ma chere et bon maman

Dear Mak,

I got a bad toothache for 3 days. I became dependent on painkillers, which you know I can't take anything stronger than PCM. So I kept waking up in the middle of the night when the effect of the medication weaned off, from the pulsating one side of the jaw. I went to work with an asymmetry face and noticed by my boss. She was kind enough to give me an afternoon off for the dental appointment. So I went and got charged a freaking EUR110 for a simple saline injection and a prescription for antibiotic. Heck I can do that myself. No I'm telling you lies, I can't. My mouth is too sore.

It's getting better now. The boss gave me a bouquet of flower in a vase yesterday. No she didn't actually. But it's complicated to explain - the end point is she gave me the flower and I took it home. It's a nice bouquet. She said it's for the toothache. Thank you boss!

You know Mak,

Italian food is one of the best delicacies on my tongue after our local rations. It's because of the spices they use and sometimes they can be quite generous on their chillis and spices, which are the essential components of a good cooking. And you know how much I love pastas. It's a pity you are not here now. Coz I can cook you one of my best recipes for white sauce and tomato based pastas. I know they'll never beat your sambal nasi lemak and daging masak asam pedas but I'd love it if you can taste them.

There was a local market being set up in front of my apartment. I love this area because it's so cultural, there's always something going on every week. There's a cultural cinema one block away from me as well. Anyway, I went to this Italian stall today evening after work. They have the Italian essentials of cook ingredients sold there. I got myself a bottle of extra virgin olive oil coz the one at home has finished and this jar of mixed vegetables and chillies in sunflower oil with tarallini . Ah heavenly.

La Cannonata, means the cannon shot

Nonetheless Mak,

I learned that food is tasteless when eating on your own. I totally lost interest in cooking coz I'd end up eating them alone. I know you won't like it if I said that I've been eating meggi mee only these past few days. Pathetic. 2 days ago I was passing by the local so-called Chinatown area of Dublin on the way home. I stopped at one shop to buy water and found out they sold telur masin. One egg for EUR1! Now you know how much I miss home. I bought one anyway and ate it with meggi tonight. It tasted perfect. Well it has to be for the cost. You remember when I was a kid I sneaked into the kitchen one evening during Ramadhan to eat telur masin and got caught by you for not fasting. He he. I miss those times.

Well Mom. So glad it's finally Friday. I'm working Sunday anyway. I'll prolly be old and kerepot when I can finally have my full weekend off.

I miss you so.

when the going gets tough, the tough gets going

The big boss came in this morning with a big elated smile on her face cheering big 'Hi' to me. I knew something was on. Apparently her boys were taken to her sister's place so she had good 2 nights' sleep over the weekend. It was obvious. We were seeing patients when she started asking J her girlfriend's name. It was R. Then the nightmare began. She turned to me with her bright eyes and asked,

"So Wan, are you kissing someone?"

"Er?"

"Yeah, are you seeing someone? Or I may say kissing someone??"

"Er.." *Gulp

J intruded, "Oh give Wan a break."

"No it's fine, I'd like to know whether she's kissing someone or she's looking for someone?"

Err..

***

We were all amazed on her level of elation today, even the nurses did. When we talked about it, J said,

"You should see how Wan started to blush from top of her face down. She went absolutely red. It's funny though coz you usually go red from down up not the other way round."

We agreed that she might've got a little bit more than a good night's sleep over the weekend. *Giggles*

Nonetheless, I think she's the real superwoman I've ever came across with. I'm speaking highly of her all the times that one of my friends started thinking that I need to re-check my sexual orientation. No it's just so different when you have someone that you look up highly to and want to be like someday, then treats you so humbly and guides you through all the times. She just blew my mind away. Right, now I started sounding like a real gay.

I'm just so grateful that in times that I've been up to my eyeballs trying to be at a lot of places at one time, I've granted a real good boss that is, through her OCD-ness and achieving perfections in everything she does, still doesn't look down on me who's lacking of A LOT of things, with knowledge in the field being one major thing. She trusted me and taught me to do bronchoscopy on the kids, heck I didn't even get the chance to do it in adults! So Alhamdulillah, though I'm always wrecked at the end of a real hectic day, I always know that this is what I've always wanted to do.

On a side note, the housemate has flewn home today for a holiday and I'm all alone. Not that I see her much these days anyway coz she's on the night's shift and I was always home after she's gone to work. So yeah, here goes series of bujang dinner, full of MSGs. Thanks to whoever invented instant noodle.




And these are for desserts. A 3 in 1 teh tarik and heavenly Lindt Nocciolatte. I'm after taken Solpadeine for my bad tooth and gum-ache so might as well savour everything before the effect of the medication wean off.




