Most miserable 2 and a half hours of my life!

(picture by hannusaaski)

I have a terrible toothache. I can feel as if my face is asymmetrically swollen. The pain, intense, that I cannot clench my teeth, or close my mouth. Eating has became a torturous luxury. The regular drugs and cold therapy did not offer much relieve.

This toothache did not come suddenly. I would have to flash back 2 months back.

~2 months ago~

So, on the first week of Medical posting, I had some free time. So, honey and I decided to see the dentist. I wanted to do some scaling. I liked the feeling of my teeth feeling all sparkling white after scaling, you know, with that -‘shing’ *blink* *blink* feel..

Upon arriving at the dentist, a quick examination was done and I was told that I had some tiny holes in my teeth. So, the doctor, she asked whether I would want them filled. Well, the holes were not causing any pain (at all!), but the doctor was very convinced that in a matter of time, it would. Besides, being human, when you were told that there was a problem somewhere and that problem can be fixed, naturally, you say, ‘okay’. So, that was what I did.

The doctor gave me a number and sent me upstairs. I was approached by a cute, sweet girl. She introduced herself as a third year dentistry student. Let’s call her DS (Dental Student). She wanted to take some history, so, I agreed to her. I know how it is like, being a student, I mean,after all, I AM a student. So, we should never reject one of us, right? What I did not know was a dentist had to take such a long history, and a couple of other things. The history included past medical history, past surgical history, allergy history, family history, social history, etc… almost similar to the history that we, medical students take.. only that it was more superficial, and they had an additional: past dental history.

Later on, DS sat me on the couch. The next thing I saw was she, reaching out for the handpiece. Then I was like, *blink* *blink* - OMG! are YOU going to do my fillings for me??? YOU of all people??? NO WAY!! - My heart was screaming aloud: But I thought you were just a 3^rd year.. where are your seniors? where is your supervisor?? Have you practiced on enough fake teeth or models? Shouldn’t your supervisor be supervising you??? What if you introduced a focus of infection or injured some nerves?? I don’t know… millions of thoughts ran through my head, millions, clouding, debating through my mind, so many that I cannot tell them apart, which was true, which wasn’t. But one dominant thought stood out: ‘TRUST THAT GIRL!’ –which 2 months later, I totally regretted…

Actually, it did not take me 2 months to regret. 2 hours later, I was already regretting,.

(picture by kizioko)

DS tied some metal ring around my teeth. Then put a frame around it. She tied a pink sheet of plastic cloth across it, sort of making a tent. I suppose, that was to reduce the risk of infection, by creating a barrier between the saliva, which is rich in organism, and the operating site.

I CURSED THE PERSON WHO INVENTED THIS DARN TECHNIQUE!!! (I mean, we can’t always put the blame on the small girl, can we?) WHO INVENTED THIS TECHNIQUE?? Have you ever, EVER considered the misery of having your mouth opened for 2 and a half long hours, and having your mouth numbed? The saliva all accumulated, stucked at the back of the throat, no suction done… and for asthmatic patient like me, nothing scares me more than the feeling of not being able to breathe, the feeling of overflowing saliva clogging the airway.. how miserable it was….

You can give me statistics of studies, researches on how great it had reduced the risk of infection, blah, blah, blah,… but still, from a consumer’s point of view, this is a stupid, miserable technique!

So yes, I CURSED THE PERSON WHO INVENTED THIS TECHNIQUE!

Guess what? This process was not the worse thing, not yet.. Each time she accidentally touch my gum with that horrifying handpiece, I would wince and let a cry of pain. Okay, maybe I did had a very low threshold for pain, but was I SUPPOSE to feel pain??? Didn’t she just inject some local to numb the pain?? Why the hell was it still painful????

And guess what? Despite the pain, shinyin actually persevered… with this mental thing going on: 5 more minutes, don’t panic… it’ll be over soon.. this is a dream~ you are on a beach~~ breathe in, breathe out~ I tried the relaxation techniques and every possible CBT I read from my psychiatry textbooks.. I would even hypnotize myself if I knew how… ‘sabar’~~

And later on, I heard the scariest vocabulary ever existed in the English Dictionary: ‘OPHS!!’

And DS started stuffing my mouth with gauze and cotton.

I think at this point, I was allowed to panic, because,... she did.

I wanted to ask her whether is everything okay, but you see, my mouth was fixed in such position I could not talk, and I was literally choking on my own saliva, and something which tasted somewhat like blood.

DS disappeared from the cubical and came back with her supervisor.

This was when I started cursing the girl too.

The supervisor took a look at my teeth, shook his head and started lecturing. You should NOT have used that, that, that... You SHOULD have done this, this, this...This ring was of the wrong size and type. You SHOULD have used this, this, this instead. You should NOT have done this tooth first, instead you should have done this, this, this…. And later, he was even quizzing her on what were the consequences of her action.. and there she goes rattling a list of scary possible outcomes, which (touch wood!) I hope would never come true!!

OH MY GOD!! Would you stop scolding your student and come save me???

