My Blog

i was in Kuantan Pahang yesterday morning -Friday 15th-.. when i
received a call from my uncle Ayahsof.. his youngest brother PghDin
passed away..

i was told that he had a heart attack..

i’d
classify my emotions as in the denial state.. the whole thing doesn’t
seem to be real.. or maybe it didn’t hit me with full impact yet..

even completing this blog didn’t seem to be important as a major turning-point in my life..

at
the emergency department, death is no stranger.. babies with
milk-aspirating pneumonia.. young adults on motorbikes without
helmets.. smokers.. obesity.. bitten by a mosquito..

and with
relatives waiting anxiously in the outside.. i always try to weasel-out
and let other doctors to break the news for them..

maybe
because i hate to admit that we have failed as high expectations were
put on us.. but mostly because i didn’t want to know these people..
death are much easier to people you don’t know..

and i know this sounds awful.. i hate people who are quick in tears..

didn’t
think much.. i called Kuwait immediately.. my mom is usually up at 5 am
on Fridays.. it was a terrible news for her and my three years in the
field, couldn’t produce a decent sympathetic sentences.. but blaming it
all on his bad habits of smoking..

Long before my father’s death
last year.. PghDin was always there for me and my family.. we counted
on him in almost everything.. He was there for almost everything good
and bad happened to me and my family.. furthermore, my mom regarded him
and myself as equal..

my uncle Ayahsof just SMSed me to recite
the Yasin on his blessed soul.. reluctantly i did.. as i said.. i am
still unable to feel the impact of the loss and subconsciously believed
that he will visit my house anytime soon.. dropping by asking me about
MP3 MP4.. history of WWII.. geography.. the difference between
CorelDraw and PhotoShop.. what certain sentences in Arabic and English
are meant.. etc

i realized for long that PghDin is the only one
in the extended family who seems to be on the same frequency.. and i am
sure that this opinion is shared by many.. whether it was for his true
kind nature or his genuine efforts to help people regardless the
conflict, the trouble and heartache that brings..

i still have
no tears in my eyes.. i am distracting myself with life not to think
about what happened.. mainly because of that belief that he will always
be there when i need him.. even now..

my belief dictates that
there are afterlife and a fine day when we meet.. but it feels that he
never left.. am i mistaken that he is probably watching me now?

he left us with a big gap in our lives.. tomorrow looks darker now..

[Mood Status:/ cought in a moment of self pity.. but with a functioning remote control..]

i read a blog from a friend few days ago.. here was my reply..

"Dear ——

November was a bad month with flood water rising in Kelantan state.. but not enough to sink my work-place underwater.. darn!!
ps.. i work in a hospital!!

sorry i didn’t notice this blog entry earlier..
i
know how it feels to be pushed into a corner.. like a wild beast.. to
be reduced into nothing and less than a zero.. to be forced to do the
lowest of the low.. and regret about it every single day afterwards..

even
while driving my car on my daily route to work.. i suddenly burst to
anger, engaging in imaginary explosive conversations, planning to fight
for what’s right, and crying and begging for what i have lost..

today,
i had to stop at 7 eleven.. had a slurpee.. wishing and feeling that..
i.. JUST.. WANT.. TO.. CRY.. to feel better.. and stop thinking about
the ghosts in the past..

then Abby calls, actually SMS asking me
to call her.. she can sense the storm in the calmness of my daily SMS..
but i don’t think she knows how much i love her and how much i
appreciate her everyday and every moment.. for saving me from the
anti-depressants, the sleeping pills and the psychiatric visits..

i
am trying to appreciate life again.. and take whatever it gives me..
from the slurpee i had earlier.. to the cartoon network that i am
tuning to but too lazy to switch the channel manually because the
remote control is out of batteries..

sorry too graphic?!

i
feel stronger.. because i am.. because i believe that i deserve
better.. because i believe that God prefers the fighter, the patient,
the useful and the good..

