Up and running

After hybernating for one month, I am now up and running. Went back to work and it's busy as usual. I am embracing the workload as it kills time. It makes the weekday seem to pass so fast, which is a good thing.

I've slept so much in the last month, that I feel my bones have harden and my brains are dead. Can't blame me on this, I was recuperating from the endometriosis surgery. Right now, the wound is healing, though sometimes there's some fluid oozing out.

I am so craving for KFC or a Spicy Chicken McDeluxe or any sort of chicken now. With my restricted diet, I practically only ate a whole loaf of bread last week as I went back to work in Penang and didn't have my mother in law to cook for me. I lost another kilo in a week by just eating bread.

I'm back in Taiping for the weekend. I think I'm going to start eating chicken today.

How Did I Do That?

As I haven’t got anything else better to do, other than sleeping and eating, I wondered to myself, how did I lose 4kgs in 2 weeks? Seems like I am having a good life, just waking up to eat and go back to sleep after that. With this kind of lifestyle, I should be growing fatter.

I’ll wake up around 10am and have cereals with milk and a cup of milo before taking my meds. After that, I’ll go back to bed. My mother in law will wake me up around 1.30pm for lunch. She cooks pork porridge for me as I have a very restricted diet now. I can only eat fish and pork. No chicken, no eggs, no other seafood besides fish. Just like a pig, I’ll go back to sleep after lunch, only to wake up around 6.30pm and get ready for dinner. I’ll keep awake after dinner to watch some tv and then sleep again by midnight.

So, I should be getting fatter, right? This is puzzling me. When I tried to lose weight by swimming and eating less, I still weight the same or gained a little. And now, eating and sleeping like a pig, I am losing it? It does not make any sense to me.

Away

For 2 weeks, I've been staying home. I'm on 1 month medical leave. I've lost 4kgs in those 2 weeks.

What happened 2 weeks ago was that I had a severe abdominal pain. Even after I went to visit the doctor who prescribed me with meteospasmyl and some pain killers, it didn't relieve me of the excruciating pain. Instead the pain got worst especially when I move.

So, I went on to consult another doctor, who after listening to my symptoms and pressing my stomach, suggested that I do an ultrasound. He thinks that it’s not about my intestines, but my uterus.

We went to Srigim to get the ultrasound done. The doctor wasn’t very friendly and after checking, he suggested that I have an operation immediately. Apparently, there’s some fluid which he couldn’t be certain if it’s blood or pus below my uterus, which is causing the pain. That’s a little bit too much to take.

We left Srigim to get a second opinion. With some recommendation, we went to Island Hospital. Same ultrasound done and same outcome. I have to be operated. Somehow, Dr Karen made it easier to digest. So, I was admitted and getting ready for the surgery. It went well.

Hence, I am back in Taiping recuperating.

After the biopsy, the doctors gathered that it was a chocolate cyst, endometriosis. As scary as it may sound, it has been removed entirely from my uterus. It's the part in the red circle, just below my uterus. I have to take Duphaston for 4 months to control the disease now.

To all women out there, let me share with you on some signs and symptoms of endometriosis:
1. Period pain of recent onset or worsening of menstrual pain
2. Pre-menstrual spotting
3. Heavy, irregular or painful periods
4. Pelvic pain during intercourse
5. Infertility
6. Painful bowel movement during menstruation
7. Fatigue, exhaustion and low energy

If you got any of these symptoms, I’d strongly recommend that you visit a gynae as soon as possible. Don’t think that this could not happen to you, because endometriosis is a very common disease.

Staying Alive

My cubicle in the office is layered with dust now. I haven’t been back for some time, it feels like an eternity. Everyone at work is feeling the heat or are de-motivated. Most are afraid of losing their job or keenly applying VSS. But, I for one have got a million and one things to do. I keep thinking if this is all worth it? Cos, if you are holding tight to your job, then you will automatically assume the jobs of those who left. Your title and pay remains the same, and the only increment you are getting is your job description!

At this moment, I’m trying to take one step at a time. Every job comes with its own fair share of problem, pressure and stress. We all keep complaining about how damned our jobs are, but we forget to realise that someone else is facing a million times worst situation than ourselves. If you have a roof on your head at night and a decent meal for dinner, then do count your blessings.

Stop complaining. Get back to work and do the best you can. It is seriously not worth it for you to be worrying about something you can’t control. Times are bad? Fix what you can control. Stay strong, I believe we’ll get through the bad times.

I could take the easy path to go back to Taiping and live a simple yet comfortable life. But, there are dreams that I am chasing for. And that’s what’s keeping me strong. Set your dream, then you’ll see the path that will bring you there.

Apple's iPods

I've always fancied the latest gadgets in town. Most of the high tech electronics are expansive and more often than not are impractical, built as toys for the rich. So, we poor people only get to look at these gadgets through magazines and the wonderful world wide web. Somehow though, I managed to get a few iPods in my hands. To date, I have owned 4 different iPods. My very first, was the 1st gen 256MB iPod shuffle, then I got lucky again and won myself the 1st gen 1GB iPod nano. I actually won these two iPods from some contests at work. When I was in Singapore sometime last year, there was a promotion for foreigners, all I needed to do was show them my passport and an official receipt of any purchases made in Suntec for the amount of more than SG$ 300, then I am entitled to purchase the 2nd gen 1GB iPod shuffle for SG$ 20 only. I totally did not need it, but the price was irresistibly cheap. So, I just bought it with no hesitation. Till today, it’s still upwrapped in the box.