So, after that session, which seemed like eternity, he taught DS what should she do – ‘remove everything, and close it with a temporary filling’.

–huh? WTF??

So, I was miserably left alone with DS again, to clean up her very own mess… guess what? I get to go home with some pain killers –hooray! She gave me an appointment the week after.

(picture by FvT)

And do you think I would ever be SANE enough to go back?? I mean, if you had just escaped from Hell, and given a follow up one week later, would you go???

So, 2 months later, I suffered from the consequences of defaulting follow up.

Awww…. How my tooth hurts badly…

p/s: Bernard, you junior can be my worst nightmare!

housemanship application

picture from Canada in 2020

sorry for not updating for quite a while... had been away and busy last week... try accessing the internet with dial-up connection, while waiting for the pages to load, you'll probably pull all your hair out...

Tomorrow morning, i will be attending a seminar in HUKM Auditorium.... will be filling in the housemanship application forms... options should be easy for someone without commitments... somehow, too many options, and being a libran, this can be very difficult....

where will i spend my next 5 years???

2 years of housemanship plus 3 years of MO-ship

quite a huge question...

three empty blanks..

i wished i could fill them all with the same answer, so, you know, whatever happens, at least, i could still be near to home, family and friends... at least...

Happy birthday honey~

Lord of the Rings (LOTR) Symphony at the Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra, KLCC was magically mesmerizing, captivating me in between the dancing notes, experiencing the thrill, excitement and advanture - BRAVO!

I could hear my heart beating,
racing against the rolling drums,
the strings followed in unison,
the notes magically dancing around me,
the woodwinds breezed by,
bringing along the melancholic emotions
the brass comes in, thrilled and excited
the voices hypnotizes you...

i love the orchestra! it excites me. it calms me. it completes me.
when aland asked me to tickle him if he fall asleep, part of me secretly felt that it was an insult to the orchestra. i mean, how can anyone sleep in such an exciting musical journey wor?? siGh... then again, i guess, different people have different interest.

the 2 things, i think, i cannot resists are
1. musical drama
2. orchestra chamber music
okay, maybe now i sounded like a absolutely weird boring person

i think i owed it to my piano teacher, Ms Ng Sheau Mian, who used to bring me to MPO when i was young, and planted this weird interest in me. She would tell me stories, as each music has it's story. I enjoyed listening to every instrument, i anticipate the time each of them flash their colors. The sound they produced, so delicate, so hypnotizing. The flute dancing, the piccolo, perhaps one of my favourite woodwind, soaring high above the sky. I liked the way the double bass played on the bridge today, the sound so special... and the other strings sways side to side.. i think the harp is a very beautiful instument, angelic... If there was music in heaven, i would think it is played by the harp...

it was quite some time since i heard a piano concerta. How disappointing to have Lang Lang's performance cancelled. How i would loved to watch him play again. To see the fingers skating on keys... sukteng, shinloo, aud, ze, betty, do you still remember the him??

for the first time, the concert ended with a lucky draw. no, the lucky person isn't me.
-------------------
5minutes later, i was experiencing a totally different genre of music. i was across the street, at Quattro Avenue K!!
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a club-addict or anything like that. (No, Dr Azmi, or any dr who might be reading this, trust me, i am not). This was perhaps, only my 3rd time in a club in KL.

And today, we were celebrating Cheryl's birthday at Quattro. I was already late, when we rushed from MPO, KLCC to Quattro. By that time, they almost finished the bottle of Black Label. I hate Malaysia because the alcohol is expensive. Seeing that i still can sit down here calmly and type this, i suppose you can see how little alcohol we had. WHY SO EXPENSIVE LA??? We visited the Autumn Club, and since it was fridays, it played pop songs. I thought the music selection was just okay. The deco was so simple, i was expecting some more effort. and they didn't had a dance floor!! or any pole!! nothing! wanna see lenglui on poles also can't. sigh. you just find yourself bumping into tables. tables. more tables.

I should congrat ki tiong, scent, mayluu, qkk, and typ, for their first time in KL club! hurray! Aland, Bobo,Cherry and baby gal occasional clubbers, while ah Bong, pro de... hehe.. it's a miricle ki tiong was actually there.. like bacholarette's night out before kahwin pulak, haha.. don't worry James, she was well taken care of.

and guess what? we got the deejay to announce : 'Happy Birthday Sweet Cherry, Queen of the house!!' ^^

Scent, i know you still upset because you wanted to chat longer with the yellow color shirt guy. Haha! Cheer up la. Guys you meet in club not suit you de... hehe...

No pictures today. Don't have them with me yet. All in friend's camera.

i'm waiting for my hair to dry. i can smell traces of cigarettes in it. oh, how i hate cigarettes. my shampoo failed. and my perfume is not helping. they should ban cigarettes in all pubs, bars and clubs, like the UK!! sigh. I should get some sleep. Tomorrow heading down to Teluk Intan. another 1 week posting.

Goodnight. Good morning.

Happy birthday honey~ big girl liao.. may you stay pretty always.... *muaks*

Links:
Sweet Cherry, Queen of the House
Scent

Are housemans and doctors overworked and underpaid??

