10 things 2010/2011

I had to browse through my blog today because someone asked me to list down my achievements for documentation and record purposes. While I scrolled through my 2010 blog posts, I came across this post called, "10 things". Here was what it read:

"10 things" 

I received an email from a fellow Toastmaster the other day. It read: 

My Dearest Toastmasters!  

Every year on 31/12, I'll list down 10 things I achieved in 2009, and 10 things I want to achieve in 2010. 

Every year I would be so amazed, didn't know I have achieved so many wonderful things in my life, if I just rush through a new year. God is indeed Great and Wonderful. 

Simply taking 10mins of your time reflecting and writing down what you have achieved on 2009 (be it big/ small, "spent a 3 full days together with my family" is an achievent for me) and 10mins to think and write down what you want to achieve in 2010 (Not what others want you to achieve, but what are important to YOU and you sincerely want to achieve, personal career.

It will have a magical effects on written Goals.
Do it, you'll amazed yourself with what you have achieved. And you will not regret when you review on 31/12/2010.
Goals written down has 60% higher chance to achieve! 

And there are only 3% of the people has written goals, 13% had goals, not written down, 84% no specific goals at all.
BE THE TOP 3%!
HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY & PURPOSEFUL YEAR AHEAD.
Joescher Chee 

10 things I want to achieve in 2010 (my final year as a teenager)

1. Raise money for a cleft lip repair. Go to Kerala, meet Dr Hirji, and have the most awesome trip to a cleft lip repair surgery in India. Done.

becoming the extraordinary doctor

I've had the habit of putting off blogging until I'm really free. But when will "really free" ever be? So I decided that even if I can't write a lot, at least 15 minutes of writing should be sufficient to just jot down my thoughts and important reminders for my future.

Firstly, I wish I can type down everything I learnt at the "Fiqh and Usul Fiqh on Contemporary Medicine" course I attended yesterday. In our CST (Clinical Skills Training) classes, Dr Hazian always stresses on the importance of professionalism and ethics. During the course, there were 5 slots:

The first lecture at the
Fiqh and Usul Fiqh on Contemporary Medicine Course.
Organized by PPIM CUCMS Student Chapter.

• Islamic Medical Ethics, Oaths and Codes: The meaning, importance and explanation on Oaths (Hippocrates Oath and the Qawaid Syariah) and the Codes (according to Malaysian Medical Council).
• Introduction to Fiqh and Usul Fiqh: The difference between Syariah (the Divine Revelation) and Fiqh (human intepretation of the Divine Revelation). What I love most was that it was in English :)
• Qawa'id Syariah: Principles of Islamic Medical Ethics and it's application in medicine.
• Maqasid Syariah
• PBL (problem based learning) case: This was facilitated by Prof Latiff. We were grouped and had to choose 3 out of 12 cases which had a lot of ethical and moral issues. It was really really great and eye-opening because so many questions have finally been answered. Sometimes we think there is no right or wrong answer; but after learning Qawaid and Maqasid Syariah, you would be able to make the best decision.

First encounter with Qawaid Syariah.
But immensely grateful for knowing sooner than later.

And that it what I learnt the most: being able to make an "educated" decision (as Prof Thuaibah would always remind us). It's about being empowered with knowledge to make safe decisions.

That night, there was a forum with panelists Dr Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin (ex Mufti of Perlis) and Prof Abdul Latiff Mohamed. If there's one thing that I remember most, it's what Prof Latiff said, "If you are in a war and someone comes charging at you with the intent of killing you, and suddenly that person falls hurt, it is your responsibility to help him. And that is the nobility of this profession."

To me, if I felt that a friend wronged me and suddenly they need my help, I don't even know if I would have the nobility to put aside my emotions. What more an enemy.

But throughout this course, I felt this overwhelming sense of pride of my college. Mainly because of the professors and my seniors. They never fail to always make me feel so motivated. I think after attending these kind of programs, they always inspire me to always want to be the best and become the envisioned extraordinary doctor. They always remind me to give and make the people around you better than you. I think that's incredibly awe-inspiring.

Now to start on SCTLs. Reproductive block begins tomorrow!

Nervous System done!

Assalamualaikum:)

There's always so much to write about. Honestly. But other commitments and pressing matters have been cropping up and I end up leaving my blog untouched. I should have the resolution of at least uploading at least a paragraph of reminder or thought if not pages and pages- which is almost always the case after not blogging for so long:P

We've just completed Nervous System block. Had our finals for the past 3 days. A lot of people said that CNS was the heaviest and most difficult block. Yes, I agree it is. But at the same time, I would have to say that it is the most fun and understandable block- but to say that I will pass with flying colours is still not definite. Maybe I find it fun because I've (sadly) finally learnt (after 1.5 years) how to learn pre-clinical medic as how I would enjoy it. Learning anatomy with the atlas and with the anatomy models and really concentrating in Dr Khin's class (which is actually not terrifying as I perceived when I was in 1st year!); her classes are really so fun:D Learning physiology by referring to Vander's. Learning diseases through concept maps and pathophysiologies. Learning pharmaco through tables and cases. It's scary how you wish that you could have caught onto this earlier. But as always, lessons which Allah has decided for you to learn the hard way is priceless.

a sin and a good deed

Came across these beautiful words found at a comment on a site:)

"I do believe that a sin; bad deed can take you to jennah and a good deed can take you to hell. (Forgive me if Im mistaken I think that’s a hadith;not sure) I believe this to be so true. That one sin can be the sin to take you to jennah by always repenting and getting closer to Allah and feeling remorse. As opposed to a good deed that can make one so prideful and feel they have done enough infront of God. Allahualim."

Twenty.

Dear Ummi,

It's been exactly twenty years since you delivered me. I wonder if at that time in the labour room, you were wondering, "What will she be like in 10 years, 20 years? Will I be a good parent? Will she be a good person?"

I don't have the answers to those. Even if I have turned 20. It sounds like such a huge number already. And they say, "Once you turn 20, life will just fly by." What more since I'm taking medicine, right?

I remember there was one time I entered your room and I said, "Ummi, I'm so scared to grow up. There's a lot of bad people, bad goings-on out there." At that time, I had just read the newspaper. I really was so scared. And I don't know if I'd be able to survive living in the "real world". And you calmly replied, "Alia, the world needs good people like you to grow up."

After 20 years of living, am I a good person? I don't know. I don't think I am yet. Many blunders, mistakes I wish I could turn back time to erase and undo. Probably things you might wish too. But going back in time would also mean missing out on opportunities that happened when those shortcomings happened.

And standing where I am today, I am grateful for the way you raised me:) Sometimes I wish I can learn faster and do all the things I want to do. And you must be snickering, "Impatient Gen Y" (hehe). But I KNOW where I want to go. I know what are the things I need to do that inspires me to become a better Muslimah and I know what are the places I should be frequently associating myself with that should insyaAllah increase my iman. And for that reason, that insight, that vision, Alhamdulillah and thank you for guiding me patiently for two decades. 

