A Hiatus

There'll be no posts for a week or so - will be in West M'sia.

"whoosh" - and it's 2 weeks!

Sorry for not updating. Been having a great time in my industrial training ... esp since the government people are so lenient and care-free - so next to no stress. Of course, I am picking up ALOT of what that you don't see while gulpung down theory; the real world's so much different.

The previous week, I was at the Serology and Virology section. This section tests for the presence and levels of antibodies in your blood against certain microorganisms that cause diseases (e.g. Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Toxoplasma gonoidii, etc) and if you have auto-immune antibodies (antibodies that acts against your own cells! happens in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus and etc). It is also responsible for the screening of samples for HIV, Heptatitis B & C and Syphilis.
Much of the tests are automated or based on pre-prepared kits, so not much work to do except pressing buttons, and following the instructions on those kits. The most exciting part was when they let us do some of the tests, like the Urine Pregnancy Test (we had the honor of telling the good news to a new mum!), ANA (AntiNuclearAntibodies - a type of autoantibody) test and the Leptospirosis test (to check for Leptospira which can cause severe damage to your liver& kidney). Unfortunately, some were positive results, but that's how things are.
That section was nice because our supervisor loved to explain everything to us in a comprehensive and simple manner - so much so that even my group mates who ain't from the health line could understand him! And the Lab Technologists there were nice people - we'd laugh and giggle over jokes, chatter as we wait, and trade punch lines. It's up to you how you want your working environment to be.
An added bonus was when a UNIMAS medic lecturer came over to search for some samples for research ... and we spent time bombarding him with Q's about furthering our studies. He gave us a wealth of info and corrected some misconceptions. At least I see things more clearly now.

This week my group is in the Parasitology Section, where we conduct screening for Malaria and determining which species - be it Plasmodium vivax/malariae/falciparum. Also do screening for intestinal parasites like roundsworms, pinworms, cellular parasites and etc. (Meaning we get to fool around with feces la). Nothing much to do so ... ? Bring a novel or two?

Meanwhile, I've to start packing up - I'm going over to KL from the 26.5 till the 3.6 for my church camp and usual extended-family visitations. Unfortunately, this might be my last annual trip with my family, so better savour it as much as possible... by this time next year, I could be looking around for a job or a place to do my Masters!

Till next time . . .

1st week: Bacteriology

Am typing this after spending 3 days in a bacteriology lab with all sorts of Streptococci, Klebsiella, E.coli, Proteus, Salmonella, Shigella, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other types of bacteria. All from the patients of SGH, or from rural clinics that are sent to SGH's Pathology Department.

There are 4 sections in my lab; the 1st section is basically to insert the samples onto nutrient agar plates for the bacteria to grow. The samples range from urine and blood to rectal and eye swabs.
The 2nd section is to see the characteristics of the bacterial colonies that have grow overnight, do additional chemical tests to further identify the genus and species if needed, and prepare new plates from the previous ones for antibiotic sensitivity testing.
The 3rd section is specially for blood culture storage and bacterial growth detection. How? Via the BACTEC 9240 - an automated machine. Just insert those bottles in and then the computer will detect the CO2 levels to see if there's any microbs inside.
The 4th section is for reading the antibiotic sensitivity test results. This is important to aid the doctor in choosing what course of treatment to take, and if any particularly dangerous species of super-resistant bacteria has made their appearance in Sarawak (so far, only MRSA and not VRSA).

More in the weekend - I need to sleep for tomorrow's work at 8am.

In the Cat City

Had a pretty uneventful flight home in an Airbus 330-200. Thank God nothing happened and no disaster happened. *pheuuh*

So, I'm back here in Kuching already ... will be here till wat; the 6 - 9th of July? See how it goes then. Meanwhile, I've 7 weeks of INdustrial Training in SGH to look forward too (or is it to dread?)

Watched the Thomas Cup after I reached home ... I am SOOOOOO disappointed by Beng Hong! He crumpled under the pressure. And the irony of our team? Our singles were supposed to stage a walkover while our doubles were written off. Instead, our doubles shined (even beat the world no. one team!) while our singles spluttered miserably, especially Lee Chong Wei!

EXAMS DONE ... back to good ol' Cat City

My final paper was yesterday, and as of today, I have officially ended my 2nd year and am in the 3rd year of my Biomedical Science bacholer's degree course. Which also happens to be my final year. *shakes head in disbelief* I've gone so far, and now I stand towards the end of my education. Nearly 17 years in the M'sian education system, and ain't long before I move out into the real world.

I found out that my final year research thesis supervisor is Prof Salleludin, my Entomology and Parasitology lecturer! So, I think it wasn't too much of a surprise to know that he wants me to do something to do with Entomology. When I asked him what I am to do, he just waved me off, saying that it's still early, and asked me to THINK SOMETHING UP ON MY OWN!! Wow ... I am speechless! At least I found out two omnths in advance ... time to start digging around and getting my curiousity up and revved; looking around for things to tackle in my 1 year of research (well, technically, it's actually 8 months).

My flight back to Kuching today is a 5.50pm flight, MH 2538 ... a Boeing 777-200! I managed to book a window seat; hope that I'll have a great view of Kuching before landing!

Alright, I guess this is all for now. Signing off from KL . . . next time will be from Kuching!