Okay, obviously, the answer to the above question is a big YES. Obviously, doctors are overworked and underpaid. SO overworked that it can become a occupational hazard

- working an extended shift of 24 hours more than doubles your risk of being in a car crash

Well, here's a good news for House Officers! Although after reading this piece of news, i was still skeptical whether is it really true that we will get the day off after a 24-hour duty? wow! i thought that it was only true for the anesthetist and psychiatrist.

Having optimal manageable working hours is good, not just for the doctors, but also the patients.

however, i thnk that the government should also address the issue of shortage of doctors.... when they reduced the working hours, the number of HOs for each shift would be dispersed, thus less HO, more workload.. is that even possible?? seriously, we need more doctors in the government sector (like we all don't already know that..)...

And you wonder why there are still so many students who want to take up medicine... but of course, you and i know, no matter how tough life is, this can be a very rewarding job ^^
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
original article here

Thursday December 18, 2008

Day off after 24-hour duty for trainee doctors

KUALA TERENGGANU: Trainee doctors will now get a day off after carrying out their 24-hour on-call duty.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the directive will take effect immediately.
He said it applies only to housemen on active call and at the hospital the entire time.
“We will not let these trainee doctors be overworked. We will look into their welfare,” he told reporters yesterday after visiting the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital.

Pleased to meet you: Liow shaking hand with hospital staff members during his visit to Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital in Kuala Terengganu yesterday.

Liow was asked to comment on grouses from trainee doctors that they sometimes had to work almost 24 hours and then report to their superiors the next day.
Some trainee doctors complained that they had to work seven days a week without a single rest day during their two-year stint in government hospitals as housemen.
Liow said trainee doctors should also be allowed to concentrate on getting the right exposure and medical proficiency by giving them off-days.
A trainee doctor at Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital, who only wanted to be known as Sally, said she was relieved to hear that the ministry would look into their welfare.
“Frankly, we are very exhausted as we have to focus on our training and also carry out clinical rounds frequently,” she said. “It is stressful.”
Sally said she and her colleagues were unable to pay attention during their stints due to fatigue and time constraints.
On another matter, Liow said about 4,000 Chikungunya cases were reported throughout the country this year.
He said the virus was first detected in Johor and spread to several states, the latest being Kedah.

Want to marry a doctor?

most trusted. admired. eligible =P

Are you a Medical person?

Or perhaps a Surgical person?

Anyway, i just got back from work, when my friend, Ric surprised me with a very interesting news from Reuters ^^ So, i shall not comment on it, but rather share the whole news clip with you...

The medical profession is the most trusted, most admired and most eligible marriage partners!!!

OMG!! Now, that's interesting~ haha! (my lecturers and consultants would love to read this!)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Want to marry a doctor? Survey shows most do


Wed Dec 17, 10:37 pm ET

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) – It really does pay to be a doctor, with an international survey showing the medical profession is the most trusted, among the most admired and includes the most eligible marriage partners.

By contrast, actors and musicians, along with journalists and advertisers, were among professionals that people trusted the least, and were also least likely to choose a partner from, according to a survey by Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc.

"Much of who we are is tied up in what we do in the hours from nine to five, and often way beyond," a Synovate statement said.

"Asking someone what they do for a living is often the first question you ask them; right after 'what's your name?'."

The survey polled about 5,500 respondents in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Malaysia, South Africa and the United States.

It asked people what makes for an admirable job, which professions they trust or do not, who is overpaid, and which profession they would prefer to marry.

Sixteen percent nominated doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals as their preferred marriage partners, higher than any other profession.

Other eligible -- and admired -- professions were education, at 14 percent, and science and technology, at 10 percent.

Educators and doctors were also voted the most trusted by an overwhelming 86 and 87 percent, followed by homemakers and those in science and technology.

Only one percent picked retail professionals as partner-material, and those in media and marketing, as well as entertainers, did little better at two and three percent.

These professions were also among the least trusted by respondents, who, across the seven markets, picked the media as the single least trusted group.

Entertainers, along with corporate executives and lawyers, were voted as being the most overpaid, while homemakers and educators were among those seen as being underpaid.

(Writing by Miral Fahmy, Editing by Gillian Murdoch and Bill Tarrant)

Click here for original article....

too many movies perhaps?

i think most guys would love this!

Merry Christmas!

Since a few of my readers were saying my posts are too long, well, here's a short one for you... with little texts...

i have given my blog a new look.. ^^

the previous header had been temporary replaced

with something of more 'christmas' feel~

okay, perhaps there's still some dark elements in it..
if you observe closely, i have added some pink pokka dots to it to make it more cheerful..
not very successful huh?

i added some snow too^^ nice or not?


the other day, we were in Berjaya Times Square when we met Santa's family...
so ki tiong and i did the 'christmas presents' dance:
and Santa came and it rained 'christmas presents'!
Yippie! i love christmas!!