Dear Ayah,

During my high school graduation, you sent me a message. You said that because you were outstation when I was born, you had planned to redeem it by always being there for me throughout the rest of my life. You've held onto that promise tightly until now.

 Ayah, if I haven't already told you this, I hope you know that you are my source of inspiration. I don't know how you do it but no matter how tired or difficult your day was, you never failed to call out my name happily whenever you pick me up to go home. My "almost-failed-exams-and-life-is-so-impossible-and-I-have-so-many-things-to-do-this-weekend" feeling completely disappears. It's just simple small things, but those inspire me the most.

Dear Ummi and Ayah,

 I turned twenty. And a very awesome 20th birthday it is. I'd update about the Twenties for Smileys project in the next post. This is about the very start of my 26th November:)

On Thursday night, I was studying CNS physio (for our assessment the next morning) with Cah. At 12am, Min, Aki and KakFiza went into the kitchen to cook maggi. And then they came out with Secret Recipe's Chocolate Indulgence with two candles! It was really so sweet!:)

Chocolate Indulgence from Min, KFiza, Aki & Cah:)
Note the CNS Physio modules around:P

The next morning, we took our test and then headed for reflection. While waiting for the reflection session and actually throughout the day, there were a lot of people who passed me donations for Twenties for Smileys!:) I was really so touched and at a loss for words whenever people passed me the donations. I don't know how to tell them how I really really appreciate their deed. May Allah bless each and every one of you:)


We had reflection and immediately after that, Amira and Zahidah came into the room singing "Happy Birthday to you~" and joined by all the M19 members!

A second unexpected surprise! 3 cakes from Secret Recipe!
Thank you M19:)

Cah, Meet, Diba, Sufi, Zedah, Mira, Aufa
Sarah, Me, Aki
My M19:)

hazelnut cheesecake

pecan butterscotch

white choc macadamia

We had a "suap-suap" session after that:)

Stevie Wangwang given and named by Mira:)

Blueberry Cheesecake from IPP MMU TMC:)

And the rest of the day was *almost* just like a normal beautiful friday:)

So yes, it turned out into the best birthday ever:) With a total amount of RM 1,180 (and still counting!) for the Twenties for Smileys!:) Alhamdulillah. Also received cards, letters, two books as a present:) One of the best birthday present was from a senior; in the form of a reminder. To still remember the right intentions as for the reason of doing T4S:)

So that's my beautiful 20th birthday:)

Lots of Love, 

Alia

Twenties for Smileys!:)

Why Twenties for Smileys?

I came across an extremely inspiring trailer (a definite MUST watch!) regarding Charity: Water. It all started when the founder asked his friends to donate $20 for his 31st birthday for the cause of providing clean water for people in Kenya. The Kenyans previously had to walk HOURS to get clean water; and even then, the water were still dirty. Now? They managed to drill wells and provide clean drinking water for over hundreds and thousands of people! Isn't that amazing?:D

And so, "Twenties for Smileys" started:) With only 5 days left, I decided that I would want my birthday to make a difference. I'm going to be turning 20 on Friday, 26th November. I'd like to ask you to consider donating RM 20 (on my 20th birthday) whereby 100% will go to the Smile Train, an organization dedicated to providing free cleft surgeries for children in rural and poor places.

One cleft surgery costs RM 840. Previously, I had raised for medications of a surgery. In a second project, I raised funds enough for 2 surgeries. This time, I'm aiming for 5 surgeries:) It will really be the coolest and most awesome thing ever if this can make kids smile; and not just them but their parents and families too!

So, if you'd like, you can 1) donate to my MAYBANK 162674045935 or by cash if you meet me:)

and 2) I would be most grateful if you can share about this cause by posting this link on your Facebook or Twitter. This can tell more people about clefts and perhaps spark someone to raise funds with their birthdays too:)

The Smile Train: Changing the World One Smile At A Time:)

TEDxYouth@KL!

 It was awesome!

*note: the final paragraph holds the most important part of this post.

I know the word is overused but it's short for amazingly wonderfully excellently superbly overwhelmingly movingly exceptional! plus all other words related to those.

When Shobana messaged me a few months back, all she said was, "Hey Alia, are you interested to be a speaker for our youth program?" and I never heard from her again til about one and a half months ago when she confirmed my speaking slot about my Smile Train project at TEDxYouth@KL.

Basically it's a summit gathering youths and featuring speakers who would share on how to Be the Change. You can check out more about them here: www.tedxyouthkl.com

I've given a speech about the Smile Train a few times before but it only lasts about 7 minutes. This was a challenge because it's timed for 18 minutes. I crafted the speech about a month back; but with studies, SCTLs, assignments, assessments, exams, I was a little distracted. On Thursday morning, few days ago, I was having a really bad sore throat and woke up to find that I could only croak a few sounds much to my horror. From then til the morning of the event, I had been coughing and sneezing and hoping to conserve my voice; and that my immune system would please please please not start acting up during the presentation. Allah answered my prayers:) But during the whole event, I ended up talking to people (many amazing ones, I must say), straining my already-inflamed throat and it is now mayday-ing for some rest.

I met many dedicated youths today; people I would want to work with and associate with any time, any where:) They are so awe-inspiring (is there such a word?). Prashun, Shobana, Hafiz, Tristan, Teng Yew, among some of the organizers. And listening to the other enlightening speakers, Niki, John-Son, Navin (sorry I missed, I would definitely listen to your future talks!), Sabrie, Aanatha and JFK. They're all really entertaining and some educational speeches. Niki talked about the education system, Navin talked about recycling business, Sabrie talked about politics. I talked to Navin after that and he shared about the difference between profit and social businesses. He's got a lot of insight to share:D

TEDxYouth@KL Speakers. 

Picture from Prashun Kumar, Organizer:)

Most importantly, I'd like to say that I am so immensely thankful to be surrounded by people who care about me. The night and also the morning of the event, I had people messaging me and wishing me all the best:) I wish I can name them all here but not too sure if they would like to be mentioned:P But you all know who you are:) I would like to personally thank each and everyone of you; if you didn't receive a reply, please forgive me because my mind was elsewhere. But do know that I deeply appreciate each and every one of them :) They were my source of strength.

Among the inspirational: "Don't be afraid if you're going to fall because even if you did, then it will only make you go nowhere else but up. So, just be inspiring the way you are Alia Nadhirah." I got a delightful message on my way to the event "We came to support you, aliaXD" so I knew my classmates were coming:D Sangat sangat sangat terharu to see Najwa, Evieygaliasyg, Mira, Syuk and Cukie. Also to the people who wanted to be there but couldn't (yes, I got your message, aki). You guys are the best:) Thanks also Hafiz and Hamzah, and also it's a pleasure meeting you, Azim :) All your presence speak volumes.

