2nd sem results breakdown ... and my course description to clear the mist of confusion

Still silently rejoicing over my grades ... Well, the subject breakdown is as below:
ANATOMI SISTEMIK: A
MIKROBIOLOGI ASAS: A
SPEECH COMMUNICATION: A
FISIOLOGI KESIHATAN II: A-
HUBUNGAN INSAN: A-
TAMADUN ISLAM & KENEGARAAN MALAYSIA (A): B+
BIOKIMIA METABOLISME: B+
GENETIK: B
KESIHATAN MASYARAKAT: B-

Really thank God for my Anatomy and Microbiology ... those are my strong subjects. Love them. Physiology was also a bonus, as I had gotten B+ for my 30% mid-semester exams. Speech Comm is actually applied English, so ... Human Relations . . . honestly, I love the lecturer because he's so nice and respectful of us - and the reason for the grade. He may be old and 'nyanyuk' abit, but I respect him. For Tamadun ... no comment. The grade is due to the introduction of the right-wrong choice answering system for the 2nd paper. Biochemistry is, WOW!!! Really God's grace! I got B- for my midsemester, and I thought I was dead meat. I studied the complicated topics through tears. Yet, somehow, God's mercy came through and I found myself able to answer all the essay questions quite well, and then this grade of B+!! Genetics and Public Health, I can say is my mistakes. For Genetics, I didn't answer one essay in my midsemester and left half an essay blank for the finals. Public Health was the last paper; so ... let's just say I was letargic by that paper.

Generally, I'm quite satisfied with most of my papers. Thank God for His help, grace and mercy. And for not getting any seizures during those papers! Well, looking forward to the next academic year. This year was all about the fundamentals of the human body and additional info ... for the 2nd year, going to learn all the pathology, pharmacology, immunology (for those from SMK BL, remember my stated ambition to be an immunologist in F4? who knows; I might have a shot at it!), clinical biochemistry, toxicology, advanced microbiology, parasitology, enthomology, etc (you can see that I'm loving my course ... ;-) God's guidance is always the best).

Ok, ok, I think I should introduce what I'm studying to you all out there. Many had already mistaken my course for Medicine (and it's NOT Medicine!) or some other health science course. For info on my course and what it's about, just go to:

http://www.ibms.org/index.cfm?method=education_and_careers.careers (the centerpoint of worldwide biomedical science: Institute of BioMedical Sciences, United Kingdom)

http://www.fskb.ukm.my/bioprogram.html (UKM's site on my course)

Below is a short excerpt from the IBMS site:

The role of biomedical scientists
Biomedical scientists investigate tissue and body fluid samples to diagnose disease and monitor the treatment of patients. From screening cancer to diagnosing HIV, from blood transfusion to food poisoning and infection control, biomedical scientists are a vital part of modern healthcare, working in partnership with doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Doctors treat their patients based on results of diagnostic investigation by biomedical scientists, while departments such as Accident & Emergency and operating theatres rely on biomedical scientists for emergency blood transfusions and blood grouping, testing for suspected overdoses, conditions such as leukaemia or patients suspected of having a heart attack.
The work of biomedical scientists must be accurate and efficient as patients' lives may depend on their skills. They are continually increasing their knowledge as laboratory techniques develop and research transforms the cutting edge of science and medicine. Scientists learn to work with sophisticated equipment to employ a wide range of complex techniques to perform their roles.

Hope that'll help everyone understand better ... Nitez!!

Year 1, 2nd Semester results . . .

Confirmed I got a GPA of 3.51 for the 2nd semester of my 1st year. Totalled with the previous semester's GPA of 3.31, my CGPA up to this point is currently 3.41. I'll give the breakdown later tonight. Anyways, thank God for the increase. Cheerio!

2nd Strike . . . 3rd and you're out??

Another one week delay in blogging ... this time caused by my 2nd epileptic attack in a month (??!!).

Last Monday I started off the day with a visit to LHDN office at Wisma Ting Pek Kieng behind Riverside Majestic. The 30th of April was the deathline for passing up the income tax form and paying up the tax that you owe the government. That day, we went to pay the LHDN the precise amount we owed. I followed my mom, as we were paying in cash, and should someone mug her . . . my dad would have his hands around my neck as a reflex action. Thankfully, nothing untoward happened, and the money was safely paid up to the counter. This time, the counter assistant commented that I was my mom's son (there was this time a number of years back, in the Emergency Room of the SGH, where the nurse mistook me for being my mom's HUSBAND! My mum and dad couldn't help laughing out loud. It's still a standing joke till now). As we walked out of the office, my mom commented that it's either the man has a better sense of recognition - or she's looking more aged! After that, a short detour to Parkson and Giant before heading back. On the way back, we got trapped in a jam at Jln Rock. Thinking it was an accident, we patiently waited to pass . . . till we passed the Esso station, and the road was clear. Apparently, one whole lane of the two-lane-wide road was used by a myriad of diesel-guzzling vehicles to line up for the diesel! No wonder a jam ensued.