i know i know.. i am talking about me
me and me.. that’s my biggest curse.. my story doesn’t even resemble or
come close to what you have went through..

i believe that i am
a happy good person.. who is willing to give his trust to the one i
care.. but sometimes, i just can’t help it to wonder what if.. if i had
done things differently.. said things differently.. or turned to a bad
nasty person..

misery loves company.. and i just wanted to tell
you that.. whenever you need a friend.. a comrade in the battle called
life.. ahem!! that’s me.. the next big king-kong slurpee is on me..
and i promise to shut-up.. and listen.."

today..
on the way back home.. stopped at the 7 eleven.. finally got myself new
batteries for the remote.. didn’t feel for slurpee this time.. because
eventhough i am still upset from the big oil stain on my seat that a
stupid mechanic printed earlier this morning..

i can’t pretend to be a loner anymore.. especially when the valentine is coming..
guess with whom i am gonna spend it with >;-)

peace >:-)

[mood status:/ its been long since my last crappy wisdom entry!!..]

lately,
i am conscious about showing my frustration toward the people around
me.. when my head of department asked me, how was my oncall last night,
i answered "i lost my temper 4 times yesterday".. and we smiled!!

some
moments, i really like to take the role of a god.. you know, people
come to you in desperate for cure, relief of pain and anything that you
would expect from a doctor.. and i am in a position to that..

the
reality, doctors and nurses are licensed to handle other people bodily
secretions.. pus, vomit, bile, muconium.. not so glamerous for a god,
huh?

.. and by the way, blood smells and tastes like iron or steel, its not that bad if you think about it..

lately, there were many moments that i hate to be in the emergency department.. the first line of the hospital..

i
am not in the liberty to explore the limits of our health services..
which is fine by the way but struggling to compete with the hospitals
we see on TV..

but as the medical officer of that department, i come to the reality to enforce those limits everyday at work..

i watched Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko‘
the other day, that made me appreciate the government’s health services
that won’t deny anyone’s need.. except maybe the doctors and the
nurses’ need for sleep during the oncalls..

unfortunately, my customers are becoming more needy and more comfortable to ask for help.. and going against my nature ‘of pleasing everyone‘, i am given a task to put a stop for the "unnecessary needs"..

in some parts of the world, "medical loss"
is a term to describe the cost of a treatment to a patient.. to me, it
is when resources are put on a patient, that is better used on another
patient.. who has a bigger and more urgent need..

that is why i
can be such a "Bitch" when i talk to people lately.. because sometimes,
i just try to protect my own sanity, because i don’t need to hear every
little details and sad stories.. trying to convince me otherwise..

but what can u do?.. when you are in need, you are in need! right?

..

fortunately,
the Kota Bharu’s forensic MO, are called in to conduct the post-mortems
now.. that’s a HUGE relief.. not for them.. hehehe!!

but other
unpleasant medico-legal cases still fall under my jurisdiction, such as
Rape-victims, Rapists, battery, child abuse. neglect.. which are.. in
the rise..

i was examining a rapist, the other day, taking his
DNA VDRL blood samples, samples from his scalp hair and pubic hair..
and i cannot help to commend about his politeness and cooperation..
smooth quiet clean process.. we could have been friends, you know, if
it wasn’t for the hand-cuffs, the police and the entire unfortunate
incident..

but when i am out of the OSCC -one stop crisis
center- and back to the yellow and red zones next door.. children
crying.. elderly coughing with gas-nebulizers hissing oxygen through
the mask.. school-kids with amputated fingers.. mental-illed patient
claiming to be God’s best singer..

i have been punched at face.. once in the ER..
had my shirt soaked with blood to the point of disposal.. 2x..

been begged and cried at/to.. everyday..

two medical officers and a head department.. vs. an entire population of sick people..

this
picture from 2006 when i used to work at HRPZII.. who knew i’d end up
at Kuala Krai Hospital.. that’s where the ambulance is from..