Certificate of Appreciation from organizer Prashun Kumar

Also, met someone who came to me after the event to personally congratulate me and ask me more. He happened to be a friend of a friend (who couldn't be there because he had to attend his graduation). Again, a pleasure and DEFINITELY a surprise.

Special thanks to Ummi Ayah and my greatest supporters; my brothers. When I thanked them, they said, "Of course, Kak Alia, how can we not be there?"

Looking forward to future youth programs and be inspired by all these amazing people :)

The Best Raya Haji EVER. part II

continued from previous post.


He had an air of honesty and humbleness around him. When he conveyed his life-changing stories, he spoke with such sincerity that it gripped our attention from the very beginning. He told us two stories. How he converted to Islam and the heart-rendering experiences which opened his heart to establish the old folk's home.

His father had already converted to Islam and so his heart was readily about to accept. His main concern was to convert his wife and children; and he was sickly worried when he was informed that he would have to abandon his family. But persist he did, and his unique method of convincing his family to see the beauty of Islam managed to show them the Right Path after 12 years of prevalence. And they converted to Islam on 09.09.2009.

What tremendously reached my heart was how he started the home which had only been established for a year. Some time back, he was driving a motorcycle in KL and he suddenly lost consciousness. He woke up 2 days later in an ICU. He had experienced a minor stroke and his eyesight was partly clouded (After just having gone through a PBL case, I was excited to apply in my mind about stroke, transient loss of consciousness and contralateral homonymous hemianopia). His wife and children came often to visit. During that period, he had a man lying on the next bed who was paralyzed neck down; that man had undergone a major stroke. Mr Abdullah found out that he had 5 children. But there was no one who visited.

Mr Abdullah also told us about the time he worked driving his lorry around houses and collecting old, used metal. He came across this kampung around and passed a house which made him stop. The house was senget and the roof looked like it was about to fall off, the lalang were high and he walked towards the front door. There was a frail looking old lady and he had to shout to be heard. He asked (in malay of course), "Do you have any metal you don't want?" She went in and took out 3 bags of sardine and milk cans. It weighed less than a kg which means only a ringgit in return. But looking at the house, what else could he do but give a bit more? The lady then asked if he would take in a motorcycle frame (I think that's called bingkai) which had all been torn apart. It was at the back of the house and the whole motorcycle was engulfed in the lalang and only the handle could be seen. In total, he gave the lady RM 70. Later, he found out that the lady had 14 children. And they never visited. Except once a year during raya. And the content of the cans were her meals.

And that's how he started the home. All of what he told us were just so mesmerizing that I wish I can blog them all down. But I think I will leave some left untold so that anyone who reads this might decide to visit the home and hear it for themselves, straight from the heart.

Coming back to the present time at that home, there were things that really touched my heart.

The chinese man we saw earlier was Ah Koi. One of his friends was actually a resident of that home. Weekly, Ah Koi would come and bring vegetables for his friend. They were actually business partners before. While we were talking with Mr Abdullah, he came in to say that he was leaving for the day. He added, "I took away this box of cigarettes from him." and Mr Abdullah said, "Yes, thank you. Keep it away from him please. He's having asthma."

Mr Abdullah's whole family is the AJK for the Home; they have one son and 3 daughters. They only have one person as a helper. What amazed me most was his son's resilience. We found him fast asleep because he had actually spent the whole morning helping out for the qurban. What I also found out was that he had only finished his SPM but he was so dedicated to this home. He's been changing the diapers of the old folks and that is just so amazing. I mean, what had I been doing at 18? He told us that he wants to just train to be a police fast and then help his dad for this home. When I asked him what was the strength that allowed him to do this and all he replied was, "This is amal jariah." Allahuakbar.

So there's a lot more beautiful and heart-rendering stories than that. And if you'd like to hear more from the man himself, which I highly highly recommend, and also to help in whatever way, do give them a visit. You can click on this link to find out more.

After the old folks home, we went to Titian Kaseh, an orphanage with single moms. We had been there before numerous times so seeing them was like seeing old friends though there were many additions to the family. There was a delightful surprise when a group of Yemeni dudes, students from APIIT, came and brought sweets for the kids. The kids all came scrambling for the sweets and chocolates and played with them.

Some of the kids from Titian Kaseh, the Yemeni dudes and us posing after solat Maghrib:P

Indeed, this was the best Raya Haji I ever had. Thank you Ummi and Ayah. InsyaAllah, today has been a huge eye-opener for me and I hope the lessons I derive will make me into a better person; useful to the society and the Ummah and pleasing to Allah.

Lessons and thoughts might be updated in part III.

Photos to be uploaded later~

The Best Raya Haji EVER.

I think I'd have to say that today would have to be the best-est day I've ever had. Too many, just TOO many things I learnt today.

I came back from cyber for just one day to spend Raya Haji with my family. Before that, I was undecided since I felt that I had a lot of work to complete, that it was just for one day, that assessment was on Friday, that 6 topics of anatomy needs to be covered by Thursday. It turned out to be the best decision I had ever made.

This morning, we went to the surau for solat raya and for lunch we went to eat the daging qurban. This was near to our house and it was the first time the feast was held in collaboration with other surau; so we ended up standing while eating hot steaming meat with rice and soup and it started to drizzle which turned into a downpour. We got drenched. But Safi said, "It's such a blessed day, Allah has even decided to bless us with the rain." Allahuakbar.

My dad had already planned that we go to an old folk's home in Semenyih to visit. I was, again, undecided. Besides, I had yet to cover about basal nuclei, diencephalon and all other anat topics, I had a speech to refine, I was tired, I was having a sore throat and runny nose, I had a million excuses in my mind, and we're probably just going to sit there for a while and then drive back home. And of course, my dad being so understanding would excuse us if we're "busy".

But Hari Raya only came once a year and what was the point of coming back home if it was just the same as me being back in cyber? So my parents, my younger brothers and I went to Semenyih. Small side story here: Everyone was really tired for some reason and fell asleep. I ended up being my dad's co-pilot, using googlemap on the iPad. I gave the wrong directions TWICE and we ended up in the heart of Kajang and making a huge U-turn. But Ayah said, "Alia, the hikmah is that we allow them to sleep a little longer." Allahuakbar.

When we finally arrived, we saw the huge signboard which read, "Saudara Mualaf (for converts); Rumah Siti Noraini" planted next to the terrace house. There were 4-5 elderly men who sat up on the beds on the porch when we entered the gates and my dad and brothers all shook hands with them. One was lying down, unable to move. The others gazed at us curiously. There was a chinese man lingering there too. When we entered the house, we saw a teenager who was fast asleep on the sofa. Apart from the sofa, I saw several hospital beds lined in the living room. My dad called up the number and a few minutes later, the owner, Abdullah Noel, came down the stairs smiling with his wife and a little girl (which we found out was their youngest daughter).