It was my turn to pick up my bro and his friends from school that same Monday; according to the car-pooling schedule, that is. Zipped off at 1pm. As I went up Jln Rock, I was shocked to see a huge jam on the opposite side of the road. I had passed that same stretch of road around 2-plus hours ago! Either the diesel wasn't being distributed out quickly enough, or there were just too many vehicles in desperate need for it. After picking them up from SMK Batu Lintang, I tried to figure a way out of this mess. I tried to go up the road going up the hill that leads to the junction with Jln Sekama ... but there was another jam there - I had forgotten the existance of another Shell station on that road! So, turn around and go back towards Wisma Saberkas. Where to turn ... ?? In the end, I just went straight through the Wisma Saberkas junction, pass SRB St Paul and dived down Jln Keretapi. Finally managed to find a station-less road by going down the PBK-Sri Sarjana road in Central Park. Talk about road madness . . . And no one has any idea how much longer it will last. Although our dear Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs promised a solution in 48 hours ... We'll wait and see . . . and he'd better deliver, or we'll have whole lot of drivers flying up to wring his neck and hang him up to dry from the top of an oil tower. Cargo lorries, passenger buses/vans, diesel power generators (in the rural area's), and ordinary citizen's vehicles (vans, trucks, lorries, 4WD's, etc) - all are being deprived.

Amidst my musings, I had no idea what was going to hit me that Monday afternoon. I lay down to take my afternoon nap as usual around 2pm. Suddenly, I jolted awake some undetermined time later. My sight was blurred, and I thought that was from just waking up too quickly. But, my sight deteoriated rapidly with the trademark images, distortions and warpings appearing in my field of sight - with horror, I realised an attack was about to hit. I had that 'Matrix' feeling (you know ... the slow motion part where Neo is dodging Agent Smith's bullets?) as I desperately tried to get out a warning; my consciousness slipping away like sand through the spaces between my fingers; my thoughts a flurry of chaos as I felt like falling into that same old pit . . .

When I woke up around 3-something, I needed not one to tell me; I knew I had just recovered from another full-blown tonic-clonic seizure in a month. Once again, my whole body aching all over, muscles feeling strained and tired, a faint throbbing sensation in my head, mucus in my mouth and my stomach feeling bloated. Ugh. I pulled myself up and there was my mom, watching over me with that worried expression on her face. The only warning I gave her was me mumbling "Jesus!" moments before the attack commenced. How not to be concerned??
This time, me trying to mumble out a warning caused my tongue and sides of the mouth to be lodged between my teeth when my jaw muscles started contracting . . . my tongue now has a few painful sores on it's left side, together with a few more sores on the right cheek side of my mouth. Ouch. Eating and swallowing has become painful, so I do these things slowly now. And my left leg had a cut from slamming against a chair (I was sleeping on the floor because was too tired). First time I got injuries from an attack. Not a good sign. Even so, I am very thankful that there's been no temporal attacks accompanying the fit so far . . . Just a single tonic-clonic is enough, thank you. The temporal attacks are anytime more frightening for myself than a tonic-clonic because I'm still conscious when it strikes. Although I pity my mom and bro who had to witness the attack.

Later on, I got a sound reprimand for using the computer too much; as their theory is that prolonged use of the computer triggers attacks. And there's all that back-up statistics from Japan and the USA about children who spend too much time at the computer/TV games. So, I'll be blogging less often now . . .
Hmm . . . on a more serious note, I have no clear idea about why I am getting this attacks. When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy, the specialists did a full screening but found nothing unusual at all. I was among the mysterious 70% who are without any clearcut reason for suffering these attacks. In the end, we could only put it vaguely to stress and tiredness, as the fits seem to strike most often near exams (during my SPM, I nearly got one at the end of my Add Math paper). There's no family history AT ALL - I'm the first in both sides of my family to get it!
But, my move to KL to further my studies there stumped everyone. I was terrified when I started my 1st year in UKM - if I got an attack in my campus, what then? My family knew what to do, but how about strangers? My worries were for naught; throughout my entire stay there, I suffered not a single attack - all praises and thanks to God for that! Even though there were the usual late nights (2/3am) studying for exams, long hours (2 - 4 hours) typing up assignments and surfing the Net for projects on the campus computers, exhaustion after a long day (lectures, tutorials, lab practicals, shopping for necessities, extra-curricular activities, study discussions, and all the walking, LRT/Monorail and Bus riding in between), frequently forgetting to take my Sodium Valproate (my supply is supposed to have ended in March . . . but I still have 8 more strips now; so . . .), long travelling (in the LRT/Monorail to and back from church) and so on. But the moment I return to Kuching, I get 2 attacks in a MONTH!! Padahal I was attack-free for 8 months in Uni??!! Any answer to my confounding dilemma?
A personal theory I'm currently formulating is the difference of physical activity. In KL, walking is the only feasible way of getting around downtown besides LRT/Monorail, since I don't have any motorcycle or car. Everyday I would walk till my legs ached. But in Kuching ... ;-) Siapa yang nak jalan dari Hui Sing ke Wisma Saberkas? Atau dari Hui Sing ke Batu 4.5? Whole weeks can pass without any significant physical activity. Perhaps it's blood pressure or some other factor that's related to my level of fitness?? Anyone's guess is as good as mine.