today,
as i was completing my 32nd hour of the oncall, i received a call from
the district.. complaining about a statement i gave to his assistant..
asking for his help..

here is an advice.. do not get me angry
when i am bored and frustrated.. you are talking to the university’s
debate team ex-champion..

for the past 30 hours i was feeling
that control is slipping away from my hands.. but by attacking me and
complaining about a statement that can be interpreted in a good way but
chosen not to.. is just an invitation for me to get the control back
from you..

and boy!! do i fight dirty!!

people who really
know me.. knows that i use intimidation to suite a good purpose,
example to help patients to help themselves..

otherwise, i am
friendly in a much ways and maybe slightly too clingy.. and if i am
rude.. just remember, i am actually holding myself back..

i am
far more than capable to destroy someone with mere words.. and i am not
that far different from that school kid who used to pick a fight just
because i could so..

being
in the emergency department.. is an adventure.. and a challenge.. but
holding back my nastiness, my frustration and my ugly sides of me.. is
even more than that..

but when moments come and take the best of me.. i just need you to know that.. this is NOT a proud moment for me..

peace >:-(

[Mood Status/ feeling perky.. hehehe sorry, this blog was written few weeks ago.. i was too lazy to save it..]

Selamat Hari Raya Aidul Adha December 20th
i know.. i know.. its kinda a bit late.. i was busy in those days.. socially.. work-related.. but mostly with

i
woke-up in the early hours of that day.. and it hit me.. for the first
time in 13 years, i was going to celebrate both my Raya(s) with someone
who i care the most.. i have been living alone away from my parents
since the age of 16 years old.. in two different continents..

sure.. i did celebrate Raya(s) with my uncles and cousins.. but it felt
like being a guest at their homes intruding into their homes.. but the
Raya(s) of 2007.. i belonged to someone..

for the first time,
i was not obsessing about meeting her.. details.. you know, putting
plans and plans to impress her.. i just took it easy, and let things
fall into its place naturally..

hehehe.. i guess i grew too comfortable with my dearest Abby.. that i was not worried or awkward as always when i see her..

she belongs to me and i belonged to her.. and we both knew that..

Banjir!! November 20th - Decemeber 15th
floods..
since November.. Kuala Krai and the entire Kelantan state faced flood
alerts.. and i was on oncall that night, when a female voice announced
through the Hospital’s PA system.. "Water levels are at emergency
levels.. all leaves are off.. the main roads got flooded..".. even from
the cafeteria of our hospital, i can see the main road that connects
our hospital to the rest of Malaysia got flooded..

the main road to Kuala Krai downtown.. flooded!!

some
of my colleagues had report to work on boats, train and 4 wheelers.. as
my emergency department, transformed into Crisis Mobilization Center..

the next 3 pictures are actually in Kota Bharu district.. just 5 km away from my house..

i think there was 8 fatality in Kelantan alone for the first 2days due
to floods.. but the news didn’t highlight the 7 fatality as a family
car crashed into ditch, near Gua Musang due to floods..

this is the water from the small Sungai Durian river.. a very familiar
scene on my daily route to work for every day for the past 4 weeks..

i have expected the admissions would be less during these times, but i
think it has doubled.. some weird cases!!.. i got 3 scorpion stings in
one day alone, 2 crash from the international 4×4 challenge off-road
competition who all got stranded for almost 3 days as the entire cliff
collapsed beneath them..

HKK Hospital Kuala Krai is a referral (and occasionally referring) specialist hospital.. and to a draw a dark picture how stressful it is.. imagine Kelantan state
divided into 3 upper, middle and lower third.. the upper third covered
by HRPZII and HUSM.. also KBMC and Perdana hospitals.. while we receive
the 2/3 of Kelantan.. anything lower than Machang, including hospital
Machang.. and sometimes from Besut -Terengganu-.. and anything urgent
that not on labour.. goes to the emergency department where i am
stationed..