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT GIVING AND SHARING~~
ENJOY~

p/s: my hair is super long and messy...
need a hair cut...

should i:
a) trim it up to 2 inches below shoulder lenght?
b) dye it copper-red and curl it with big curls
c) cut it short
d) others :___________

Donating blood save lives - Nothing to lose but everything to give

There was a blood donation drive in UKMMC (University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre) this morning. So, guess what? YUP! Today's post is about encouraging you (and your friends and family) to donate blood.

If you are already a blood donor, i would like to congratulate you!! If you are not, do join me.. try donating blood~

Donating blood gives you one of the best feeling in the world. Knowing that with donating blood, you are saving lives, making a difference. One of the most common comments i get are : 'Donating blood is painful' or ' I am afraid or needles' or ' It is too troublesome'..

Let me share with you my first blood taking experience few years back.. and take you on a journey of blood donation...

When i turned 18, the one thing i wanted to do (besides driving), was donating blood. You know, the way you want to enter the casino the moment you turn 21. It was like a must-do thing. Only that, i had a problem. Well, i was indeed afraid of needles, and i have a very, VERY low threshold for pain.

I have to admit, even now, i am still partly afraid of needle pricking. I know, it's irony, since i am already in Medical school and i am pricking patients everyday. Then i discovered ways to overcome the fear : Donating Blood does not have to be a nightmare

The first time i donated blood, obviously i looked away and prayed it'll all past ASAP. Surprisingly, it was not as pain as i expected. The thing is, unlike the usual blood taking at clinics, before blood donation, you would be injected lignocaine (a local analgesia) which would numb your arm. The injection is like the bit of a ant, not even a strong ant, rather like a weaken ant. And therefore, when they insert the needle, you feel nothing at all, NOTHING at all, seriously..

This time, i actually video-ed the whole process of the lignocaine and needle insertion, however, my Se 750i camera phone had failed me and the video cannot be played or uploaded.. sigh... Anyway, if shinyin is brave enough to record her ownself being pricked by a needle, blood donation to you is 'sap sap sui' lar...

So the process start with registration, and to see whether you are suitable for blood donation:




Generally, you are eligible to donate blood if

• You are in good health today
• You are between 18 to 60 years of age
• Your weight is above 45 kg
• You had more than 5 hours of sleep
• You are free from any medical problems: e.g. high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, operation less than 6 months ago
  
• You have not taken any antibiotics in the last one week or immunization in the past 3 weeks
  
• You are not pregnant or just delivered
• You have taken breakfast or light lunch before donating blood
• You are not menstruating
  
• You are not involved in any of the following activities:
  • Homosexual relationship
  • Bisexual relationship
  • Multiple sexual partners
  • Having sexual contact with those mentioned above
  • Drug abuse
• Interval between your last donation is more than 3 months

Then, your blood will be checked for blood grouping and whether your hemoglobin levels are adequate.

I am group B!

The last few times i wanted to donate blood, my Hb was not adequate.
But today, yeay! it sink instead of floats~

Adequte blood pressure... Mine was just borderline adequate today.. hehe...

Weight more than 45kg (i remembered boon lee often boost her weight before a blood donation, haha! coz she was just at the borderline)

Finally, you will be injected Lignocaine (local pain killer) - sting a little.
Then the needle for blood taking will be inserted, the needle looks scary but at this point, your arm is already numbed, so, no pain at all!! =)
You are required to do a pumping motion on the PVC tube with your hands
This process takes less than 10 minutes..

You can see your blood filling up the bag

Yeay! finally, the bag is full..

The tube is clamped. Before you realise, it's all over.

I'm proud of my bag of blood =)

i was wondering whether i should post the picture of the needle... okay lar, here it is.. i know it looked scary, but seriously, it's not painful :)

TA-DA!!!
At the end, got makan and certificate somemore...
but i think, we gain something more satisfying:
knowing that we had help someone else who was in need of blood

So, will i hear you donating blood too?
join me!
Donate blood- it's the gift of life!

p/s: oh yes, we won the debate!! hurray!!! :) with Lingesh and MK being best speakers :)
Related links:
Confidence can be made up, right?
Contraception should be allowed in unmarried sexually active adolescents - a debate

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q&A

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT I DONATE BLOOD?

Everyday someone depends on blood for life. Blood maybe needed for surgery, for an accident victim, or to help treat patients with leukemia, cancer, heart and liver diseases, and haemophilia. Your contribution could help save a life here.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO DONATE?

Yes. lf you are 18 years of age ( proof of age may be required)and weigh at least 45 kg. In general, medications in themselves are no cause for deferral. Rather acceptance or deferral is based on the underlying medical conditions.lf you are on any medications, please let us know at the blood drive.

AM I HEALTHY ENOUGH TO DONATE?

You should feel well if you plan to donate. Your health and safety are very important to us. You will be asked to complete a Donor consent form where professional health history will be asked. Your pulse and blood pressure and a drop of blood will be taken from you to test your haemoglobin. All information that you give is kept confidential.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DONATE?

The procedure itself takes between 7 10 minutes. How ever, you should plan to spend at least an hour at the blood drive.

DOES THE NEEDLE HURT?

There is a little sting when the needle is inserted, but there is no pain or stinging after that.