Till next time . . . on piano's and why I'm doing what I'm doing. Ciao!

Books and some developments

Been doing nothing much these past few days ... Now, thinking of things to do to fill up my time. Still thinking. A big Q: What DO you all do in your holidays?? I'm inviting your response ... if not begging!

The 2-storey BORDERS bookstore just opened in Berjaya TIMES SUARE, KL. Plan to go there ASAP once I get back, esp since it's been touted as the largest bookstore in M'sia, dethroning the previous holder of the record, the 2-storey MPH 1 UTAMA in DU. Another addition to the other lines of bookstore already present in West M'sia, like MPH, Kinokuniya, Times, Popular and all the others. Man ... I find bookstores irresistable. Bookstores are to me what clothes boutiques are to the ladies. I dare say they pose a threat to me . . . I can't resist reading!! So far, I find Kinokuniya the most reader-friendly, but I haven't been to all the bookstores in KL, thus I can't exactly pass judgement. I can spend the whole day there - once, I managed to skim through last two books of the 'Left Behind' series (Armaggedon, The Glorious Appearing) in a single day. So far, I've read through 5 Startrek books and read portions of many other titles. An excellent place. It provides places to sit on, and there's a wde selection of books. MPH is more like your typical bookstore; most of the books are wrapped, so you can't read them. Unfortunately, Kuching is a very poor place for book business. As I have observed, most of the bookstores here concentrate on study books from Kindy to F6 and Matriculation - the only promising sector so far. Belle's Bookshop in Sarawak Plaza had to close down after opening for a few years. A few other shops have opened here and there, but nothing like MPH or Kinokuniya. The libraries aren't exactly your social spot either. Someone should think up of something to change things abit.

About getting a vehicle ... In the end, my family and I decided against getting a car for me in KL. It was concluded as simply not feasible; since we were aiming to get a new car that'll be capable of transporting my whole family around the West Coast of West M'sia, able to survive in KL traffic, having low petrol consumption and wouldn't bring too much trouble - besides searching for a place to buy it, a parking lot inside my condominium, amount of money to be spent (in buying it and all the insurance, the maintainence and petrol costs ...) and the frequency of actual use. The amount of money that'll be spent for 2 years of use is simply not worth it. So ... I'll welcome rides from anyone in KL once I'm back there ... ;-)

Yesterday, the Borneo Post included an interesting article for us students of higher learning.

• The Minister of Higher Education is planing to table a proposal paper, to enable each higher institution student to own a notebook computer, to the Cabinet early May. An issue to be tackled would be the financing: via PTPTN or student loans. If approved, a 'One student, One Computer' is expected to be launched in stages beginning July this year.
  Comment: Wow ... that'll be great! EVeryone will have a far easier time getting a computer - and a notebook some more! My dad had commented that he'll take my present one if I can get one via the new scheme .... :-)
• The private sector is imploring the ministry to extend the practical study period of students of higher education from the current 10 weeks to 1 year, with the reason that the students would be better equiped with skills and be more marketable. But, a compromise is expected.
  Comment: Sounds logical enough, esp in these troublesome times. Only problem being, how many wants their studies to be extended by a whole YEAR?! Eg, a 4 year engineering course would be dragged out to 5! Maybe 6 months would be more tenable ... one whole additional semester for one's practical studies. A year is simply too much!

The article can also be found in the Sun2surf site: http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=8595

Let's see how it develops then ...

And the photo below ... ??
Since talking about cars ... all those diesel problems in Sarawak have been quite crazy. Last time, diesel was so cheap that my family actually discussed if the new car we were going to get should be a diesel car. Of course, we couldn't have foreseen the oil price crisis and the resultant current quota system. Just a few days ago, the gov had to increase the quota by 30% for Sarawak to avoid the lines of vehicles desperate for diesel like in the post below :

Waiting patiently for diesel ... taken at Hui Sing's PETRONAS petrol station 

Testimonials, 'Lost-in-Kuching', door madness ...