Thailand
i
went back to Thailand for business.. and i have seen some great
progress in my country.. the recent elections filled the city with
colours and politicians wanna be..

but family come first..

my uncles Pngh Din and Ayah Mat and my cousins -Phattani-

my cousin Suhaimi’s first child.. i meet her for the first time.. i
just wish i have a better memory to remember her name.. it starts with
"W" though.. sigh..

now..
here is something cool.. cars in Thailand is going hybrid.. this is a
picture of my uncle’s car.. 1994 Honda Civic -the same model of my car-
is getting gas-ed up!!

no kidding!! the shop is actually a gas station.. the natural gas goes into a small pump.. and directly into the cars..

the upgrade to natural gas and hybrid engines costs few hundreds of dollars.. but until Malaysia where i work have these kind of shops.. i am sticking with the regular heart.. but i do need new car-plate..

Sylvia is getting her new car plate number..

Merry Christmas December 25-26th
i am on the oncalls.. i am on duty.. and surprise surprise.. the workload tripled during the holiday..

my
last oncall is on the December 31st.. i will be celebrating my new year
at the hospital with my friends.. so drive safely.. and always keep
your loved ones at mind..

take care ya’all and Happy new year.. and happy holidays..

peace>:-)

[Mood Status/ can't seem to stop smiling!!.. wekk!!]

Tonight

Sunday 12th: i am watching a Salman Khan’s old indian movie with my Mom, an activity that is both annoying and nostalgic (Looooong story!!)..
for
the past weeks, i am getting too lazy to write any blogs.. my computer
is running 10 days continuously downloading stuff from the internet.. i
am also upgrading our department’s site at http://bbhrpzii.multiply.com/ and trying to find ideas to make it a state level site.. yep.. i am bringing work to home again..

Divine have sent a personal message tonight.. Dear Divine,
thank you for asking about me.. i am alive and as good as ever.. its
friends like you that make me thankful everyday to meet great friends
over multiply..

i was going through the pictures i had in the albums.. i found these:

my late dear friend Fairus at the alumni - few days before the accident

May
Allah grant them the peace and the approval of his mighty and clear the
passage to the highest plains of heaven, insyaAllah, Ameen..

also Today

Sunday 12th: my boss, Dr Salimah, ordered me not
to take the Sunday off and she insisted for me to report to work
today.. no matter what!!.. i was puzzled.. the mobile campaign for the
day was canceled and we didn’t have any VIPs coming to our department..
surprise, Dr Hani!!

a Farewell party!!.. the pathology department actually chipped-in to prepare this farewell party for me.. there’s only one problem.. i am not leaving yet!!

after many months, my transfer request to the Jeli district
is being reviewed.. but neither a decision nor a date were made.. as
many of the department were asking me when am i going to leave them and
leave the Hospital.. here’s some comments i got today:
"whenever we drink soft-drinks, we’ll always remember our sweet Dr Hani"
"GGRRRRRRRR.. you are NOT getting my desk that EASILY!!"

Saturday 11th: two of most important women in my life are shopping for silk.. my mom and my sweet Abby.. they resemble in some scary ways.. to me at least, hehehe..

Friday 10th: hey, have i mentioned how much i love you two today?.. really?!.. well!! that number is still not enough!! hehehe

NOW you know why i can’t stop smiling!!.. i took several pictures, mostly got deleted!!.. here some of my favorites:

TC.. a very beautiful spot in Kuantan.. looks a lot prettier when seeing it with a loved one..

fresh-catch restaurant at Tanjung-Lumpur: 2 squids, 2 shrimps, one large crab and a pint of sea-water clamps.. nice!!

we were complaining about the month of August, how busy we’ve got and how our work-load  got tripled with the Malaysian independence’s functions.. we have forgotten to stop and enjoy the celebrations around us..

Thursday 9th: for the past few days, all the hospitals in KotaBharu, plus Tumpat Hospital were involved in the Kota Bharu Airport’s safety and health campeign..