HOW MUCH BLOOD IS TAKEN?

About 450 ml, which is a little less than a pint. Adults usually have 5 litres (10 -12 pints) in their body. Some may only be allowed to donate 300 ml for various reasons.

HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER DONATING?

Most people feel great! Eat breakfast or light lunch before donating, and you should feel fine. Having eaten makes a big difference in how you feel afterwards.

HOW SOON AFTER DONATING CAN I PRACTICE SPORTS?

You are advised to avoid heavy muscular or strenuous activities such as lifting, pushing or picking up heavy objects for 5 hours after giving blood. During plenty of fluids for the next 24 hours.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO REPLENISH THE BLOOD THAT I HAVE DONATED?

lt takes about 24 hours for your body to replace your blood volume or plasma. You should drink an extra four glasses of non-alcoholic fluids. Your body needs about 4 -B weeks to replace the red cells before you can donate again. You can donate again after 12 weeks.

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY BLOOD AFTER DONATING?

Your blood is tested for blood type, syphilis, hepatitis viruses, the AlDS viruses (HIV).Then your blood is stored for use. Your blood can be used either as whole blood to help one patient or after separation into components (red cells, platelets, plasma), to help several patients.

References:
Pusat Darah Negara

Contraception should be allowed in unmarried sexually active adolescent. - a debate

Thank you all for the kind wishes and luck =) Today was indeed a pleasant experience.

Can you imagine? Reading the whole format for a parliamentary debate, researching, preparing speech and practicing all in one night? I was indeed crazy…

I would like to thank Lingesh for helping me with this debate.I owed this to him. Seriously, before this, I didn’t even know the format for a parliamentary debate. And I am glad that I was assigned a part which could be pre-prepared. and Lingesh had this theory that 'to overcome stage fright, you must scare or 'frighten' the stage first. :)

The wait could be rather stressful. I hate it when I had to rush back to my room, in between brunch, in heels, because of some stupid thing, and rush back for the debate. Anyway, I’ll leave that story for another day.

The hall was exceptionally cold today. I tried to reassure myself repeatedly, ‘this is okay’. Eventually, the atmosphere became more relaxed.

Special thanks to my friends and zhimuis who where cheering back there.. hehe... and thanks to everyone who offered a pat on the shoulder and help relieve the anxiety..

May Luu commented that my performance was more like giving a speech, like story telling, rather than debating, haha! If you can read Chinese, you can check out her interesting blog post of the whole event. Very entertaining description..

I guess I lacked the ‘powerful voice’ and the style (gaya).. Unlike Ija and MK who memang got gaya… Lingesh don’t need to say lah.. he memang pro one…. and I lacked ‘witty-ness’ too! Hah!! I am really really glad to have Lingesh and Ija on the team! (if you know what I mean, hehe) We were against Ihsani, Jie Ying and Yee Cherng. It was great, the debate.. I finally understood the ‘adrenaline rush’ which Lingesh described the day before.
Amirtha did a really good wrap up for her team. And I think Susan looked quite cute up there…


Conclusions:

1. Debating is fun!
2. I am a writer, not a debater
3. Becoming a debater does not happen overnight.
4. I am not really good at spontaneous crapping
5. I cannot be a lawyer/politician/sales person

I do not really agree with part of what I said during the debate. (OF COURSE WE SHOULD NOT HAPPILY GIVE OUT FREE CONDOMS VIA VENDING MACHINE WITHOUT ESTABLISHING PROPER SEX EDUCATION!!) Then again, this is just a game. =P

p/s: There is a poll on the right middle column of this page on premarital sex (nuffnang poll). Do feel free to fill it up. thank you. =)

Here is part of the content of the debate; you may read on if you are interested, it’s a little lengthy:

----------------------------------------

Contraception should be allowed in unmarried sexually active adolescent.

Good morning Mr Speaker, fellow team members, worthy opposition, and members of the house. We, the government, stand here today, to support the motion, ‘Contraception should not be allowed in unmarried sexually active adolescent.’

By ‘contraception’, we meant promoting safe sex amongst unmarried sexually active adolescent, by means of distributing free condoms, in secondary schools. We defined adolescents as people between 13 to 19 years of age.

I shall illustrate the problem and the extend of the problem. Why we need to address this issue? Why is it the responsible of the government to protect the society? And how, how are we going to do it?

My second speaker shall later bring you a journey, a journey to understand the social economy implication of this problem to the government and the society. While my third speaker shall rebut arguments from the opposition.

More and more of today’s adolescents are sexually aware and engaged in sexual activities, furthermore with unfiltered mass media, especially via the internet. We cannot control the global stream of information, but we can, at least, prevent complications from unprotected sex amongst adolescents.

To presume that adolescents will be prevented from experimenting with sex if they are denied access to contraception is simply ridiculous!

The second National Health and Morbidity study in 1996 showed that 600 out of 10000 secondary school students had premarital sexual experience.

A national study on the reproductive health of adolescents in Malaysia conducted by LPPKN, National Population and Family Development Board Malaysia, in 1994, had found that 20% of young people had their first sexual intercourse between the age of 15-18 years old.