Remember the desperate rampage we all underwent at the end of our secondary education for whatever certification and etc's we can get to be inserted into our testimonials? Which was why I found myself sitting in my mum's Proton Wira in front of Sedaya International College Sarawak this morning. My dear younger brother represented his school (SMKBL) in an inter-school maths competition organised by UCSI . . . although he knew he didn't stand a chance. True to his expectations, he could only do 10, before randomly choosing the other 40 or so remaining Q's. Ain't cut out for KBKK type of Q's. Reminds me of all the nonsense I joined when I was around his age ... the Scrabble Club, PBSM, Sports Day (Discus, shotput) ... Simply to make sure our testimonials were as complete as possible; in preparation for the gruesome battle for places into public universities. Pity the clubs ... so many members who are only interested in their testimonials; not the club itself.

Well ... my navigational sense isn't as fine-tuned as I thought it was. Perhaps not driving around the streets of Kuching for 4 months does affect your memory of the roads. These past few days, I've been turning many big circles; after missing a turning, choosing the wrong lanes at the traffic lights, or taking a wrong exit. Spent around 20 extra minutes today getting from my house to Sedaya on an otherwise-normal 10 minute drive; spinning around northern Green Road, Satok, Electra House, Wisma Hopoh and the Wet Market. Hope I'll be more careful in KL if I ever drive there ... it's roads are far far worse in terms of its twisting, maze-like structure. Getting lost there is nightmarish ... once, my dad took just one wrong turn near the DBP building at the junction of Jln Imbi and Jln Loke Yew, and we spent around half an hour spinning around downtown KL past nightfall before returning back to square one - one huge roundabout journey in roads unfamiliar to us. By the time we finally found ourselves back in Jln Bukit Bintang, we were all sweating profusely from all the sudden turns, straining to read the road signs and split-second decision-making. And that was already with the help of a map. Precisely why I dare extrapolate that whoever's capable in mastering KL traffic can drive anywhere in M'sia.

Today had a hliarious incident in church. One of the door's terminally locked itself. A few of the church member's tried to slip it open with a wire ... then a bigger-diameter wire, all to no avail. Trying to hack the wood around the doorknob was of no help. And then, someone finally kicked the whole door open with a poweful kick. The door opened alright ... with the door lock now in pieces. Ouch. That's going to cost abit.

Later on, my dad could only shake his head in disbelief. He proceeded to get a circular keychain, bent one of it's ends - and locked himself outside. Being the master technician he is, with ease, he used the bent keychain to open the door (no further details here ... otherwise will be helping potential future burglars!). Point made. He knew ... because he himself fixed on all the doorknobs in our house! Thus, he knew how a doorknob works and it's innards. A lesson in calling the professionals. And ... AND - your normal door is easily opened. Within seconds. So, do add on a latch and a grill for maximum protection. Besides a transphasic shield, automated laser defence system and a video hotline to your cerebral cortex ... me and my hyperactive imagination. If not, then make sure there's someone there to take care, and you take all your valuables out.

It's my parent's wedding anniversary tomorrow. STILL; no idea's on hand yet in terms of gifts. After giving idea's like ice cream, cake, chocolate, cards ... dead end. I looked at my brother and both of us laughed. Goes to show how unromantic me and my brother will be if we ever fall in love with someone. ;-) My mom joked that if this anniversary didn't exist, neither would we. Wow ... come to think of it, it's been 23 years of their married bliss in Sarawak.

Thank God that the temporal epileptic attacks have subsided to nothing since last week. And thanks for all your concern. It's a joy to live without fearing whether another dreadful attack was around the corner. It's true; life is a gift. I hadn't realised it till the day it's fragility was made so glaringly obvious to me. You don't treasure something till threatened with it's loss. With God's help, I plan not to forget that. And to live life to it's fullest.
Nitez

Back; with an incident and some future tots

Ah ... a little break from blogging. And back with a crazy incident ...

