In response to the publicity blitz by P1 WIMAX on their new wireless broadband service, all TM could come up with is this lame advertisement:
Let’s take a vote:
Sat, 311009 @ 0700
Monthly Archives: October 2009
Great Food, Different Price
Jimbo hardly blogs about food because he ‘eats to live’ and not the other way round. Today, he will make an exception. There are 2 places where you can get great food, nice ambiance and generally very friendly service. One, the Chapati Corner, located right inside the IMU Clinical School Campus in Seremban and the other at Rumahku (located opposite Universiti Malaya Medical Centre).
At the Chapati Corner, you can enjoy this:
Steaming hot fresh off the pan single (or double if you are absolutely don’t care about your weight) poori with dhal and curry downed with a tall glass of heavenly iced coffee! Retail price: RM 2.50 (I kid you not!). It’s probably the cheapest place in town for good food (even Jimbo’s patients from KL would eat there before making their way home after clinic consultation).
When Jimbo is very stressed up (or when he couldn’t find free food sponsored by pharma companies) in UMMC, he will head off to Rumahku, a quaint little air conditioned gallery-cum-restaurant located just opposite the UMMC. The place is like an oasis from the madness of UMMC. Assuming you survive crossing the very busy Jalan Universiti, you can enjoy this, which happens to be one of Jimbo’s favourite.
Cantonese Beef Fried Kueh Teow (don’t bother asking for extra noodles coz the chef will merely throw in an extra 2 strands of kueh teow and charge you extra RM 2 for it!) downed with a hot heavenly cup of Bru Coffee (the coffee is to die for!). You must eat the noodles with their absolutely tasty Sambal Chilli! Retail price: RM 6.00 + RM 2.50. Plain water costs 30 sen a glass.
Come join me?
Fri, 301009 @ 0700
Bad Signs
Over the last 2 weeks, Jimbo caught on camera some signs that could rival the horrible (and funny) ones in China.
Here are some of them:
Spotted this stuck to the shutter of a shop in UMMC. Apparently the shop is closed, so “go to the toilet” instead.
Spotted this in the changing room of Jusco Seremban 2. This one sounds like 5 garments are about to go on trial! (For being misfits?)
Spotted this one in the lift of the Legend Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. This is the only ‘Bussiness’ Hotel in Malaysia.
Thurs, 291009 @ 0745
HIV medicine in 20 min
Jimbo had an unexpected visit from a fellow colleague attached to the prison department towards the end of the infectious diseases clinic he was running. The man was polite, almost too polite as he stated the intention of his visit. Apparently there is a new directive from ‘higher up’ which dictates that he, as the doctor-in-charge of the prisoners, must now also initiate anti-HIV medicine for all HIV+ patients!
And to prepare him for the arduous task, he was asked to attend a 3-day training workshop some time next month in which he will be taught how to treat HIV patients!
This prompted the visit as this doctor felt that the 3-day training would hardly be enough to properly train him and rightly so too!
However, equally ironic was this man’s request because with the next breath, he made this request:
“Doc Jimbo, can you just spend some time, maybe 15-20 minutes and teach me everything about treating HIV patients and how to start them on medicine?”
Jimbo was speechless. Here is a fellow colleague who thought it is impossible to learn everything about treating HIV patient in 3 days, now thinks it’s perfectly possible to learn it in 15-20 minutes!
Good grief!
Jimbo was polite as he suggested that instead of trying to learn everything in 20 minutes, that instead, he might want to look up some resources from the internet. Jimbo even gave him some brochures meant for patients (which he took but with a look of disappointment).
When Jimbo suggested a few websites wherein he could look up to learn more about HIV medicine and specifically to download the CPGs from the MOH website, he replied:
“I don’t know how to use the internet”.
*speechless again*..
Anyway, when Jimbo retires (assuming he lives that long), he might consider writing a book on HIV medicine, such as the one below:
Wed, 281009 @ 0700
Chicken and Sea Food
Over the weekend, Jimbo attended the 6th National Conference on Addiction Medicine at the Legend Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. While he was there, he took the opportunity to try out a combo Thai Foot + Body Massage. The shop located in The Mall was having a promotion: RM 65 for 1.5 hours.