In a study lead by University Putra Malaysia’s Associate Professor, Dr Lekhang Rampal, in 2004, on the behavioural risk that could lead to HIV infection, it was found that out of 18805 respondents, 34% had their first sexual experience from the age group 16-18 years old, while 8.4% were below 15 years of age. What was more shocking was 80%, I repeat 80%, of them did not use any form of contraception!

One third thought that condoms cannot help prevent HIV spread. A quarter said that a person can be infected by HIV though mosquito bites, fleas or bed bugs.

In October this year, there was the emergence of 3 videos of secondary school students, in uniforms, engaging in extreme sexual acts in the classrooms.

These are VERY real events happening in our country. And this may be just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed our adolescents are very sexually active, yet, very very ignorant.

POI: Offering contraception to them will increase the amount of sexual activity amongst them, thus encouraging them.

Reply: Experimentation with sex is independent of condom. It is derived from exposure to sex, and not merely a piece of rubber.

Reducing access to contraception will certainly not dissuade an adolescent from having sex. Unprotected sex eventually leads to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection. The end results are obvious. Very likely you get a very young girl, going through the emotional trauma of an unwanted pregnancy and a child growing up in a non-conducive environment. This is assuming that the mother had a safe delivery. However, life is not a bed of roses. According to WHO, 75000 women die daily from unsafe abortion.

Therefore, the government felt that it is our paternalistic duty to protect our younger generation. While regulations were made for motorist to wear helmet and drivers to buckle up, it is our duty to stand up and promote safe sex. It is our duty to offer these unmarried sexually active adolescents the benefit of putting on a condom.

With this, we would like to propose distribution of free condoms in secondary schools, accompanying pamphlets on sexual education, the proper use of condoms and the consequences of unprotected sex. Contacts for further information, sex education and support groups shall be also made available. These shall he distributed via vending machines in secondary schools. A condom, when purchased in bulk, would cost the government only a minute amount of 20-30 cents each, being a very cheap and effective method of contraception.

Ignoring this problem and denying access to contraception would only push these naive adolescents further underground. If these sexually active teenagers are going to have sex anyway, we rather let it be safe sex. We cannot afford risking them suffering from the consequences of unprotected sex.

I would like to emphasize that we are not promoting or discouraging sex per se, but we are promoting safe sex amongst sexually active adolescents.

This house would
1. Allow contraception in unmarried sexually active adolescents
2. Promote safe sex amongst adolescents via free condoms distribution in secondary schools, with accompanying pamphlets on sex education, proper use of condoms, the consequences of unprotected sex and contacts for further information and support group.

We support the motion that contraception should be allowed in unmarried sexually active adolescents.

Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We, the government, had painted the picture of the problems that arises from unprotected sex. We have illustrated the social and economy implication of this problem to the government and the society; the emotional and financial stress rest upon single mothers who are rejected by their families; the risk of STD and HIV infection; the impact of a child growing up in an incomplete family; the desperation leading to abortion and ‘baby dumping’; the financial burden arrowed back to the government to support these unwanted unwedded mothers, unwanted children.

We shall distribute free condoms in secondary schools with accompanying sexual education materials via vending machine.

The opposition had brought up several interesting points:

Firstly, promoting abstinence. Although abstinence is indeed the best form of contraception, however, as I had illustrated earlier, with hard facts from studies and the papers, we do not live in an ideal world. Today, the topic is about already sexually active adolescents, and what can we do for them. You cannot propose status quo, because status quo have shown to have failed. Abstinence and morality had failed.

You have talked about contraception being only for married couples. Again, our motion today is for already sexually active adolescents.

The opposition feared that when students were given access to contraception and knowledge on sexual education, they would engage in sexual practices. I would like to reemphasize that, reducing access to contraception will not, I repeat, will NOT, dissuade adolescents from having sex. In fact, given timely information, access to contraception and proper guidance would give positive effects, where children would be more responsible and careful when engaging in sexual activities.

Therefore, these adolescents have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

We can ask many questions – why? We can give many reasons. However, seldom, the people would be given solutions. What can be done? And how can we address this issue? Putting a curtain across this problem, dismissing them and continuing living in ignorance would not work!

Therefore, today, the government offers a solution.

We the government felt the need to bravely face the hard facts and reality. No doubt we are dealing with very personal issues, but because of the social and economy and other ramification, we can no longer choose to ignore them. How many more adolescents should be left ignorant with unprotected sex?

We, the government believed that it is our duty to protect the younger generation, leaders of tomorrow. We have laid the tiles, strong and firm, and we hope that you shall lay your trust on us, and start walking.

Charlie Cham, our local artist once illustrated in his artwork, ‘Play safe, use Malaysian rubber’. ^^

Lastly, we believe that the motion still stand strong, contraception should be allowed in unmarried sexually active adolescents.

With that, I thank you.
-----------------------------------------------

You are the music in me (High School Musical 2)

KELSI:
Na na na na
Na na na na yeah
You are the music in me

You know the words Once Upon A Time
Make you listen.
There's a reason.