The teenager who was previously asleep, woke up, and we later found out that he was the son. We were all then seated on the sofa and my dad immediately jumped into a conversation with Mr Abdullah about how exactly did he start this home for the elderly. From the very minute he began, we were all hooked.

To be continued in the next post.

motivating the unmotivated

I thought my one week holiday would be jam packed with my pre-planned goals and aims. Unfortunately, my lack of self-discipline has resulted me in "resting and recuperating" more than I had planned. I shall regret this when my mind is blank when CNS classes begin.

I was scheduled to give my first Advanced Speech at MIM Toastmasters today. I was thinking about it, drafted the speech and noted down the main ideas a few days back, but never really prepared. I normally prepare at least one day before, refining my sentences and practicing with gestures and movements. But yesterday, a turn of events resulted me in being glued to my brother's iPad and even more glued to the 100 chapters of FullMetal Alchemist. (On a side note, I was a huge fan of manga back in my secondary school days, ergo the anime-style drawings). When the sun set yesterday only did I realize I would be in deep deep trouble if I did not complete my speech. But my brothers started pleading me to watch the movie Inception with them. I agreed to watch a little at the beginning so as not to let them down. After watching half an hour, I went to my speech, stared at my speech, closed my laptop... and continued to watch the movie. And then went to sleep.

The next morning (this morning), my brother shook me awake early in the morning and said, "Hey, aren't you supposed to practice your speech?" I mumbled a sleepy reply... and went back to sleep. Finally, an hour before the meeting, I got up and was getting increasingly frustrated at my lack of anxiety and motivation. Normally, I would be anxious having to deliver a speech, and this would propel me to craft a speech as well as I can. I need the anxiety so that I know that I'm not going to give just any normal presentation.

I needed to get motivated so I TRIED to motivate myself. How can I try to motivate others when at this very moment, I felt unmotivated for some strange reason? So instead of practicing my speech, I went online and searched for "Inspirational videos" and watched Steve Job's How to Live Before You Die. I watched until the end but that didn't give me enough. I read About Being Tremendous and that sparked my conscience when I read that "If you’re for real, you’ll do things because you have to do them, not because you want to do them." Not just whether you're for real or not, but also an important reminder about being a Muslim. You do it or don't do it because you HAVE to. So I managed to complete my speech and print it out.


My mom and dad, away at a course, messaged me and wished me all the best, assuming that I would normally be really nervous to deliver a speech. I however complained that I was strangely NOT feeling nervous. My mum called me up for a morale booster. Then my dad called me up and said, "Hey, what's wrong with not being nervous?" I countered, "Well, I'm not feeling nervous and I'm not even prepared! This is abnormal." This was 1 hour before the meeting. And he said, "Well, that's good then. It means you're desensitized." And I said, "No, it means I'm not prepared! What if I FAIL? What if I lose my lines?" and my dad said, "So what if you fail? Failure means feedback. When you get lost, it just means you've stepped into unchartered territories."


That got me thinking and saw some truth in what he said. I ended up going to the meeting but not attending the first session because I was practicing my speech. But I did deliver it. People congratulated me on a speech well done. And Yeok Siew as my evaluator said that it was good, except that it needed more purposeful gestures, expressions and pauses (but here Cyril, as General Evaluator, said that it's a little hard to slow down when you're so passionate in what you're conveying). :D


So when you're feeling down, uninspired and you just need to get some kick, watch great people, read about great people, or talk to great people (like Ahmad Fakhri and Jamilah Samian); and you might just get motivated :)


P.S. Thank you, you, for the sunshine-y message this morning and for "trying" to motivate me. Haha. Maybe next time you'll do better:P

perspective

Me: Syarif, remember when you told me you won't be able to hold off any bad guys so you'd want to learn about Parkour (art of free running) instead? Well, if you can't fight off people, I don't think you can go running like how they do either.

My 14-year-old brother: Kakalia kakalia kakalia. You probably watched the Parkour videos (which shows people jumping from high buildings, over barriers, "climbing" walls, sprinting like crazy down and up the stairs through the poles) on Youtube right?

Me: Yeah, so?

Syarif: Ok, take this for example. Imagine you don't know what cycling is. And then I tell you I want to learn how to cycle. And then you go to Youtube, type cycling and then you watch people using BMX. Then you'd tell me, "Ooh Syarif, I don't think you can cycle".

Me: ...

I love how he always puts things into perspective using examples.

the goal.

Note to self: Never forget.

Look at Clinical Correlations

I got a little lazy to go through the mundane anatomy on first day of GIT (Gastrointestinal Tract). What I did differently and what managed to spark my interest was to skip to the clinical applications at the back of the chapter (which only consisted of 2-3 pages). I didn't understand most of the terms but that was what made me more interested:) And when I DID learn the basic anatomy, it made me go "Aaah" when understanding dawned upon me:)

Same thing I realized when I went to India. Dr Hirji, Dr Narayanan and Dr Pashupathi explained to me so much of the pathology and the treatment of cleft deformities that I wished that I could go to anatomy and physiology and learn everything back.

Sometimes during first and second year when we feel "bored" learning step by step first anatomy (where you don't really see WHY you're studying it); look at the diseases. Then that might interest you more:)

Lesson: Look at applications first then that would make you feel like learning the basics more.

It happened to me.

You wouldn’t know how it feels until it has happened to you.

Funny how sometimes the most powerful lessons were not intentionally taught, rather moved by the will of Allah. Today I learnt one of those most powerful lessons.

Today is my brother’s birthday. I asked my mom yesterday to pass him a t-shirt (since I wouldn’t be home) that I had bought for him a month ago. When he saw me online today, the first thing he said was: “Where’d you get the tshirt? It’s kinda big for me.”

This sentence literally crushed my heart to pieces. I don’t know if it’s me being extremely sensitive but being human, all I could reply was a sarcastic, “Umm Happy Birthday. Your welcome.”

Well, after that he did say thank you. But the thing is, I don’t mean to be sound like a high and mighty showing-off loving sister for having bought a present (I hardly if ever do get any bday presents for my siblings). I just felt so hurt because when I bought that shirt, it left me to survive only on RM3 for 2 days (I did not realize I was short on cash). I would have appreciated so much if all he said was, “Kak Alia, thank you so much for the tshirt :)” It would have taken one line. But it would have meant a lot to me.

This brings me to the first lesson I learnt: Gratitude.