I had settled down, slipped into full relaxation mode and am just letting time pass ... until I realised that it was already the 3rd week since I arrived back in Kuch! How time flies when you're enjoying yourself ... in contrast with my memories of the exam weeks; when each minute passed agonisingly day after day - besides those horrid moments when you tried in vain to stop the clock as the tonnes of unfinished material wickedly taunted you from the bookshelf ...
Well, I and a few friends decided to meet up together after the end of our 2nd semester in University. Went down to Central Park yesterday night to have our dinner near Sri Sarjana (for those of you Kuchingnites who went there, still remember Mr Lee and Jong?? Those old days of tuition ... ) Just as we were chatting away, an old man dressed in simple, a-little-ragged-looking clothes suddenly came in through the front door of the cafe. He drew little of our attention - till the moment he walked straight up to the table and gestured to me to extend my hand. I was stunned and blurrrr. Again, he gestured roughly. Without thinking, I just extended my hand. Immediately, he grabbed my hand, and rubbed my palm with his thumb, while gripping it tightly. Still I was completely mystified. With him still gripping my hand, his other hand extended out a piece of paper with odd characters (resembling some written language out of Star Trek or some other sci-fi series). My sense of confusion peaked when He asked brusquely, "1 ringgit". I half-intended to reach into my pocket to appease the guy. But before starting to reach for my wallet, I turned to look at my other friends. They were vigorously waving him away. FINALLY, my brain returned to it's normal functional status. I waved him off, saying I didn't want to pay or give anything. He paused a moment before quietly shuffling off. We returned to our conversation, with a friend reprimanding me for letting the man touch my hand, fearing a curse/spell/'jampi' etc ... Of course I felt unnerved and frightened a little. Before anything else, I silently prayed for His protection, grace and shielding. If this happened a few months earlier, I would have freaked out. But now, I found myself putting my trust in God and His promises, leaving myself in His strong arms. Truly, a great comfort and reassurance ...
Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Wheuh ... That was plain crazy. Ever had that happen to you? Leaves you with a halo of question marks spinning around your head! Until another of my friends reminded me; "Err, isn't this the third time it has happened?". And that halo of question marks turned into a halo of punctuation marks. My memory flashed back in time - I have been approached by 2 mentally unstable people (a more clinical terminology than calling them 'madman') so far: once in King's Centre, another time in a cafe opposite Green Road Secondary School. Now I can add one more incident in Central Park. And all the goosebumps start appearing all over ... How one's mind can play tricks on you. As if on cue, my hand started feeling extraordinarily warm. Was there some sort of a tingling feeling ... ? The power of mental suggestion.
Seriously speaking, I was rather intrigued once I got back home. Once is a funny incident, twice is a coincidence, but thrice ... ?? As a friend put it, 'thrice and you're out!'. Any comments from you all out there? They weren't the same people; at least that I can say. As far as I know, I never did anything to attract any overt attention ... never looked them in the eye either. Mystery ... :-) Theories abound.

Alright, enough of the funny for tonight. My parents are bent on making sure that I use this holidays well. And - wow; I actually find myself agreeing, though reluctantly. What a year of living on your own does to you. I find myself seeing eye-to-eye with my parents on things I previously would have disagreed on. Somethings you just don't get until you're left to fend on your own, i guess.

Starting to think of the future after reading last weekend's news. Remember that news piece of the person who got the inaugural Prime Minister's Scholarship? Ms Sook-San Wong, an immunologist from UM. She's currently enrolled in a Master of Medical Science degree at the University of Malaya, and plans to do research for her PhD on developing a vaccine for dengue in Australia under the scholarship. Interesting indeed ... What attracted my attention was, "A Bachelor of Biomedical Science graduate of the University of Malaya...". Wow!! So, Biomedical Science isn't exactly a dead end after all. At least there's someone who succeeded in pioneering the way. The web links to the news articles are as below:

http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/articleid_2227.html

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/4/9/nation/10639424&sec=nation

Although my past school-time dreams were of researching exotic microbs like Ebola, Bird Flu and The Plague, but i guess being in a tropical developing nation with limited resources and a small field of research, one has to be realistic abit, unless desiring to go overseas. But, yeah ... something I am considering to aim for. Following my interests, I think that I'm leaning towards either lecturing/research, or purely research. Who knows? God willing, I think I'll go for it. I don't think a desk job is suitable - I'll be bored to death! But first, I'll feel around my field and learn more. Next semester will be all the diseases and etc etc about my field. Then Industrial Training after my 2nd year ends; around one year from now ... and then my research thesis during my 3rd year. That should be quite alot of exposure, and a great deal of help for me to choose.

Ok ... this is all I have to say for now. Nitez

"COMMERICIAL BREAK"

Do YOU want to be the next Malaysian Idol after Jaclyn Victor??
The nationwide search for a new Malaysian Idol will commence tomorrow! Contestants now have to register themselves directly at the audition venues during the audition dates.
The Malaysian Idol auditions will be conducted at these locations on:
April 9– 10, 2005: Sarawak Tourism Center, Kuching
April 16 – 17, 2005: Eden Garden Hotel, Johor Bahru
April 23 – 24, 2005: Penang International Sports Arena (PISA), Penang
May 6 – 8, 2005: Kuala Lumpur (venue to be confirmed)
There will be no pre-registrations. Only walk-ins. Now it’s open anyone aged 16-28 years old!
Contestants must bring:
Two 3R photos
Photocopy of your I.C.
Signed General Release Form found on www.8tv.com.my (Download here)
For contestants under the age of 18, you must print out and sign the Parental Consent Form. (Download here)
The audition application form. (Jpeg Format) (PDF Format)