His masseuse was a Thai man named Aree (or Alee, Ali, Alie, whatever). He was 1.5 times the size of Jimbo! He spoke little English but seem to be a hit there as almost every other customer was asking for his service.
Anyway, the 1.5 hours of massage was not as excruciating as the Chinese one that Jimbo had once, a long time ago; which left Jimbo mentally traumatized till now; but it was quite painful nonetheless.
And when the guy got to Jimbo’s back, he placed his entire weight onto it. At that point, Jimbo felt he was going to die from asphyxiation from being crushed by the equivalent of 2 Thai hippopotamus.
Still, the guy was really good in his craft. When he ran his hand over Jimbo’s back, he grunted in disapproval when he found muscle knots at both his shoulders and lower back.
“Hmmm….no good, no good…very stiff, very stiff…; I now use oil to massage it away, okay?”. he said in broken English.
Jimbo didn’t really have a choice as he was still pinned down by the 2 hippos.
And so, armed with a bit of massage oil, he set to work on Jimbo’s back. The resultant pain was about 8.5 on the Visual Analog Scale.
At the end of the 1.5 hours of ‘torture’, Jimbo felt strangely relaxed. The neck pain which has been bugging him for weeks was gone!
As Jimbo turned to say thank you to the guy, he tapped Jimbo’s shoulders and muttered: “Chicken and Sea Food! You eat too much of it, that’s why stiff!”
Now, Jimbo’s contemplating turning vegetarian and maybe paying the guy another visit!
Tues, 271009 @ 0700
What GPs talk about
Jimbo could not help but overhear two rather vocal GPs sitting behind him conversing in the midst of a lecture being given by an ID Consultant about ‘Harm Reduction’.
GP1: Eh, in Malaysia got needle exchange program meh?!
GP2: Got…
GP1: Does that mean I can dispense sterile needles and syringes to drug addicts in my clinic too?
GP2: I think so…
GP1: Give them out free?
GP2: I think so..
GP1: Crazy ah? I will charge them RM 1 per syringe! Why should I give them out free? I am not running a charity here you know. These are drug addicts, they should pay for the syringes la…
GP2: No response.
Thereafter they went on to discuss about the Budget 2010.
GP1: You know ah, they are going to run clinics in towns you know?
GP2: Is it?
GP1: Yeah! Bloody hell, first they steal all our hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases patients, now they want to take also our cough, cold and fever cases as well. I tell you ah, this is bloody unfair. Our Association of Private Practitioners should make some noise la. This budget is damn fu*king stupid!
Then the conversation turned to Salsa!
GP2: My wife wants to take up Salsa. I don’t know how to dance la.
GP1: What is so difficult? Anyone can salsa! You twist here, twist there, turn here, turn there. Easy!
Jimbo will be addressing an audience comprising people like the two above, tomorrow. He wonders what they will be talking about during his talk! 
Questions students ask..
Recently when Jimbo was in KL, he had the opportunity to have an informal teaching session with the medical students there. There were 2 questions asked by the students which were either fundamentally flawed or exhibited grave ignorance on the part of the ‘ask-er’.
Question 1:
In homosexual anal sex, how can HIV be transmitted? After all the semen would only stay in the colon. How does it get into the blood stream?
Question 2:
Just say for instance, if a person was exposed to HIV from a needle stick injury and was given post-exposure prophylaxis for 28 days and then, let’s say this person eventually got infected with HIV many years down the road from other sources, can we still use the same medication, as there might be resistance to the medications by then?
Can you spot the ignorance/flaw?
Can you provide an answer to these questions? (please leave your answers in the comment box)
Fri, 231009 @ 0700; Jimbo’s going to NatCAM
What FROGies do..
No, we are not humping one another…
Jimbo’s cell group has a very unconventional name: F.R.O.G.; which stands for Forever Relying On God. The members of his cell groups are young people (Jimbo’s the oldest of the lot and earned the title Bull Frog) who could not fit into other more conventional sounding cell groups (like Love, Joy, Peace…., you get the idea).
In short, they are misfits.
And misfits have a tough time practicing their Christian faith.
It took them more than 2 years to finish the ’40-day Purpose Driven Life’ study.
They struggle to pray (but they care deeply for one another)
Everyone of them has either a blog, a FB account, a twitter account or a combination of these or ALL of them!