What hit me first was anger. And deep hurt. And then the realization: Oh God, what if I was like that? And I’m sure I have been like that countless of times. Friends doing something for me that I did not acknowledge, that I didn’t have the time to say thank you for because I was too busy. Teachers giving their best to impart knowledge (who knows they might have stayed up the whole night preparing) and me as a student not giving my full attention and talking to the person next to me. Most importantly, my parents, putting food on the table (and who knows they had a rough day or my mum struggled to cook because of the pain she had in her foot) but I didn’t come down to eat or I said that “The food tastes weird.” How despicably ignorant and arrogant I would sound.

I would not (and most probably would never) know what someone has gone through to do something for me. It’s served as a great reminder to always be grateful and say Thank You. How many times have I forgotten to express my gratitude? And we forget THE most important thing is to be syukur to Allah; who has given night and day, oxygen, perfusion in our body, functional Hbs, normal RBCs, adequate levels of blood cells, sufficient iron (for our bodies)… life, everything for free. And again, we are ungrateful, by not saying thank you, by not abiding to His commands.

My mom sends me a message every morning for reminders. And this morning, her reminder was timely:

When you put your hopes for love, praise, success, happiness and recognition in the people, you will walk away disappointed with a broken heart. It is only when you put this hope in Allah will your heart and soul find peace, relief and pleasure. Indeed Allah speaks the truth in the Qur’an: “Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest” [13: 28]

Which brings me to my second reminder: HOPE in Allah.

Wanting to be thanked by my brother is like putting your hope for recognition by a person. And I did walk away disappointed and a pierced heart. What if I had given it with the hope that Allah will accept my deeds as a tender loving gesture toward my brother. With that kind of intention, regardless the outcome, my heart will InsyaAllah always feel content.

In life, you will always face disappointments, rejection, abandonment… The only way to keep your heart running and going is to do it for Allah.

With gratitude and this intention, will your heart find rest.

*Published with the permission from my brother. It's not served to embarrass him or whatever and he knows that. We've talked it out and settled things (he called me up!:D). This is to serve as an extremely powerful reminder, something I've known already but can only truly feel after having gone through it. That's why I love you even more, bro. Thank you *hearts*.

PDO School

I had a complete and utter culture shock when I came back to Malaysia in 2002 after my primary schooling in the middle east. In 1997, my dad was sent to Oman due to his work and the whole family too had to tag along.

I was 7 years old. A very timid and shy girl. The type who hid behind her mother’s skirt when a relative comes to shake hands during raya.

But PDO school was the best schooling time of my life.

I attended PDO (Petroleum Development of Oman) school. My teachers were from England mostly and my friends were children of expatriates.

These are a few things I would like to share about the terrific memorable time I had there:

1. I remember we only had one teacher for a whole year. One teacher for all subjects. Our classes were determined by the teacher’s name. For example, my primary 4 school teacher’s name was Miss Shearman. So our class was called Y4S (Year 4 Shearman). She taught us all the subjects; maths, english, art, science, reading, music, geography, history. So that means we had only one teacher the whole day, and that same teacher for a whole year. I used to be very confused when my cousins back in Malaysia would ask which teacher teaches what. All I knew was that there was only one teacher per class.
   
   
2. We had a theme every year. I entered at the end of Year 2 but somehow I mostly remember year 4. Maybe because I had such a lovely teacher:) We have themes every year; and everything we learn are based on that theme. For example, in Year 4, the theme for one of the first semester was “Tropical Rainforest”. We decorated the whole classroom with papers and cardboards of leaves, tree trunks and animals. Our english essays were about Adventures in the jungles. Geography was about the equator and the countries around it. Science was about plants and trees. Music was about animal sounds. The second semester was about The Egyptians (history was about archaeologists, art was about making plasticine mummies). In Year 5, it was Tudors (in art, we made tudor houses with wood). In Year 6, it was The Victorians (we even had victorian day where we dressed up, wrote with quills, and baked).
   
   
3. We had assemblies once a month. Every assembly, all the students from the class would line up infront of the door and our teacher would be at the front to march us to the Assembly Hall. There, we would sit in rows with our own class. Miss Evans (the headmistress during my time) would give an opening speech and then we’d watch a performance. Every month, a performance would be presented by a class (In Year 4, ours was The Wizard of Oz. Year 5 was Henry VIII and his wives). That particular class would be practicing for this performance. After that, we would have Special Mentions, whereby a person from every class was selected by their class teacher and acknowledged for something they have done. I remember getting a Special Mention for an artwork I did. Then, Miss Evans would call out those who had birthdays that week. And we would get a card and a mug.
   
   
4. I remember a lot about reading. In the corridors, there were rows and rows of books. But they all had levels which students progressed (starting from books with no words, to a few words and books which had full text and little pictures). There would be a time where we would choose our books and we would have to (one by one), read to our teacher. Every two weeks, we had to go to the library and choose two new books and keep them in our special red Library Bag. And almost everyday, we would have reading time; whereby just before we go home, all of us in the class sits together on the carpet and our class teacher reads us a books. I love most listening to Roald Dahl’s stories. I remember being read to about Matilda, about the BFG, James and the Giant Peach...
   
   
5. We didn't have to bring any books. All our textbooks and exercise books were left in our classrooms. All we had to bring were snacks for break time (there was no cafeteria) and for lunch, we went home to eat (school was only 5 minutes away by car and traffic jams were unheard of).
   
   
6. For sports day, we were in different houses every year. Sports shirt? Just wear anything which is a shade of your sports house. Everyone was treated to ice-cream after that.

Education system there and here are totally different. And these are only mild examples of the colossal fun I had. I don't mean to compare; different countries have varying developments and other factors which influence to its current status. But if I could, I would love to relive studying in PDO school again.

I wouldn't mind flying there and getting a look at what the school is developed into:)

32.

Things I learnt tonight:

1. Leaders are first to come and last to go. People will be more amazed by leaders who actually sweep rubbish and arrange tables and chairs.
2. Don’t lose momentum. Once you lose it, find it back immediately.
3. Being busy is good. You’ll find it easier to manage your time once you enter clinical years. Being a houseman, it’s about teamwork. Learn it now, learn being scolded, learn how to handle crisis, learn how to deal with people. Learn it now.
4. 2nd year is still soo free. Or so they say.
5. Stay active. Even after you enter 4th year.
6. Being sooo busy in clinical year is actually a taboo.
7. An organization needs strong leadership to pave the way and the direction.
8. Settle all your personal problems before handling a leadership position. Once you’re affected personally, it will affect your organization too.
9. Look at the big picture (mission, vision), and the small things will take care of themselves.
10. ASB.
11. Leaders by influence.
12. Good leaders are those who have done work even at the bottom-most level. They know how other people feel.
13. In an organization: Population, system (documentation, communication, organization)
14. In planning: Mission, Action Plan, Milestone, PIC.
15. Recruitment with your heart.
16. Always look for opportunities.
17. Prepare paperwork early. Take time for the first few weeks to strategize. Crawl, walk then only run.
18. Ayam penyet (smashed chicken) sedap and sangat pedas.
19. Financial freedom= passive income surpassing total expenses.
20. If you find something that’s overwhelmingly opportunistic, considering dropping what you’re doing now. (might be under consideration.)
21. Some people rush through life, complete degree, get masters, work. Life should be dictated by you, not others. As long as what you do are according to principles.
22. Don’t stop reading.
23. Learn how to deal with people who will be asking about Islam.
24. It’s the small things people look at.
25. Even a person who has to repeat can turn into a specialist. Imagine YOUR potential.
26. Complete MBBS, _________, houseman. (_______ = business?)
27. Once you have something in your head, write it immediately. Don’t go home and sleep and think about it the next day. Jot it now.
28. Learn to have muka tebal.
29. Meeting people who have gone through what you’re going through now, those who are active, are inspiring. Do it more often.
30. Work with everyone. Don’t be divided.
31. This is the time to make mistakes. You’re a student.
32. ...

