangest feeling for a 24 year-old.

So well, here I'm back again in London, nasib baik tak jet-lagged. I slept 3 hours the night before flying, and then slept on the plane using UK timing. Didn't actually plan it, it just happened that way - and it worked!

Did a bit of grocery shopping today and spring-cleaned my room a bit. It was really dusty! And I hate wall-to-wall carpeting. With a passion. What's left to do is to sit down and do my elective report. Starting my SSM (Selected Study Module) on Monday, I'll be doing Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology for 1 month.

Apart from Azlin, all the other Malaysians are still at home and won't come back for another month.

Gonna be a bit lonesome I think, but I've got 120Gb's worth of anime to watch! So it's not so bad.

If you read my previous entries, you'd notice that I was a bit down. I'm quite ok now, I think I went through a period of PMS or something. Seriously, I never had PMS before 6 months ago, didn't even believe in it, but I can tell you now, it's real. During those times my mood swings got so terrible, I started thinking and feeling and saying things that was out of character.

Either it's PMS, or I'm going crazy. I'd prefer the former.

Missing Azureen already. Abang Onny sms-ed me and said she asked "Mana Mak Ngah? Een nak Mak Ngah, Abah.."

Uhuhu..

Takpe, only 3 months to go. And then I'll be back for good, insyaAllah.

Haven't been myself of late.

Still am not.

So many things in my head.

Wish I could tell someone.

But I can't.

Fickle mind

What if you're the kind who knows what you want in life (or so you thought) and so dead sure about things, and then you wake up one day wanting something else?

And this 'something else' may or may not be real; may be something tangible or just a passing fancy.

Perhaps you're tired of being so predictable, and you want to break the monotony. Maybe a change would be welcomed.

But what if that change would rearrange your whole universe?

Or what if it IS a passing fancy? When are you gonna snap out of it?

Sometimes I would like to give myself a good shake and shout : "GET A GRIP!!!"

As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm no angel.

Yeah, what a shocker.

Addendum : I just realized it's 1st April. I must be the biggest fool of all.

I am not...

a good person by default.

I have to remind myself many times in a day, that I should speak kind words, do good deeds, be thoughtful. Remind myself of who I am, and what I am.

There are times when I can be completely thoughtless towards other people. I’m not proud of this at all, it usually happens when I’m not paying enough attention.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m any less sincere in my actions than other people. It’s just that I have to try harder.

I’ve seen people where being good is like second nature to them. I wonder how they do it?

Ask me no questions....

..and I'll tell you no lies.

I'm not one to tell you things only to make you feel better.

I prefer to say things as they are**. And I appreciate the same from others, no matter how brutal.

At least that way, we'll always know where we stand.

**Of course I'll put it nicely la. I do understand the power of a well-phrased criticism compared to a poorly delivered one that can be seen only as an insult.

On being weird..

Hey.

Yes, I’m still alive.

Back in Seremban for the weekend, going back to Kota Bharu early Monday morning so I can meet my elective supervisor by 9 am (hopefully)

Have done 2 weeks of anaesthetics. Having a really good time, really nice doctors and nurses. Hope I’ll have lots of colleagues like them when I start working.

On another note, got tagged by Kit and Niesa. So here goes….

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Rules : People who are tagged should write a blog post of 6 weird things about them..etc, etc. (The instruction’s too long, I’m sure you got the gist of it)

6 weird things about Hani Izhar

#1 : I love airplane food. Don’t ask why, I just do

#2 : While on a long-haul flight, no matter how many hundred movies there are to watch, I’ll always end up watching the same movie over and over again.

#3 : I clean my room when I get stressed. Usually in the wee hours of the morning

#4 : I wash my hands with soap hundreds of times a day. Even when I’m taking my shower

#5 : I can sleep soundly even though my next door neighbour and his friends scream their lungs out while playing computer games, but the sound of water dripping from the tap against the dead silence of the night drives me crazy.

#6 : When it comes to movies and the music industry, I have more in common with your parents who grew up during the 50s/60s/70s. I think I was born in the wrong era. *I've actually changed this entry. Reading the original made me a bit embarassed of myself*

If you do any of the things I’ve mentioned you wouldn’t think of it as weird. Everyone has his/her own little quirks.