Toooodles!

free flyer, soul searcher

Happy post-long weekend. It's gonna be a short but intense week. First day back I already had to stay back till late. Sometimes I wonder is it a curse or a blessing to lead a single life like this. Both I guess, depending on how you wanna look at things.

Living abroad like this, away from your familiar ones, it is only your own faith that would keep you straight on the path of righteousness. It's almost like a free world. DO whatever you want to do, the western or the eastern style, nobody cares. Everyday I keep praying that Allah SWT won't take His love away from me. Like mom always said, iman senipis kulit bawang, (sambung seniri)....

Just a little reminder to myself.

Anyhoooooo..hehe panjang sket.



The long weekend was well-spent. We travelled down south-west and hit the beach. Went surfing and came back with the tan. Good fun! Definitely a good escapade. I came back refreshed (with the real muscles ache as well).



Surfing is all about picking the right things. The right wave, the right timing, the right side of the board, the right paddling, the right pop-up. It's not easy to be all-right. Sometimes you thought you've picked the correct wave and timing, only to stumble at the bottom of a strong and wrong one. Air laut sangat masin. It's not a nice thing to drink liters of.



Nonetheless, it was a great beginner experience. I got Monday off, at the expense of working full weekend this coming weekend. So you won't see any of me come the end of the week.

Boohooo..

Nice day ahead peeps!

life in the mobile photos

It's been rainy these days. Typical.

I couldn't get up this morning, the rain soothed me to deep sleep, so I was late and I missed the great morning teaching on Endocrinology. The taxi guy sang "I Try" by Macy Gray in the taxi to work today. My favourite song remember. Remind me of Yaya. I did try!

Still raining in the evening. Boohoo..

Empty place. Lala's & Aza's white orchid still viable on the diner.

So last Thursday I got a call from IzaKusha at work. It's amazing how a simple phone call or a text message would brighten up your busy day like that. We talked and talked, and revived the pack, and catch up with stories. I was hiding in the toilet near the Respiratory Office. Who cares. My Ija reminded me that it's OK to pursue the dreams for now, keep the du'a going and hope for the best. When it's time it's time. We are so alike, I miss you already. We'll rock Bangi when I'm home OK.



I was in deep sh*t after a bad bad day one day so I went hunting for comfort food after work. That one up there, people, is by far, the best ice-cream I've ever tasted in my life. No kidding. Vanilla tastes better than chocolate on my tastebud, but coconut is definitely superior!



So pathetic. A doctor who goes home and watch a soap on a bunch of interns who sleeps with their attendings to survive the crappy junior doctor life. It's far from true in real life FYI. What are the chances of working in a hospital full of hotties like that? Nil. Zilch. Nada.

I haven't got a digital box installed yet so everyday is a DVD collection day. Just to keep the place noisy. That was when Derek said something like "I'm drunk, vulnerable and good-looking. And you took advantage." What's with guys and the thrills of the chase. Habis madu sepah dibuang? Aku emo all right.



The world does seem so small with the internet these days. I can live without TV but not the web. *Cringe on the thought of it*. mIRC, AOL, MSN, YM, G-Chat. Remember those days when your favourite movie was You've Got Mail?

I got my internet and my cuppa coffee. So that's me, pretty much a happy bee.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." - Kahlil Gibran

It is truly devastating when you diagnosed a few months old baby with a disease the parents, the staff, you and everyone knows that won't make the baby sees any future. Indeed Allah SWT has His plans for each one of us and only He knows what's best.

Medicine really amuses me. It's amazing how it is, like life, can be learned either as a spectrum or something clear cut. I have 2 small infants with spinalmuscular atrophy - one just newly diagnosed this week. Both have complications in their lungs so bad that they're struggling to breathe when they're feeding. Then I met another 4 year old today with the same diesease. She was all cute in her pink dress and shoes, and she loved my pink scarf today. So we talked about everything pink. She even liked my polka-dots pink socks. Yes I was post-call so I'm allowed to be all cute and odd.

So on one hand you have someone with the bad end of the disease, and on the other is doing pretty OK. But when she gave you a weak cough and left the ward in her automated wheelchair, you know she won't make it far though. But who are we to decide this anyway.

Anywhoo.

I'm sure at this stage everyone has read the medical report of DSAI ex-aide which is circulating on the w.w.w like nobody's business. At this rate I think most of us are pretty much pissed off if not laughing at the internal jokes coming from the jungle govt. Well I am if you're not. I've had enough of this fabrications it is damn frustrating. The world is laughing at us too. BTW tenesmus is a sensation of incomplete defecation but let's not go there.

Shot 1 in Disney Paris. No wonder my sis was giggling when she took the picture.



Shot 2. Hello Tony! Ngee..


OK I'm missing my familiar friends it's not even funny.

Tomorrow marks an important date in our calendar, the Isra' Mi'raj. Here's a little something to freshen up the mind.

Cheerios all!