160910. AWS.

diseases

"The real illness is the disease of the heart (the spiritual problem), who always want to go against Allah Swt. The disease that we try to treat is merely the sign and symptoms from the spiritually ill person."

Source.

For the first year :) [Updated]

To my dearest first year CUCMS juniors,

It's up to you if you wish to read this and heed the advice. They're all based on my personal experience. These are the things I wish I was told by a senior at the beginning of my 1st year. I was told by a senior friend that sometimes there is an overwhelming amount of information. But when you become a doctor, things can become routine and so what you initially need is someone to just tell you what can be more important than others. It's not everything, just a little I'd like to share if I may :)

Anatomy Block: You've gone through this. It's quite a lot since it is GENERAL anatomy. Once you enter systems, it will be more focused and InsyaAllah you'll feel relatively less overwhelmed.

Physiology: Should be no problem InsyaAllah. Mainly concepts, so if you want them really strong, discuss with friends.

Biochemistry: Also known as Molecular Basis of Nutrition and Medicine. For this, chemistry concepts would be important. You'd have Mr Muhammad and Prof Nooraini. You should prepare for all parts of the SCTLs because their teaching style is a bit different. Their style is "interactive lecture" so, be prepared to be called out (either by being pointed to or from the name list). Yes biochem is important but regarding its importance once you reach clinical years, that you'd have to ask the senior seniors.

Behavioural Science: It doesn't have a lot of clinical applications but to me, I think that grasping the ideas are important because it allows us to know more about the human being. As I've learnt, in this vocation, we are not planning to treat the disease, rather we are treating the PATIENT. This means understanding human traits and their behaviours.

Microbiology: At first it looks like there are a lot of things to memorize. Each microbe, their virulence factors, tests to determine. Really, at one point it might be even tougher than Anat. I've no particular advice than to just try and swallow everything in. For OSPE though, look at the pictures of agar plates and how it looks like for particular organisms. Again, after you've completed all the general blocks, the different microbes will be narrowed down and more focused according to the system.

Pathology Block: Ok, this should be highlighted with red lights and loud sirens. It is tres VITAL AND CRUCIAL. Prepare for it well. I'm not saying that other blocks are not as important. But this IS the crux of being a doctor. The abnormalities. Every systemic block will have pathology. Exact terms and definitions are of utmost importance to understand. Know the difference between tumours, what are benign and malignant, cancer (honestly, Prof Thuaibah says some doctors are even not so sure of definitions and can send the patient into utter depression because of the mix up), thrombus, embolism, Virchow's triad etc etc. Dr Hamidah's classes are normally based on basic concepts of Pathology; so as long as you are strong in that, insyaAllah it'll be ok:) You'll be repeating the same thing again and again alllll the way til 5th year, all the way til you start working, so get it right the first time.

Pharmacology: Drugs have really weird names. Don't worry, they will get even weirder as you learn more. Mechanism of actions are fun if you draw diagrams for them (where exactly they act on). Books are Lippincott (very much simplified, sometimes a bit too much) and Katzung (good diagrams, more detailed, sometimes more complex) and they compliment each other. Yes, you do have to know side effects; it comes out in exams.

Endocrinology Block: Endo should be okay too :) This is the first systemic block. You will start having PBLs (problem based learning), whereby you will be given triggers and progress "clues" to lead you to the disease. It might be very confusing at first because you're not very used to it. You might not see the relations and things might be awkward during the first session. It's okay if you're a bit blur during session A. But for session B where you will be presenting the case, make sure you can follow through or at least have the completed concept map/flow chart. It further strengthens your knowledge on some diseases and really helps in exam and of course life as a doctor. If you want some kind of idea how a concept map looks like, you are more than welcomed to meet up with me:) PBLs help to show how things are inter-related. You can see how signs and symptoms develop from the pathophysiology, where the treatment is applied, the causes, the management... :)

Musculoskeletal Block: This might come across as something hard... mainly because of the colossal amount of information that you need to know. It's a total of 4 weeks anatomy and 1 week of the rest (physio, patho, microb, pharmaco). You'll have your encounter with cadavers. Suggestion:

• Draw draw and draw- to see the relations.
• If you like, watch the video about musculoskeletal block, InsyaAllah should be provided, if not, remind me. It's really helpful as long as you watch it not JUST the day before exams. There are about 3-4 videos and each take 2 hours because they detail out everything. If you want to see if it suits you, try watching it earlier so you don't have to cram it in just the night before.
• Use an atlas. Read the notes while looking at the pictures. I personally like Netter's Human Atlas. The many many words from the slides can be replaced by just one picture.
• When Dr Khin says something is a 5-star (*****), it means its REALLY REALLY REALLY is important, specially for clinical reasons. We sometimes feel that it is leceh to memorize it, but it's really important because some diseases affect it. Like knowing the foramen in your skull and the structures that pass through it- that's a five star. You wonder what does that have to do with anything, but it DOES. And CONFIRMED it will come out in Finals and OSPE if not in the weekly assessment.

Cardiovascular: CVS should be okay too :) You'll have a memorable time when Prof Latiff teaches.

Clinical Skills Training: Huge lesson I've learnt from CST when we were rightfully scolded. I can only sum it up in Dr Hazian's words: Don't be too focused on chasing the marks (that is be so mechanical and technical) til you forget about the patient.

Generally...

Do discussions. Most importantly, DISCUSS. The only way for you to be sure that you KNOW something is to TEACH it to another person and to DISCUSS it. Get friends who you can discuss with. Look ahead; Pro Exam 1 is not far at all. Be comfortable with friends who you can debate topics with because once you near pro exam, you cannot go through everything yourself. The more you teach others, the more you get in return.