FOOD POISONING!!..
i am well known for my bad habits of eating and soft drinks.. but i
knew the airport was going to provide extra-special lunch.. a VIP type
of food, so i kept my stomach empty all day..

i had the honor
to share the table with trainee-pilots, flight attendants, flight
instructors, flight controllers and police inspectors.. some had
flights on that day/night to their homes in KL, Sarawak and Pinang..

as
i was having stomach-ache, nausea and vomiting and few episodes of
EXPLOSIVE diarrhea in the men’s room.. i just couldn’t help it to burst
into laughter as i was imagining those poor souls who were on duty that
day or having long flights home.. SAFETY FIRST!! hehehehe!!

part of the campaign in the airport.. pictures of several plane crash should keep people flying safely.. don’t you think?

a
demonstration of the common narcotics are used in the country..
including the one Ringgit bill.. yep, you can actually smoke the
Malaysian one Ringgit to get high, which adds more value to the
currency.. its called here "smoke the dragon", too bad it causes PERMANENT brain damage.. most patient are locked-in psychiatric wads with empty eyes and expression..

Jaws
of life.. several people do not know how important this tool in saving
lives.. never had the chance to use it.. cool power-tool

i
Love the Malaysian Police corner.. they had these wonderful colorful
illustrations.. a common story in Malaysia: a guy invites a girl for a
drink.. the girl get drugged.. and becomes a statistic!! government
hospitals provides the spermicides and the legal assistance.. only if
they came early..

we see these ugly images everyday, we kinda getting bored of it.. sorry for the insensitivity..

now
here’s something i can play with.. the airport security, is providing
the tools to check for metallic objects and exposing false documents..
cool!!

more drugs and narcotics.. may i have a sample? noh?

after
i have seen the Police corner.. i have registered myself with the
"rakan cop" or "friend of the police".. aka "police informant"..
they’ve got my name and phone number.. and i’ve got a pen, a
police-friend hat and a car sticker.. so don’t mess around!!

i have a secret code name, so don’t go and share around.. its iium2000.. hehehe.. i told you its a secret..

thanks for sharing my week.. tata and take care ya’all..

peace >:-)

Entry for July 25, 2007

 

Dr Fairus Hisham Zainuddin, 29.. was among my best friends for over 10 years..

he probably
represented the best of us.. and among all my friends i made in the
past years, i have nothing negative to say about him.. the video from
the 2004 year-book at http://iium2000.multiply.com/video/item/28

he was kind and sweet -mind that i usually never use these words to describe a man-, pias and caring for his friends..

i was sitting at the AIDOC [link] alumni’s first meeting.. and i did not notice him sitting next to me during the board members’ election 2 weeks ago..

- i’d like to nominate Dr Hani for the position of an Auditor..

- FRAG!! why you HATE me so much, Fairus!!

- because we love you!!

- FRAGGING!! FRAG FRAG FRAG!!!

that was the
last words, i have exchanged with him.. even during the dinner
ceremony, i did not bother to say farewell to most of my friends
knowing very well that i will see them soon.. and the last memory of
him was him talking to our lecturers at the iium and introducing his wife Maslina to them.. she is due for delivery on July 29 and planned to deliver at sungai buloh hospital..

then this sms came to me..

"al-fatihah to our brother dr fairus. he passed away around 4am 25/7/07 at the east-coast highway LPT,
heading Kuantan from KL.. his car skidded away.. his younger bro and
mother is mildly injured and his wife wasn’t on that car.. maslina
still in felda keratong -Kuantan-"

.. around 9am, i
talked to a friend of mine after i’ve spread the news to everyone i
knew.. i was in the denial stage but it hit me at that moment.. when
that he cried over the phone.. and tears started to accumulate in my
eyes for all the years of sharing food, salt and everything that
BROTHERS could spare..

i cannot find
more words to describe the pain in our heart, and i don’t want to stop
talking about him.. so i copy from the emails i recieved..

"Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon. Allaahumma ajurnaa fi

museebatinaa wakhluf lanaa khayran minhaa (To Allâh we belong and unto

Him is our return. O Allâh, recompense us for our affliction and

replace it for us with something better)

O Allâh, forgive Fairuz Hisham, have mercy on him, make his grave wide

and fill it with light. Raise his status among the guided and above

many of Your creation on the Day of Judgement. Forgive us and him, O

Lord of the Worlds. Admit him to a place of honour on the Day of

Resurrection. O Allâh, compensate the Muslims with good, for You are

the All-Hearing Who answers prayers and You are Ever Near."

 

ameen..

click the [Link] for the article at the The New Straits Times

he is a good
example of "you really do not appreciate something or someone, until
they’re gone".. he’ll be greatly missed and always remembered..

the emails i have recieved, that one probably stood-out was by Dr Najib when he said "he
was my roommate..i know him very well..and what i can tell u that he is
really a nice guy..to me he like a candidate of the god’s heaven…i
believe god’s really love him so much..."..

he is truely represented the best of us.. and what hurts me the most is that i never knew that sooner..

يَـٰٓأَيَّتُہَا ٱلنَّفۡسُ ٱلۡمُطۡمَٮِٕنَّةُ (٢٧) ٱرۡجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً۬ مَّرۡضِيَّةً۬ (٢٨) فَٱدۡخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى (٢٩) وَٱدۡخُلِى جَنَّتِى (٣٠)

But ah! thou soul at peace! (27) Return unto thy Lord, content in His good pleasure! (28) Enter thou among My bondmen (29) Enter thou My Garden! (30) Al-Fajr

May peace be will upon his soul.. insyaAllah.. Ameen

[Mood Status/ i am eating free food or sponsored food for a week now!! i need to start on diet!!]

hemophilia
is a hereditary illness that effects mainly the males in those
families.. it is a deficiency in the blood component that makes healing
of a wound difficult.. the patient would suddenly develop bleeding over
their bodies, and probably die with the slightest injuries.. [link]

Afif
is one of my regular hemophilic patients.. he was involved in an
innocent game of chase.. and as the result, he started to bleed inside
his knee and got swollen like a water balloon.. fortunately, the knee
although looked bad, did not require an emergency surgery like in some
cases..

our department was planning for this hemophilia family
day for weeks.. meetings after meetings.. talks and negotiations.. it
finally became a reality..

the Kelantan state’s first Hemophilia
camp and family day July 20-21.. at Perdana resort -Pantai Cahaya Bulan
PCB or the Moon-light beach..

the
first day was filled with courses and educational programs, targeting
the health care givers and parents of the hemophilia patients.. while
the kids.. well, they had their share of games and coloring contest..

it
was kinda sad.. that those children are discouraged even forbidden from
running, jumping or having contact games.. a simple thing like the
correct way of brushing your teeth, can be a matter of life and death,
as we were teaching the kids how to brush their teeth properly..

for some reason, hemophilia patients are prone to teeth problems and gum bleeding is very common
the way you brush your teeth, can be the difference between life and death for them
HUSM
are showing off with their mobile dental clinic.. if you can’t bring a
patient to a dental clinic, you bring the free dental clinic to them..

even
in conducting these harmless-looking games.. we had 2 ambulances at
site.. in case they would developed bleeding over their bodies.. that’s
where i come in..

remember
kids.. if you notice any blood in your mouth or your limb is getting
swollen and painful..  inform your parents and camp organizers
immediately

i hate babysitting under the sun!! i look like a big tomato!!

and
soon enough, i have got the first victim of the day.. this kid Sharif
developed gum-bleeding while he was hoping in the swimming pool.. at
the end of factor IX infusion, he started crying as this regular
treatment can be really painful.. but life-saving..

during
my watch, i treated another 2 kids.. one was eating and developed
gum-bleeding.. and another sustained a small injury at his big toe and
started to bleed.. but northing’s serious, thank God..

the
program ended this afternoon with goodbyes and words of appreciation..
and award ceremony for the games conducted during the 2 days.. but
nothing beats the gratification we get from seeing all these kids
smiles and hear their laughter..

my skin is still red.. a bit itchy.. but glad this thing was over with.. successfully..

peace >:-)

[Mood Status/ having the FLU.. but i AM HAPPY!!]