Now they are struggling through a very intellectual and wordy “In Search of Certainty” by Josh McDowell and Thomas Williams.
FROGies eat a lot.
FROGies chat a lot.
FROGies are totally attached to their hand phones!
And FROGies watch a lot of videos. (not necessary ‘Christian’ ones)
And FROGies provide minor surgical procedures for each other too!
Watch the video below on how to drain a subungual hematoma (as a result of a tennis injury).
WARNING! NOT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED!
Thurs, 221009 @ 0700
*membership to be a FROGy is open, apply here.
A note to new HOs
Starting work as a doctor can be nerve wrecking. Jimbo still remembers the time he stepped into GHKL to work, back in 1996. The senior HO greeted him with these words: “Welcome to HELL”.
Right now, a whole bunch of IMU graduates are sequestered at the Hotel Vistana in KL for their induction (which has been reduced from 3 weeks previously to merely 6 days) to be brainwashed, propagandarized and primed to set out and work their ass off as new HOs in various hospitals in Malaysia.
A fellow doctor (also an IMU grad) has written these wise words for them (reprinted with permission):
A friend who will be embarking a lifetime journey messaged me asking for what to prepare before starting work as a houseman. i spent a good 30 minutes writing the reply and the end result actually turned out as something that more than one person could use (staying up this late on a working night, it better be!). if you have the time, just go through it. if you don’t, well, you don’t really have to lah.
original message (names removed as to protect the identity of the the person whom i replied to, but i think the comment on shoes gave it away):
you shouldn’t worry about induction. when i did mine, it was like a paid holiday. but i understand that yours is different. mine was 3 weeks long with btn and induction rolled into one. and when i was there, there were only 5 imu fellas. the rest was a good mix of 6-7 unis from 5 different countries. in that sense i made a lot a new friends, some became really close, and we get to share a lot of different experiences.
as far as induction goes, just go with the flow lah. you don’t even need to concentrate. if you need to, just focus on the gaji part, the claim part, the cuti part and the naik pangkat part. the rest is pretty much logic lah. don’t need to worry so much. for btn, i think you’re mature enough to think on your own. you don’t need a contracted men in black and white to tell you what and how to think.
working is a different ball game. and for me, it was nothing i expected as i was tossed to a place i don’t even know. it depends a lot where you get posted. if it’s close to home, then you don’t need to worry so much on getting all the ancillary things done like getting a car, finding a place to stay, getting your laundry done, bla bla bla.
if unfortunately (or fortunately) you get thrown far away, then you need to be mentally prepared. not so much about work. work is the same anywhere you land. prepare more on the other stuff. don’t hesitate to appeal for a few days off from reporting to jabatan kesihatan negeri (you report to state health office first, only then go to the hospital you’re designated to). i took 3 days delay from the actual date i was supposed to report in. you can do it too, provided you have a good reason lah. call the jkn you’re supposed to go, verbally request for few days delay and write a letter to them, cc a copy to your hospital pengarah.
depending on your head of department you’re posted to, some will give a few days of unrecorded leave. my HOD was a nice one. a friend requested a week to settle things first, which she got. i a bit gung-ho, requested for one day, which was stupid. take as much time as needed and possible.
arrange for things like place to stay, transport, getting a washing machine (don’t worry about your shoes lah. bring a pair of simple slippers, a pair of a VERY comfortable shoes and you’re game). if it is more worth it to stay off hospital quarters, go for it if you can find suitable transport. if it doesn’t make any difference, i suggest just stay in the quarters if it’s comfortable.
i was lucky because i was given a temporary place to stay within the hospital compound for 1 month at no charge. and during that time i looked for a house to rent and arranged for a car. if you already have a car, good. if you need to buy a car, designate one full day to settle everything. i did everything within one day and the rest was done through the phone. i got my car within 2 weeks. and learn how and when a car needs servicing. google is a good tool. just google auto repairs and there are 1001 ways to DIY fixing/servicing a car.
if you don’t plan to drive, you can charter a driver. some housemen do that. kinda like bas sekolah la. but a bit more expensive and with a car.
laundry is important and most people didn’t realize it until they ran out of things to wear. find a way to solve this. washing machine trumps tv and fridge. it is THAT important.
as far as work is concerned, these are the 5 mistakes housemen commonly do.