KELSI AND GABRIELLA:
When you dream there's a chance you'll find
A little laughter or a happy ever after

GABRIELLA AND TROY:
Your harmony to the melody
It's echoing inside my head

GABRIELLA:
A single voice
(Troy: Single voice)
GABRIELLA:
Above the noise

TROY AND GABRIELLA:
And like a common thread

TROY:
Hmm, you're pulling me

GABRIELLA:
When I hear my favorite song
I know that we belong

TROY:
Oh, you are the music in me

TROY:
Yeah it's living in all of us

GABRIELLA:
And it's brought us here because

TROY AND GABRIELLA:
Because you are the music in me

TROY AND GABREILLA:
Na na na na (Ohh)
Na na na na na
Yeah yeah yeah (Na na na na)
You are the music in me

GABRIELLA:
It's like I knew you before we met (Before we met)
Can't explain it (Ohh ohh)
There's no name for it (No name for it)

TROY AND GABRIELLA:
I'm saying words I never said

TROY:
And it was easy (So easy)
Because you see the real me (I see)
As I am

TROY AND GABRIELLA:
You understand
And that's more than I've ever known

GABRIELLA:
To hear your voice (Hear your voice)
Above the noise (Ohh ohh)

GABREILLA AND TROY:
And no, I'm not alone

GABRIELLA:
Oh you're singing to me (Ohh yeah)

TROY AND GABRIELLA:
When I hear my favorite song
I know that we belong (Yeah ohh)
You are the music in me
It's living in all of us
And it's brought us here because
You are the music in me
Together we're gonna sing (Yeah)
We got the power to sing what we feel (What we feel)
Connected and real
Can't keep it all inside (Ohh)
EVERYONE:
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)
Na na na na na (Ohh yeah)
Yeah yeah yeah (Na na na na)
GABRIELLA:
You are the music in me (In me)
EVERYONE:
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)
Na na na na na (Ohh yeah)
Na na na na
You are the music in me

EVERYONE:
When I hear my favorite song (Favorite song)
I know that we belong (We belong)
You are the music in me
Yeah it's living in all of us
It's brought us here because (Here because)
You are the music in me

Na na na na (Ohh yeah)
Na na na na (Ohh yeah)
Na na na na
You are the music in me (Yeah)

FLOODING - confidence can be made up, right?

To overcome my stage fright anxiety, i have accepted an out-of-my-mind task.


I will be participating in a debate tomorrow. Something organized for the final year students in UKM. The problem is, all my life, i had NEVER debated. i mean, i enjoyed watching debates, but being up there, is something i had never imagined. Being up there with stage fright, is another thing. Gee, an auditorium of people staring back at you...

This is like some form of psychotherapy, my consultants call it 'flooding'.. i would have preferred some form of graded exposure, systemic desensitization or something. oh well... wish me luck! i hope i don't screw up.. (please refer to the footnotes in blue, i have included them for the benefit of non-medical related field readers)


Lingesh was so excited about it, with the adrenaline rush and all. I hoped i could share the similar anticipation. Ija and i were just super worried we might screw up. Lingesh, on the other hand, is so good at debate that he could be the first, second and third speaker and yet be 100 times better than all of us put together. Sometimes, i secretly envied debaters who could just speak out confidently, and make people believe in everything they say. Gee, the stress gets even worse, if i screwed up halfway and made the team lose; which i really hope i don't.


Topic: Contraception should be allowed in unmarried sexually active adolescent.
-will be the first speaker for the government...
well, at least it's something i can prepare..


i'm trying to be as positive as i could be. This is a golden opportunity, Lingesh said, an awesome experience. 'How often to you get a group of people who are willing to listen to a few dumb asses crapping? And it'll be fun!' - i hope so too ^^

confidence can be made up, right?


*back to work*


Footnotes:
Flooding = is a behaviour therapy where the patient is exposed to the feared stimulus immediately(all at one time) in its most intensive form
Graded exposure = exposure to the stimulus over several sessions, in which the stimulus is presented progressively in anxiety-provoking forms, from a small stimulus to more intensive stimulus, gradually.

p/s: will be against yee cherng and sob .... and i saw susan yesterday and she was involved in debate too, giving me the 'why me?' look.. haha! while qkk got forum, which i think is relatively more relaxed... if i feel evil, i might ask really hard questions, which QKK strongly forbid me from doing so... =P so, he suggested that we ask pre-prepared questions to which he would have pre-prepared answers to it.. haha! typ on the other hand, senang la, become moderator.. just have to pretend to be super enthusiastic and repeatedly ask, 'so, what do you think?' and 'any questions?'.. i was really looking forward to see im sing in her sexy nurse uniform during role play tomorrow... to bad, she changed roles... siGh, what a waste... hehe.. or else i can post pics... =P
Links: Learning to debate overnight

Will be missing you baby, for the next 3 weeks…

My mood had been terrible for the past few days. It was only today that I finally got a little better, at least better enough to blog and online. Those terrible days would start as early as 7am and stretch long till the late evenings. All I wanted to do after that, was so straight to bed, and sleep those frustrations away.