 

as some of you know.. i had GREAT hopes and plans for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 13-15th 2007.. and.. i don’t know WHERE to begin.. this probably one of my most successful long trips ever!!.. and i have been around a lot..

going somewhere.. i usually have sets of targets: primaries and secondaries.. -you know, to even out the usual disappointments!!-.. but this is the first time i managed to get them all in one trip.. which is highly unusual!!..

i even got greedy on the last day and wanted to watch Harry Potter with
Abby just because it was a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE to get the tickets in
that weekend.. which is also kinda ridiculous because i HATE Harry Potter to begin with.. and was never part of my plan..

anyhoo.. back to that midnight Friday July 13th.. Abby asked me to
relax, calm down and get some sleep.. but i just couldn’t.. i was too
excited!!.. i am gonna her in few hours..

and i usually can sleep through anything.. in a moving ambulance,
during a lecture/meeting.. and in a room filled with GUYS playing
video-games.. you name it..

that night, i didn’t get any sleep at all!!.. and i had hours of driving ahead of me in the coming morning..

Kuantan.. a 6 hours drive from Kota Bharu.. a small and relatively new town on the eastern coast of the Malaysian peninsula..

when i first graduated from IIUM 3 years ago.. i requested to serve at
HTAA -Kuantan’s general hospital.. but i was needed at HRPZ-II -Kota
Bharu’s general hospital.. also because Kota Bharu is where many of my
relatives live there..

after the Friday service at the Sultan of Kuantan mosque, i headed to iium.. where Abby was waiting..

the international islamic university Malaysia iium.. is the largest university in Malaysia -in the terms of square kilometers area-
even before the university’s hospital and its mosque were ever built..
it resides over a total of 2,000 acres.. divided into Gombak and
Kuantan campuses..

the Kuantan campus is further divided into 2 campuses: the Indera Mahkota campus IMC -outside the town, the picture above- and JHC -midtown, next to the Kuantan general hospital -the teaching hospital, the picture below..

the
IMC changed a lot since i left the iium 3 years ago.. the medical
faculty now resides over 3 football field with a clock tower in the
middle.. the IMC has increased its size 4x from what i remember 3 years
ago..

The first hugs i received there where from the security guards.. as
they have recognized my Thailand car plate.. those 5 years of sharing
food and stories where more than just past memories..

especially, if you were bribing someone to let you in/out during the
curfew hours.. but after all the teasers were over, i actually came to
iium for one person..

"Hi.." -there she is.. the one i came all over to see.. the sun in my day.. the moon of my night and..- "you look nice" -and i believed her!!-

i don’t mind the long hours just sitting talking about trivia, the
weather and other things.. to me the first steps of a relationship are
better spent studying each other and sending hidden messages of care..
if not yet love..

but just to be prepared, i had the tickets to Die Hard 4.0  on Friday and Transformers   on Sunday..

it felt GREAT to see Abby there.. to meet Abby at where i used to study
and live.. you know: the future meets the past thing.. she stays at block H while i stayed at block F only few meters away..

she knows a lot of things that i know.. and her eyes do not go to "what
what?!" when i say keywords like: MSC.. MRC.. anisopoikilocytosis..

and God!! she talks a lot!!.. and it felt like an addiction that won’t
stop.. usually the girls i meet are BORING; as they kinda expected me
to entertain them but not the other way around.. i guess that’s what
makes Abby stand-out among the others.. i just can’t help it but to
stare at her face with a WOW on my face..

Die Hard 4.0.. Sushi.. an evening at Teluk Cempedak sea-front.. simply perfect!!