Last week, AMEX sent me the all new 4th gen 8GB iPod nano. Cool or what? The touch and feel of it was totally awesome. During the weekend, I was busy loading iTunes v8.0 into my notebook so that I can start using the nano. To earn this nano from AMEX, all you need to do is be the first 100 to spend RM 3,000 in the month, promo ends in April. So, start planning if you need to do any big purchases, do it on April Fool’s day with your AMEX. You might just be the lucky winner like me.

Well, I’ve given away the first shuffle to Ivan after I won the first nano. I’m looking to give away the nano now. And also the second upwrapped shuffle is looking for an owner too. I’m good with the latest nano! I feel as though I could load in any songs without end. And I just need to shake it and it will skip to the next song. I also can view the display in portrait or landscape mode depending on how I position the nano. I give it five stars. Now I'm eyeing the iPhone 3G.

60 Earth Hour - 28 March 2009, 8:30pm

I think we all should come together to do our small part in making a big difference to mother earth. All it takes is just 60 minutes, turn off all your electrical devices this coming Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:30pm. This one hour of darkness may or may not change the world ultimately. But at least, lets show our side of being a real human and support this move. I voted earth! Have you? Click here to register and show your support in this fight against global warming.

Two and a half hours of sleep

That was all I got last night. The last day of PC Fair is normally the most tiring one. As the show ends, we need to pack up all our display units and arrange for it to be sent back. All has to be done immediately as they will tear down the booth that night itself. If we miss anything, then that’s it, you won’t be able to find it the next day as the hall will be totally empty.

I went back to the hotel at almost midnight, called room service for dinner. I ordered Oscar’s Club Sandwich, a triple decker ham, cheese, bacon and tossed iceberg lettuce, served with string potatoes at the price of SG$ 28.25. Ridiculously expansive, but I was too hungry and tired to go looking for food elsewhere.

How about counting some money for starters? After dinner with the kiosk boys, Clifford and Alex came up to sort out the orders sheets for the day. We did pretty well. Look at how much cash they were carrying. Approximately SG$ 22k, was in my room last night. That’s around RM 52k. It’s fun to see so much cash lying on the floor.

We finished work at almost 3.30am. After I had my shower, went to bed at 4am. And just before anything else, morning call woke me up at 6.30am. Catch the flight back to Penang and came straight back to the office to work. I’m brain dead now.

Another Singapore Trip

Can I have the window seat please? I always ask for the window seat whenever I get the chance to fly. And looks like I've been flying to Singapore for work once every quarter.

Picture from clockwise: Above the clouds of KL, almost landing Singapore, big Sony Bravia LCD (I think it's 40", but can't confirm cos I'm no good with sizes), king size bed in my hotel room where I'll be sleeping for 5 nights.

All these luxury you'll think at first glance, but do you know that all this comes with a cost? Coming here for work is really hectic, the lack of sleep and non-stop work. So, I think all these luxury is a compensation. A really nice big bed, which I can hardly get 8 proper hours of sleep per night. The bed is super comfy, I wished I had one at home. I practically had to climb up the bed as it's really high. And those super soft pillows. All the tiredness of the day seems to dissolve on this bed. I could fall right to sleep as my head falls on the pillows.

At this hour, I've just finished my work. There's just too much of manual work which is very tedious and needs absolute precision. There is no room for the slightest mistake, which will make all the accounts go wrong and that would need me to do it all over again.

I've completed my work for the day. Goodnight, Singapore and Malaysia. I need the rest to survive tomorrow. And the bed is calling me. :) xoxo

Spice Garden @ Penang

I don't see no spice in here! As I was almost bored to death in Penang last weekend, I decided to take a trip around Penang, to get to know Penang a little bit more. Believe it or not, for the past six years I've been working in Penang, I haven't been to most of the tourist attractions. To me, Penang is just a place that I go to work.

Well, the Spice Garden is a far drive up to Batu Ferringhi. With the winding road, I almost vomited by the time I reached there. Entrance is RM 14 without a tour guide, and if you need a tour guide, that's RM 22 per entry. This place is like some jungle tracking route. It's not a place I would recommend to others, except if you tell me that you like the greens. Yes, it's very green in there. But contrary to it's name, I don't see much spice in there. Maybe, I went in without a tour guide, therefore, I don't know which is the spice and which is the ordinary tree. Aloe Vera is a kind of spice? I saw it in there.

The above picture is taken from a hanging swing in the middle of the garden. Nice place to hang out on an afternoon with a book. But, to pay RM 14 for that seat? I think I'd rather stay home with a cup of coffee on one hand and the book on the other. Hence, I am the indoor kind of person and the lack of knowledge of where to bring you about Penang.

What am I going to do this weekend?

It’s supposed to be the happiest day of a weekday today. It’s Friday, something that every working person have desperately waited for, for the last four days. But, this weekend is going to be something totally different for me. I have nothing to look forward to. Sunshine is going down to KL today, so I won’t be going back to Taiping. I’m stuck here alone. Well, I’ve got plans till tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be at work. And after that, I have totally no idea what I’m going to do. Maybe I’ll stay indoors to hibernate, reserve all my energy for my Singapore trip next week.