Notes. For notes, I personally like mindmaps. I draft a simple overview before beginning class (by looking at the objectives of the SCTL), then add more during my group discussion, add more during the lectures and SCTL classes, and add more when I'm revising again. That way, the night before finals or weekly assessments, I wouldn't feel too overwhelmed having to look through bundles of slides but instead just 5 pieces of papers (ie one paper per topic). This of course requires discipline, something I occasionally lack, but is easily done if you gain the habit.

Prevent Procrastination. Sometimes you might get agitated in class and tell yourself, "Ahh I can read this later at home." Don't worry, it happens to me too sometimes when my mind has wandered... But nothing replaces with what the lecturer says. And sometimes you might not be able to get it again or you might forget that you're meant to read it back. Even if you can't get it right there and then, I suggest that immediately after class, turn to the person next to you, try to explain it to them or ask them to explain back to you :)

Filing for the Future. Part of Affective Domain is having your academic folios, meaning all your SCTLs, notes, slides all filed. At first, you don't really see the relevance and I didn't do that for Anatomy:( But look at it this way, you'll be using the knowledge again and again and referring back to your notes especially for your professional exam when you need to revise all the blocks. Be proactive, organized and have a good filing system so that ultimately, it will help YOURSELF for the future.

USMLE Step 1 books are highly recommended. They summarize. Don't wait until 2nd year to realize.

All these advice might not apply to everyone. It might work, might not work. Passing on the knowledge so that the next generation will learn from our mistakes. There are many more mistakes to learn from. Don't repeat ours :) So that there are OTHER kinds of mistakes you can learn from :P Exploit your seniors. Ask from us, insyaAllah we'll try to help and also learn things together:)

It's your first year. Enjoy it, and you should enjoy the rest of your MBBS if you search for knowledge to be a doctor, not for the exams. It's hard to accept that now especially when tests loom in every Friday. But if you can do that, look past the test and toward being a doctor, it'll be worth it:)

All the best!

Alia

To Remind You

Dear Alia Nadhirah,

2nd Year is around the corner. In fact, it's closer than you think because you'll be heading back to college tomorrow and having all sorts of things to settle and attend to until Registration, a day before class begins.

2nd year would of course be tougher than 1st year. You're supposed to know things and NOT forget what you've learnt in 1st year. And sometimes when things don't seem to be entering your head, never never never give up and resort to memorizing word by word. Try to apply it, discuss it, match it to a real-life situation. This is just part of the greater journey in your life. Watch the 3 Idiots movie if you must to remind you.

Spend time wisely in studies so that you don't have to spend extra hours having to make up for the many things you didn't understand.When you get frustrated dealing with SCTLs, PBLs, OSCEs, OSPEs, exams etc, remember that each and every part of it is important in becoming a great doctor. As hard and puzzling as it may be, remember that it's the patient you are dealing with, not the disease. So don't go around just cramming everything in your head. Try to UNDERSTAND them. Read The Forgotten Art of Healing if you must to remind you.

When you're running here and there dealing with programs, projects and events, remember that you need to do it to balance with your studies. "There are many good people out there. But there are not enough people to contribute to the Ummah." Talk to Teacher Rasyidah if you must to remind you.

When you feel lazy and don't feel like doing anything, remember there's not enough TIME to be sitting around. There's still so much to accomplish! When you get tired and upset and wonder why you can't do whatever it is that you like, don't ever ever give up. Tiredness is temporary but Pahala is permanent. Talk to those who are active if you must to remind you.

Never ever neglect your loved ones. Sometimes you get so busy with studies and caught up in events. Never take for granted that "They will understand." Never have a friend say "I'm so touched that you remember me even though you're so busy." Talk to Ayah and Ummi if you must to remind you.

When personal emotions overwhelm you and you feel like your heart is torn to pieces, remember they are petty matters. Acknowledge it, put it aside and learn from it fast. Recall the painful but truthful conversation "takde masa nak layan" to remind you.

When you've done so many mistakes, and you feel like your heart is so black, remember that it is like glass and can be cleaned again. Remember back to Sheikh Tawfique's words about the heart of a Believer, where your heart quivered listening to the explanation. Recite Surah An-Nur about the Light upon Light to remind you.

When you lose track of what you want to be, remember back to the Mercy Mission presentation. About where our Ummah is standing today and what it has become. Remember that you want to build 4 characteristics: 1) Character and Vision 2) Knowledgable 3) Active and Proactive 4) Compassionate. Hold steadfast to the vision and if you are searching for a life partner, make sure that he is someone who is truly passionate and sincere about the vision of Mercy Mission because it is about reviving the Ummah. Visit www.mercymissionworld.org to remind you.

2nd Year starts in four days, Alia. Start it with all the energy you've got!:) So many aims to complete. If you're faced with problems or difficulties, remember that they are reminders that you're not doing something right. Don't be upset with the reminders you'll be getting. You need them to set your path straight. Turn to Allah all the time to remind you.

Love.

they come first

This is how you can shock your siblings:

Wake up in the morning and head to the kitchen. Take out a plate, and four pieces of bread. Toast two of them. Take out the chicken and roasted chicken salami, mayonnaise, chili sauce and some salad. Fry an egg. Slap the salamis, mayonnaise, chili sauce, salad and egg in between four pieces of bread. Cut in half. Serve. To them.

When I went upstairs and offered half the sandwich to Ahmad on a plate, he was still in bed. I knocked the door gently and said, "Angah, I made you a sandwich. It has salami, mayonnaise, sauce, salad and egg inside." He blinked a few times, sat up, took the plate and stared at me.

I went into the next room, knocked on the door and found my eldest brother inside.

Me: Along, are you hungry?

Along: Uhh not really...

Me: Okay well, I made a sandwich for you with *such such such* contents.

Along: *stared suspiciously and paused for a while* Why?

Me: *shrugged* I dunno. I feel like expressing some kind of appreciation.

Along: What appreciation?

Me: I don't know. I just feel like making a sandwich but I'm fasting.

Why can't they just accept when we want to do something nice? haha.

I went back to Ahmad's room where he had finished half his sandwich already. I sat next to him as he munched slowly. Then he suddenly laid back on bed and got up quickly again. I was really wondering what's wrong with him until he said, "I'm trying to wake up from this dream." (like it must be some kind of a dream that Alia is making a sandwich for breakfast). And after a pause, he questioned, "Alia, are you sure you're alright?"

My mom came in at that moment and seeing the rarity of Ahmad eating in bed, felt his forehead and asked full of concern, "Are you having a fever?"

And Ahmad said: "I think Alia's having a fever."

I smirked: "Alright, just blame the hormones."

And he said, "Well, keep these hormones please."

For some reason this morning I woke up with energized spirit and extremely motivated. I told myself I'm going to complete a lot of work (which I have long procrastinated).