Te he he ... just for the fun of it! Nitez

My test, a tiny accident and some reflection

Went to Gribble Pathological Labs to get a general health screening done with my blood and urine samples. The moment I stepped in, I saw the manageress speaking with an aged Chinese man. Right in front of my eyes I saw why a good command of Chinese was important - they were discussing his results in Manderin. And the man made one particular comment: "I hate my doctor - he can't explain my disease or the treatment to me in Chinese". They went on to discuss how to find a Chinese-speaking doctor to help him. As I stood there, I felt like I had just been rebuked directly. Without at least a rudimentary command of Chinese, I'll be handicapped if I venture out into the private health sector - the whole Chinese-speaking-only market would be cut off. What more about discussing symptoms, problems and treatments in Mandarin.
As I was searching for the place to put my sample, one of the lab technicians gestured for me to put it into one of the baskets. I looked up - and recognized her - Kathy, one of my ex-F6 classmate's older sister from UNIMAS. OF course, she was busy doing her rounds so I could only wave to say hi. As the technician took my blood sample, we chatted abit. Apparently, there were several undergraduates undergoing their Industrial Training there; mostly from UNIMAS and one from Monash. Interesting. Looking around, I could understand the general layout of the machinery, the use of each machinery and the basics of how some of them work. So, my Instrumentation and Biochemistry lecturers had been at least partially effective. And I stil can't decide if I'll like labwork. Never mind - still got some time left.

Oh yes ... as I was parking my mum's Proton Wira, I swerved a tight corner. There was a Perodua Rusa on my right and a Perodua Kelisa on my left. I think I was too worried about my left - I heard a sickening screech from the righthand side. To my horror, the Rusa was actually lifted up a few inches after my right foot stepped on the accelerator in reflex - a light step, or my mum would have her hands around my neck by now. Quickly, I slammed the gear to reverse and pulled away gently, letting the Rusa slowly rest back on its own wheels. I had to calm myself down for a few seconds. After exiting the car, my imagination ran wild. A scratch? Scrapped paint? Or a large dent?? Worse?? I finally turned my head - and gave a sigh of relief. Nothing much; only a few barely noticable scratches with a little stain from the rubber back of the Rusa. Thankfully ... last time I did something similar was with my dad's Nissan Sunny. Ahh ... learnt the same lesson twice! I had better learn better parking skills, or I'll be the victim of road rage once I start driving in KL!

Finally - no temporal attacks today, praise God for that. Even so, still quite jittery whenever there's that hinting 'feel' that an attack might be on the way. That's what's so frightening about these particular brand of attacks - it's totally 'mental'; and thus, no external symptoms (no fever, shivering, muscle spasms, etc). It's all 'in my head'. When it gatecrashes into your consciousness out of the blue, as it rages on and when it comes to it's relieving end ... It comes and goes at will, without even the decency to 'knock' before striking. Thus, those around me have no warning of when I'm about to get an attack and there's no outward sign that I'm currently having one. In fact, I've had temporal attacks around quite a few of you - but none of you noticed anything, right? Unless I told you that I'm having one or I had one attack, you wouldn't know. Things like blurred vision, images appearing in your field of vision, a loud humming or screeching sound, memories appearing in your vision, sounds around you seem to come from a terribly long distance, a fainting or falling feeling, your thoughts going haywire, 'brain-freeze' ... it's all psychological. Sometimes, I have to endure the looks of doctors and people who don't seem to trust my words when I describe my symptoms. Who knows? ... I could be lying, exaggerating, making things up, having an over active imagination ... ugh! But I can't blame them - they can't get into my head and experience what I go through. Both the temporal attacks and tonic-clonic seizures have a terror of their own.