Saturday, i went to see old friends.. at the launch of the Alumni of
IIUM Doctors.. or AIDOC.. forming the AIDOC constitution and
registering AIDOC at the Malaysian registration of societies took 11
months of bureaucracy and paper work by hyper-active juniors.. so i had
to keep my mouth shut about the acronym used and other small details..

we were being bombarded by visions, missions, rules and regs.. but it
was for a good cause.. similar societies from older universities,
managed to set up research medical centers and shelters for the
homeless and the elderly all over the country..

we were the new kids in the block but more than eager to compete..

being an ex-member of the MSC and moderately popular.. i was hiding
behind my friends and minimizing myself from detection, hoping that my
name won’t be called out.. but after the nominations and the elections
were over for the executive board members, i was shining again at my
usual noisy self..

unfortunately, that didn’t last long..

- i’d like to nominate Dr Hani for the position of an Auditor..
- FRAG!! why you HATE me so much, Fairus!!

- because we love you!!
- FRAGGING!! FRAG FRAG FRAG!!!

it wasn’t really a democracy.. we were more like a gang than a civilized group.. and then there was food!!

my dish: rice and spaghetti, 2 slices of fish, some meat and chicken.. shrimps and veggies..

lets see who can eat more and throw-up first..

God bless them.. just because we were dining at Hyatt resort in a fine
place.. we never forgotten ourselves: eating with our hands.. talking
like a group of barbarians and hooligans.. and laughing like a group of
bad guys in an indian movie..

the
sun was setting with orange yellow colors.. here’s another fact about
her!!.. she is much more fit than me and she can jump over giant rocks
like a mountain goat.. dang!! when i go back home, no more Ding-Dongs
for a month!!

teluk
Cempedak is the perfect romantic spot.. a 24 hours McDonald’s, a
sea-front, a long bridge to a more quite and more isolated beach, rocks
to climb.. .. .. seriously, i couldn’t think a better setting for a
romantic moment..

even as she was waiting at the tables.. i was waiting in a long line at
the McDonald’s to order a take-away.. we just couldn’t stop ourselves
text-messaging each other.. only few meters away!!

Sunday..
i love the mornings in kuantan.. it is my last day there.. so i went to my favorite spots..

Taman Gelora.. where i spent a year at IKIP campus for the pre-medical years..
 

i used to come there at 6:30am after the morning prayers every Saturday and Sunday for the group Tai Chi  and open aerobics..

yes, i used to do Tai Chi and aerobics till it hurts..

talk about pain.. take-off your shoes and walk on this painful coarse of pointy stones.. for a foot messaging effect thing..

i am soo bad at this.. Abby can really appreciate this therapy.. but it
just was too painful for me.. especially with a 90kg in my butt >:-(

taman
Gelora is such a beautiful place to play all kind of sports.. it even
had a small coarse for a remote-controlled racing cars.. there’s a lake
filled with water-tulips at one side and an entire white pearl beach on
the other side.. a tennis court at one end and a Golf coarse at the
other..

but nothing can bring up memories like the mosque at the Taman Gelora..
this is where we used to skip class and hang-out.. sleep our morning to
the afternoon.. after a good breakfast of variety of
delicious-fattening food there..

around noon.. i just had to
visit the JHC and Kuantan Hospital HTAA.. and it really made sad to see
those places has grown so much over the years without me.. i kept
saying "we never had these" and "we never had those" like an old man..

for a moment there, i felt jealous of Abby having all these things..
its her time to experience what i went through.. the beautiful scenary,
the forever friendships and the never dying memories..

there
were no goodbyes as i watched her talking about the movies we saw - i
am very hyper-romantic regarding these things.. but i just knew that
this is just the beginning of a great adventure of me and Abby.. plus,
i knew that Kuantan has not seen the end of me yet..

and in the words of Arnold Swartznigger..
"i’ll be back.."

peace y’all.. wekk >:-)