My baby had been admitted. They said he needed a new limb. And that would take about 3 weeks long!

Okay, let me flash back few days ago. It was 4.04 pm, I was happily packing lunch at a vegetarian restaurant, when at the junction it all happened in a flash… it's stupid, i mean, why did i have that sudden crave? i mean, i don't even liked vegetarian that much... so, because of my silliness, my baby had been hit. The scar, deep and sharp, stretches from the front door all the way to the rear and across the mudguard. The accident was inevitable, as there was another ongoing car at the right. Imagine being sandwiched between two huge objects. The only logical thing to do was to hope and pray everything is alright.

Okay, that was not the worse. After that, I think I did the stupidest thing of all. I think I am the first person on Earth (correction, the ONLY person on Earth) who would get hit by a car and yet pay the other party compensation. Thinking back made me felt even stupid-er.. well, I was hungry, tired and super hypoglycemic, thus not thinking right.. The pakcik said I should have let him move first, but he was double parking, and suddenly come rushing from behind. How was i suppose to know? I could not avoid him. Anyway, like I said, I was stupid.

When I finally confessed to my mum, her first reaction was: ‘Why so stupid?’ ‘Why not call me during that time?’ I guess, that time, I was too afraid to tell my parents, and I guess part of me, secretly hope I could resolve the problem without my parents knowing. Well, it was just me, being stupid. The next question she asked was, ‘What was the other car plat number?’ and I was like ‘shit! I forgotten’. After driving for 7 years, SEVEN years, and yet, how could I be so silly?? I guess it was because it was the first time facing such events, so, I guess, I just did not know what to do… okay, I know I should have taken the number, driving license number, contact number, etc, , but i didn't.. like I have said, i was super hypoglycemic and tired, thus not thinking right.. okay, that was just an excuse, I was just being silly.

So, here, I have drafted a list of what should be done when encounter an accident:
1. Take the person’s
-car number plat,
-car model,
-driving license, and
-contact number
2. Make a police report
3. Fix the car, and claim insurance

If you are driving alone, in a secluded area, especially at night: DO NOT STOP. Remember the other party car plat number and drive to the nearest police station to make a police report.

If you are still having ‘P license’ under probation period, call your parents. Get them to help you to settle the problem informally.

If you are below 21 and has been driving for less than 2 years, you may have to pay an ‘excess’ fee when claiming insurance. And you need to weight now heavy is the damage, and whether it is worth the NCV.

Perhaps, what Yen Pin said was right. The uncle was just more experienced than us. He knew how to handle the situation, so, we being a newbie, just gave in. And we’ll always be bullied by those experienced uncles and aunties. Once they step out of the car, they would talk as if they were so right. Then we get scared and confused. Yen Pin, you are a good adviser but a terrible joker. Go tell yml your donut joke la, hehe… but, thanks anyway. Besides, since that your experience of being stupid is more serious than mine, I don’t feel too bad liao. =) And more importantly, everyone was safe. At least nothing happened to Cheryl and QKK.

Anyway, after the event, QKK suggested that we do the most AUNTY-est thing on Earth --> Buy lottery ticket! Upon arriving at Magnum, I guess we were the only people under the age of 40.
There was this aunty staring at us, she teased, ‘First timer?’ I could only smile in embarrassment. The funniest thing was when Cheryl was lining up behind QKK, so after QKK, she requested, ‘I want RM2 of the same number the guy earlier bought’. I think the lady at the counter almost fainted. *sweat*

Surprisingly, QKK was quite experienced when it comes to buying lottery. So, when he said that it was his first time, I was a little skeptical. I didn’t know there’s so many types of numbers we could buy, like ‘da’(big), ‘xiao’(small) and ibox. When you buy big, you get money if the number strikes with RM2500 for first prize, up to RM60 for consolation. ‘small’ is only for the first, second and third prize. As for ibox, you win even if your number is jumbled up, only that the prize amount is divided by twelve. Okay, I would not want to be encouraging the gambling habit.

I guess buying lottery ticket after an accident helps one feel better. It gives you hope. Like if you do strike the lottery, you would not feel too bad about the accident after that. Now, I understood why people buys 4D. My mum said, if you buy 4D, you have to buy at all the counters: Toto, Magnum and 3D+1. And I have a winning we will strike the lottery today.

p/s: At 7pm that day, we checked the result. So, we did not win the lottery. So ya, I’m against buying lottery now.

Anyway, back to the title. So, my baby had been sent to the workshop. I’ll be missing him for the next 3 weeks. I wonder how would I ever survive. Sigh…

p/ss: there is a new poll at the right side bar. And by the way, i do NOT get paid for polls. Just something i am curious about. and if you are worried about confidentiality, well, nuffnang polls were designed in such a way, i don't get to know who answered and the combination of answered. We get the overall results at the end of each post. It's a stupid thing, coz i don't get to analyse via student T or Chi-square...
------------------------------------------------

I’ll like to end this post with a prayer for the victims of the massive landslide at Bukit Antarabangsa this morning.