Having epilepsy ... It's an intensely personal nightmare. Very humbling - you're reminded of your mortality, humanity and utter helplessness each time. Halfway you're talking to a friend and then suddenly you can't even form the next word that was on the tip of your tongue. Or you're driving on the road and an attack comes - you don't know what to do next; your brain just went frozen! Reading halfway through a page and without any warning you can't decipher the sentences before you. Or waking up to find yourself totally drained from a tonic clonic seizure you didn't know you had. In the worse attacks, all I can do is to cry out to God and cling to Him as I wait for the attack to pass. Do I comprehend all the "why's" and understand everything? No ... but:
"Many things about tomorrow;
I don't seem to understand ...
But; I know Who holds tomorrow.
And I know Who holds my hand"
These incidents make you treasure life more ... especially the people around you. And forces you to think about life itself, especially when you're halfway recovering from a seizure. When your intellect, your genius, your knowledge is stripped away ... then who is the person that lies beneath? Which is something that's made very real to me when an attack strikes. We can surround ourselves with our education, achievements, possessions, finances, or wrap ourselves in fame, power and influence ... but we don't know how fickle they actually are. The security, longetivity and satisfaction they promise ... don't be fooled. Of course, at times I carelessly allow myself to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all. But when you pull away from the rat race - or suffer from epileptic fits ... let's say that your view of things is forever changed. The lyrics of a song come to mind:
"When it's all been said and done,
there's only one thing that matters:
Did I do my best to live for Truth?
Did I live my life for You?"
Have you ever bothered to ask yourself the hard questions of life? Not just some coffee table discussion, but real indepth searching? Don't wait till an event forces you to ... Nitez

Another group, bakeries, cooking and misc

Ah ... another nice rainy day.
Breakfast was with another group of University friends that came over to Kuching last Saturday. Went to 'Fat Cat Cafe' at Tabuan Laru and ate the laksa there. Travelling around with Kim Hin just goes to show how little I know Kuching - and reveals me to be the stay-at-home guy I am. Then went about a culinary runabout searching for the 'perfect' breadhouse ... Sunflower Deli and Mita at Tabuan Laru, before going to the 'great 3' at Eastmoore near SIB Iris Garden - Taka, Mita and Southern Bakery. Then Kim Hin dropped me back on their way back to his home. (For those still blur, he's my Uni-mate and future housemate)
Talking about the 'great 3' (ok, ok, it's my 'gelaran', nothing official), it's plain business sense. Jalan Rock is one of the major arteries of Kuching, and that particular block of shophouses just so happens to be on the direction of the homeward route (going to the major housing estates, i.e. Hui Sing, Stampin, BDC, Tabuan Heights, Batu Kawah, ... you get my point?). It's the road that people use to go back home from work and school ... and they are usually hungry, and can afford a few extra expenses - like baked products. It first started with Southern Bakery. At first there weren't too many customers. But it persevered and soon it was jammed every night. Then Mita decided to join in. We were wondering how two of them would survive, but they did. Finally came Taka with a giant 2-shoplot-wide shop. And now, all 3 are thriving quite well indeed - a testament to the evolving taste of Kuching's residents and the futuristic vision of the bakeries. It helps when they create their own niche markets - eg, Taka with it's own cheese sticks and japanese pastries. And when each tries to come out with their own personalised version of a similar product, like the good-old butter bun or sausage bun that's been endlessly modified and improved (or sometimes degenerated!). That's where their creativity and ingenuity comes out. Good idea's to emulate - esp since I'm going to enter the working world myself, as I trust the majority of my reader's will too? Get those business tips out of the books into real life and you'll really have some fun! So far they seem to be succeeding - there's little to no sign of competition from West M'sia yet, like King's Confectionary, Seasons, Delifrance and the others. Come to think of it, few companies from either side have done very well - Sugarbun and Nguikee got burned; I saw their abandoned shoplots in KL. On the other hand, Parkson is barely surviving, and A&W is gone while Jaya Jusco dropped it's plans to open a branch in Central Park. KFC, McD, Pizza Hut and other similar companies don't count - they're world-wide franchises!

My future housemates had spoken quite earnestly about their intentions to cook for some of our meals. Which lead to me asking my mum to let me help out in the cooking. And regretting asking. Not too bad learning basics like frying 'keropok', battering chicken, frying eggs and etc. But today was learning how to steam fish using the rice cooker - including slicing the onions and ginger. Oh yea, my mum was giggling away as she saw my rather pathetic attempts at skinning the onions (she could do it in a quarter of the time), chopping them (some pieces were so big, they had to be rechopped!) and the ginger. Plus a little comment about how fortunate that our generation didn't have to worry so much about such meagre stuff anymore. Right - I got her point alright! ; - ) I can cut up a mouse ASAP during my comparative anatomy practical session, but hand me a kitchen knife and it's accompanying cutting board and I descend into panic!

The temporal epileptic attacks still come, and can be frightening especially when they strike in a row of successive attacks, seemingly with no end in sight (each attack actually lasts no longer than 10/20 seconds, but they feel like an eternity each time). And once again struck just as I was driving my bro back from his school. I'm FINALLY listening to my dad - cutting down drastically on computer (only for blogging and doing other necessary stuff lah) and TV ... just get back to reading and helping with some of the chores. And also another reason for me not to work this holidays.