1. Coming on time – HO should come early. Cover your patients during ward round and know them well.
2. Bitching about your colleague – never bitch about your colleague to another or to MOs. it may make you feel good sometimes, but remember, no one covers an HO’s back other than their own kind. so look after your friends’ reputation and they will look after yours. cover each others’ mistakes.
3. Disobeying your MO – MO is your god (with a small g). If they tell you to run, you ask how far. if they ask you to jump, you ask how high. don’t question them why. they are more important than the specialist as they are the eyes on ears of the specialist. specialists see you through them.
4. Complaining – just stop talking and do your work, no matter how difficult and unfair it is. it’s actually quite easy. divorce emotion from work. remember this mantra: ‘work is just a list of things to do’.
5. Going the distance – the illusion of doing the best by doing it hard. no point taking care of others of you don’t take care of yourself. i’ve seen/heard/experienced enough. the dehydration, the kidney stone, the bleeding haemorrhoids, the depression. it’s not worth it. just do enough. doing more than you’re supposed to is ok occasionally. but not everyone will see it as hard work. believe me, working with the government, and when a lot of melayus are involved, they see the act as showing off and a trait of someone with no life. it’s a pathetic point of view but that’s the situation.
i’m not sure if you totally get it what being a houseman is all about, and to explain that, it’s actually another long reply. for now, i think you have enough to digest. and oh, dont worry about studying lah. no point taking out your oxford and revising the stuff now. it’s either you already have it, or you will have it.
just enjoy the ride lah. if you get really panicky, or none of these advice work, just think of this lah. is it really so hard that it’s gonna kill you? no right. so chill lah.
Wise words indeed.
So, good luck guys (you’re gonna need it!).
And oh! When you guys are consultants in the near future, do remember an old lecturer who might need your medical expertise then.
Wed, 211009 @ 0700
Broga Hill
Climbing Broga Hill (GPS: N 02° 57.019′ E 101° 54.177′) on a public holiday is like walking uphill in a crowded pasar malam!
That was how Jimbo felt last Saturday (17 Oct. 2009) when he hiked with a mass of sweating humanity along with some of his regular climbing mates and a few IMU students. On that climb, the new addition was the presence of Jimbo’s family members! All in all, there were probably a few hundred people hiking up the hill that morning!
It was tough waking up at 4.00 am to prepare breakfast, then drag 2 sleepy-head kids out of bed and get them ready to go hiking but they did it! They reached the foothill of Broga Hill, nestled along the border between the state of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. It’s just a (very long) stone throw from the Nottingham University where Jimbo gave a sex talk a while ago.
It was still dark when the hike started as they walked along the yellow path through part of a palm oil estate. The ground was dry and so it wasn’t slippery.
The fitter ones zoomed ahead. Jimbo’s team was one of the slower ones on account of the kids.
Broga hill was probably once a forested area which succumbed to modernization which left it covered only by long grass (not sure what they are called).
The climb/hike would have been a lot more pleasant if:
1. There weren’t that many people around
2. There weren’t idiots who smoke along the way
3. There weren’t people who run along the path, knocking everyone aside; especially 5 and 10 year olds!
4. There weren’t totally unfit teenagers (dressed in party clothes!) hogging up the path, whining and complaining about how tired they are, etc etc..
5. There weren’t people who would not give way even when you say “excuse me” a hundred times
6. Litterbugs…
Anyway, to cut the story short; Broga Hill actually has 3 peaks, each higher than the preceding one.
By the first peak, Mrs Jimbo surrendered to tiredness.
By the 2nd peak, Darlene likewise, gave up and wouldn’t go on.
And since Jimbo could not leave his daughter on the 2nd peak, he had to make a U-turn, along with a very disappointed 5-year-old son who wanted to go to the last peak!
And so, Jimbo promised his son that he would go again with him.
Since 26th October 2009 is a public holiday for Negeri Sembilan ONLY, maybe it is a good day to go and conquer the last peak! Anyone interested?
Jimbo did not take many photos (because he loaned his camera to a friend) and his camera phone sucks, but here are some clearer ones:
The 2nd peak, viewed from the first peak.
Everyone’s waiting for the sun to come out.
The sky, just before the morning sun made its appearance.
Here comes the sun!
And it’s the dawn of a new day!
Watch the video below:
Tues, 201009 @ 0700