Oh yeah, the rules also said that I’m supposed to tag 6 people. Most of the people I know have done it, so I’m tagging anyone else who hasn’t done it.

It’s 11.30 p.m. I’m already sleepy. I must be getting old.

FINAL YEAR EXAMS : THE VERDICT

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah

It's been a week (and one day, to be exact) since I first set foot on Malaysian soil after quite sometime (okla, okla, 5 months and a bit, but that's a long time considering my track record).

Feels like I sat for the finals in another lifetime. It's like a distant memory (cewah). But it'll come back to haunt me; next Friday to be exact, when I get the results. Just hoping for the best.

Still in Seremban. Had to postpone my flight to Kota Bharu due to circumstances. Going on Sunday.

Been spending time with Azureen. She's all grown up! Has quite an impressive repertoire of songs she can sing. In fact, she sings most of the time. Pantang tengok orang masuk bilik. She'll knock on the door and say "Mak Ngah, Een (that's what she calls herself) nak masuk Mak Ngah.." several times.

Cammane org tak cair?

Also saw the movie "Cinta". Bought the original vcd**, but the somehow the quality wasn't that good. The movie looked dark for some reason, even after I changed the tv settings. Have to try it again on my laptop.

Will review the movie once I watch it again properly. Have to say though, despite its shortcomings it wasn't half as bad. I did have a few bones to pick after watching it yesterday night, but I thought I'd see it again before forming a fixed opinion (yeah yeah..as if the fate of the local movie industry hangs upon what I think). Besides, having a two year-old running around the living room while I was trying to watch the movie didn't help much with my concentration.

On another note, the new season of Naruto has been released! Woohooo!! Punyalah lama tunggu diorang nak sambung citer tu. I hated the filler episodes. But now it's back!!

**Although I AM guilty of supporting the pirated dvd industry (or anything I can get from the internet) for some reason I always make it a point to buy original vcds of local productions. Maybe because they don't do them on dvds (I may be wrong, forgive my ignorance) and pirated vcds are just bad (in all aspects). Original vcds are affordable enough, I guess

One down....

Three to go.

Had my EMQs+SBAs (extended matching questions + single best answers) papers last Monday.

Alhamdulillah, they weren't too bad. Hope it's not a case of overconfidence on my part (as they say, pride cometh before a fall).

Gonna have OSCEs 5th-7th February. Have to brush up on my clinical skills.

Neways, went shopping yesterday. Had some stuff to buy to bring back to Malaysia. And I also bought this :

Love love LOVE the scent.

I'm not usually a fan of perfumes. Whenever I walk through the perfume section in any department store I'd walk as fast as I can. And I don't fancy standing beside a person who smells like he/she just had a perfume bath. I get headaches, see.

But Pure White Linen has a very clean and crisp smell. Not overwhelming at all. To be honest, it gives the kind of freshness you get when you smell a newly-laundered piece of clothing.

It IS the fragrance to live in all year long. *sigh*

For more info about the scent, click here

Sound advice

Stumbled upon something when I was surfing. Struck a few chords and pulled a few heart strings. Best reminder one can receive, or give to another person. To view the original post, click here. Or you can just read it below.

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Another graduation speech that I would have loved to give…

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.

Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

~ Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune

Song of the month

I was listening to the soundtrack of Shrek 2 when a song caught my fancy. It's titled "You Belong to Me" sung by Jason Wade of Lifehouse with a guitar as accompaniment.

It turned out, the song's been around for quite sometime (1952!).

Not THAT surprised actually. Old songs are the best.

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You Belong to Me

See the pyramids around the Nile

Watch the sun rise from the tropic isle

Just remember darling all the while

You belong to me

See the market place in old Algiers

Send me photographs and souvenirs

Just remember when a dream appears

You belong to me

And I'll be so alone without you

Maybe you'll be lonesome too

Fly the ocean in a silver plane

See the jungle when it's wet with rain

Just remember till you're home again

You belong to me

Oh I'll be so alone without you

Maybe you'll be lonesome too

Fly the ocean in a silver plane

See the jungle when it's wet with rain

Just remember till you're home again

You belong to me