My mum insisted that I go for a full labarotary work-up tomorrow at Gribbles Kuching. My drastic weight-loss of 10-plus kg in a 3 month period is abit worrisome, and the sodium valproate I'm currently on has a slight risk of causing liver failure (don't gasp -which drug has no side-effects??). And also to check on a few things, like sugar levels, LDL, HDL, tumour markers (had a tumour removed when young, so better check after 19 years just in case) and etc. Which will also basically include the application of all I've been learning this past year, and a preview of next year. See it from the perspective of a cilent first, before becoming the one who tests all the blood and stuff. But first, the 12-hour fast for the glucose level test, i think.
Nothing much to say ... World news is as wacky as ever. If I start commenting on it, there'll be no end! One thing worth noting would be the historical visit of our PM to Australia after 20-plus years since the last time our PM dropped by Aussieland. After the constant clashing between each other during Mahatir's era, it seems that it has given way to more a more amicable relationship. And a sad fact: Indonesia and Australia are closer than ever only after a series of natural disasters. Sometimes only the common denominator's of human life like pain can get people to look above their petty differences. Ok, I better stop before I become another online commentator - there's enough of them already!
Nitez!

Recovery ... and disaster at KIA

So far, recovering fine from my seizure on Friday. Still having several of those annoying yet rather frightening temporal attacks a few times each day (which relates to why I'm not blogging till now). The worst so far was a strong premonition just as I was driving my mum's Proton Wira - but it went off, praise God for that. But, no full-blown seizures, thank God. I'm trying to save my neurons for my old age - it's a good idea to avoid frying too many of them now! (during each seizure, some get fried ... a few, permanently.and you don't regenerate new ones!) Already back to my normal routine, except lower amounts of TV and computer lah.
And enough sleep!
For us, rain is always very welcome. Staying in blisteringly hot hot hot KL has made me cherish every drop of rain. Try staying inside a steaming hot room, with only a fan that only serves to circulate the same hot air around the room. And the corridor is cooler than your room. ARGH!!
Although having too much rain can be also a little troublesome. Like today. Last time it was an AIRASIA plane which skidded off the runway in KK. Well, Kuching decided not to miss out on the fun ... Around 9pm plus today, a Transmile cargo plane from Sibu skidded off the runway of the Kuching International Airport. Ouch. According to TV3, the airport authorities are tight-lipped for now, so we'll just have to see the news tomorrow. Meanwhile, all incoming flights have been diverted while outgoing flights have been cancelled or indefinately delayed. Double ouch. We can only hope that no one's seriously injured or - God forbid! - dead. It was a small Cessna plane (similar in size to a Fokker) so hoping nothing serious happened. To either the plane, the pilot or the airport (maklumlah there's alot of construction going on around it). Looks like MAS and AIRASIA will have their pockets burnt for one night and long after-effects for a week
... or two!
Alright ... signing off now. Need to make sure I get enough sleep. Chronic sleep loss over the past 2 months or so, due to exams. A typical malady of university-life ... you all know lah. Till next time!

ATTACK!

Today was just another morning, cool and refreshing after a night of rain. Had a nice breakfast, and went back up to read my Bible.After reading, I felt tired, so I lay down to rest. I slipped between consciousness and unconsciousness. As I returned back to conciousness after a session of micro-sleep, without warning, my eyesight started to blur, and images began to appear - a epileptic fit was on it's way. I quickly closed my eyes, hoping it would go away soon enough. It didn't. In another second, my eyesight was totally blurred, and distorted beyond recognition. A humming sound started, and rapidly increased in volume - a self-produced phenomenon by the brain. And then after around 5 seconds since it started, I felt like I was falling into a bottomless pit. Then I realised that it was too late - a full-blown attack was underway. Just as I was about to shout, unconsciousness took me and I passed out.
Later on, I woke up around lunch hour, with my whole body aching all over and muscles feeling strained and tired. My head had a faint throbbing sensation, there was mucus in my mouth and my stomach felt bloated. My heart sank as I slowly came to full realization that I had just suffered my first tonic-clonic seizure since June 2004. After 8 joyous and grateful months of being seizure free in my 1st year of University, I return home - only to get this attack.
Ahh ... : -
Perhaps this is due to my chronic forgetfulness; of consistently missing the times I am supposed to take my Sodium Valproate medicine. Also my long-term lack of sleep, especially in the last 3 weeks of my exams. Besides the warning temporal attacks that had been recurring (mild attacks that only involve visual distortions, without the fits - cycles of repetative muscle contractions and relaxation). And also over-use of the computer (associated with a heightened risk of getting attacks - opps, aren't I typing with a computer right now? ; - )
Later on, I vomitted out the mucus that I had swallowed during the attack, and took the whole day off.
Dear God ... it is disappointing to suffer yet another attack. I had hoped that I could remain attack-free, but apparently, I've sabotaged my own health. Ah well, just get back on my feet and start the countdown all over again.