But what actually suddenly came to mind was the words of my dad at the recent family gathering. We were having a conversation during the reunion and he said: "Yknow Alia, we always work so hard to help and please other people, our friends and the society. But how come we don't do the same for our families? In fact, they should come first."

And that is why, Along and Angah, I made the sandwich this morning:)

Why not do something nice and shock your siblings?:)

Brace Yourself

This is the new guaranteed plan for those who wish to lose weight: Braces.

Braces on teeth I mean.

On my first visit to the orthodontist last month, I met a doctor many would wish to emulate. Dr Shafeeq is extremely nice. He's engaging and has a very warm smile. He's the type of doctor you would want to keep going to because he explains everything like what we always learn in Clinical Skills Training on how to deal with patients. On my first visit to him last month, the conversation went something like this:

Dr : Assalamualaikum. How are you? *smile smile*

Me: Waalaikumsalam.

Dr : So what brings you here?

Me: My teeth... My mom brought me here.

Dr : Ok, so may I know why now? Why not last year or any other time?

Me: My mom have asked long ago for me to see an orthodontist. I'm on holiday now.

Dr : Alright then, I can see from here that your teeth are a little misaligned. Or maybe that's because that's my job haha. May I know how you feel about your teeth?

Me: Yeah. Umm I have no problem at all. I mean, I don't feel any less confident or anything. In fact, I love smiling a lot:)

Dr : Uhuh and what does your friends say?

Me: My friends don't say anything about them. I'm really okay with them (teeth I mean)

Dr : I'm going to have a look at your teeth now:)

He took pictures, a model sample and I had to take two x-rays of my jaw. That was for the first visit. When I came again for the second visit, he gave me a two-page written report (complete with my teeth conditions, treatment plans and alternative, cost etc). He patiently explained to me each part, highlighting the problems and outlining treatment plans. I summarize his verbal report as such:

Dr : Well, first of all from the x-ray, we have no problem with your jaw. But it seems we have quite a complicated case here. You see, your lower teeth have all moved to the right and your upper teeth have moved to the left. I'm not so sure why that is, but it's happened. So your centre line is not aligned with your face. Plus you can see here (he showed me my model teeth), that the lower and upper teeth are not aligned correctly.

Also, there is a crowding in your lower teeth. So, it's like there's a lot of furniture in the house. It's either we have to remove furniture or make the house bigger. When there is a lot of furniture, it's more difficult to clean the house right? So there's some inflammation here which would cause your gums to bleed.

As you can see, there is an overbite here (lower teeth infront of the upper teeth); normally the upper teeth would be infront of your lower teeth.

So I would conclude that you have quite a serious case. If following a standard in UK, your case would be a 4/5. So do you think you would want to put on the braces?

In the end, we concluded that we would follow the orthodontist's expertise. Which was the reason we came to him in the first place. I had to make a visit to the dentist and after that back to Dr Shafeeq. This time around, it was braces time.

During the most recent visit where the braces were put on, he explained to me the procedure in detail (This'll be quite boring for you, he said). Apparently I was quite shocked to find out that they GLUED the brackets onto the teeth! And then the archwire would be snapped into place.

After that, Dr Shafeeq said: This is the only practice where the patient will feel pain AFTER they go home haha. This is going to be the start of your long affair with braces:)

I didn't really understand what he meant with pain being felt after I went home. When I came home and had something to eat, it was of course quite awkward because it's like you have something in your mouth. I couldn't differentiate which was food and which was braces.

On the second day when I woke up, when I moved my mouth, I was kinda freaking out until I came to the realization that: Oh yeah, I'm wearing braces. Each root of the tooth was throbbing like I was having a toothache at all my upper teeth. I couldn't bite anything- not even rice. And this is how this dieting technique works:

1. Since it would really hurt when you bite, all you can resort to is soft food diet like porridge or mashed bananas.
2. Since it really hurts to eat, you would tend to eat much much much slower. What usually takes me 5 minutes took me triple the time. It's good for digestion (but not good if all you can do is swallow).
3. Since its such a pain anyway to be eating, you get tired of it quickly and end up not eating much. (So you can't overeat)

It went on for a week until now. Whenever my lower teeth would accidentally make contact with the upper teeth, it would throb like crazy. But Alhamdulillah, the pain wasn't so bad to the extent that I had to take painkillers. I could sleep:) I just had the letter 's' turn into 'th' sometimes. Haha.

Well, the reason I didn't want to blog about this earlier is because I would want people to find out for themselves. Also if I did blog, it would be a long list of horrific stories and scare those who ARE going to wear braces! (haha nah, this is just preparations). But SOMEONE had already realized I wore braces haha. So it didn't matter anyway.

1.5 years til the outcome. Aki says it doesn't matter because "You look pretty in anything." :) I'm not soo bothered by how I look. I would not stop smiling widely. It's just a pain for when I want to eat and talk. But my eldest brother said: Hah, you won't even feel it by next month.

Until of course, when Dr Shafeeq fixes on the braces for the lower teeth.

Alia, brace yourself for it.

Mistakes are bound to happen

I love this.

Taken from my 10-year-old brother's (Siraj's) drawing book.

Most likely the wordings of my 14 year-old-brother (Syarif's).

The Forgotten Art of Healing

The stupendous advances of science and technology have changed the face of medicine. Medicine is capable of performing amazing feats deemed incredible 50 years ago. Yet paradoxically there is today a deepening disillusion, distrust and even antagonism against medicine and the medical profession. The paradox is indeed striking for around the middle of the last century when science and technology hovered merely in the background and medicine has achieved little, the profession was held in the highest regard and the doctor's image outshone that of any other profession. Today, when science and technology envelop medicine in an all-embracing grasp and when medicine has achieved a great deal, the respect for the profession has plummeted and the image of the physician is increasingly tarnished. To my mind, the main reason for this paradox is because medicine has strayed from its path, has lost its way, has lost its goal. The mechanization of medicine, the hubris of its technology and science has submerged its art, robbed it of its raison d'etre, its humanism. The physician no longer ministers to a distinctive person, but concerns himself with separate malfunctioning organs. The distressed patient, the human being, is frequently forgotten or relegated to the background.

In these days of burgeoning science, the medical student and the doctor are both absorbed in the intricacies of technological advances related to medicine. Yet medicine is learnt and taught at the bedside by listening and talking to the patients, by touching and examining them; not just from books, not from gleaming machines and sophisticated gadgetry, nor from the rapturous attention to beautiful images obtained through computerized or magnetic resonance imaging, endoscopies, angiographies or from other wonderful gifts of science and technology...

Excerpt from The Forgotten Art of Healing by Farokh Erach Udwadia

How very true. How beautifully worded.

The book is a must-read for all involved in the medical field.

I've only read the first of 9 essays and every page is brimming with so much wisdom and truthfulness that I am left simply captivated and mesmerized.