For A Hospital, You Aren't Quite Hospitable...

Gee, and you thought that I’m just being catchy by playing around the words ‘hospital’ and ‘hospitable’. Catchy title aside, there is something which I should highlight, and let this be a lesson for improvement. Think of it as a note from a concerned citizen (you guys should be lucky that I did not put this up on ‘Aduan Rakyat’ or something.

Just a quick recap; my dad was admitted for 22 days in a government hospital (which by the end of this note might explain the title). Another thing, the source of this note that I’m about to type would be my mum’s conversation with pretty much all the visitors during CNY (family friends, cousins), so it may be inaccurate someway or another, but it’s the gist that’s important. So it was his last day (I was at work that day, sorry Papa) when the doctor finally gave him the good news, ‘Awak dah boleh balik’ at about 11am, if I’m not mistaken. There are still some paperwork needed to be done, but other than that he’s good to go. So my mum pun start la bersiap-siap, kemas2 all personal belongings of my dad. They then waited at the sofa where they put the TV.

About 12pm or so, my mum mentioned she saw the nurses and the hospital staff started to kemas-kemas my dad’s bed. They then thought, ‘Oh ni dah start kemas2 ni, siap2 untuk org lain nak masuk la ni’. Very efficient indeed. My dad was also served lunch, but then since his bed is already made ‘unavailable’ for him to lepak2, he ended up having lunch by the TV. My mum thought that it won’t take long before everything is all set.

She was wrong.

Come 5pm, she approached the front desk of the ward, asking the status of my dad’s discharge. After some time after being told that you can leave, you wonder if indeed you can leave. The feedback obtained was ‘Pakcik dah boleh keluar, tunggu sekejap ye.’ My dad started to feel uneasy, but still maintaining his cool. You can’t afford to burst into flames if you’re just that weak. So they waited, waited, and waited some more....

Until 8pm, the staffs ended their day shift and the night shift nurses arrived. Again, my mum and dad asked them ‘Boleh keluar ke tak nih?’, adding a more serious tone to it. They receive the same answer, ‘Pakcik tunggu dulu ye’. My dad at that moment got grumpier (for God’s sake, you made him waited for what 8 hours only to settle his discharge papers, it’s only fair that he didn’t burst sooner!)

9pm; it is inevitable. My dad started shouting at the staffs ‘Saya ni boleh keluar ke tak ni?! Kalau tak boleh cakap la tak boleh! Apsal lama sangat ni!’ (I was not there, so I’m not sure of the exact words, which again..not that important). Long story short, after about 9 hours of waiting, barulah all those paperwork settled. Fail la government hospital when it comes to this small2 things. Memang fail abis.

The story does not end there. My dad is still weak to walk on his own, so my mum asked for a wheelchair’ Their response? ‘Boleh pakcik nak pinjam wheelchair, tapi nanti lepas turun, tolong bawak naik balik wheelchair ke tingkat 7 ye’. WHAT THE FUCK? Sorry about the caps lock, but I was just furious about the way they responded. So my sister then terpaksa la push the wheelchair on her own to the 7th floor, while my mum and my dad waited in the car.

Again, I wish to emphasize here, when it comes to the human factor, government hospital memang fail. FAIL ABIS LAH SENANG CERITA!. Upon hearing that story, I can’t help myself but thinking ‘I won’t go to a government hospital for my treatment. I’ll invest in some medical insurance or something, but I’ll want a decent, proper treatment with utmost respect, warmth. For crying out loud, when you’re sick, the last thing you want to have is to have people pissing you off. So, please lah, just because you’re the government hospital does not mean you can treat sick people like crap...Sort out your work process la, sort out your manpower and resources. Don’t let us consumers pay the price of dissatisfaction amongst the staff which leads to the sucky treatments

So yeah, to the staff of Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, on behalf of my papa, I thank you for your hospitality (it is both a sincere thanks and a sarcasm)

What My Health Says About Me

Working in a refinery, you are constantly exposed with demanding work challenge, not to mention hazardous substances. Also, all the stress in work will make you eat whatever it is and ended up regretting it, huhu. That is why it is an obligation to all staffs to undergo annual medical checkup. Nothing rocket science; just some physical checks (BP, eyesight, hearing) and some blood work. Well, I have done mine about 2 weeks ago, and I have received my report.

Here are some findings on my health based on the report:

1) My blood type is A Positive
2) My total RBC (red blood cell count) is 6.3
3) My MCV is on a lower side (which according to the Internet, means that I have a lower than average red blood cell size
4) My hemoglobin amount per red blood cell is also lower than average
5) Result for uric acid is within range
6) HDL Cholestrol is 1.2 (OK, I guess)
7) LDL Cholestrol (Haha, now this is a concern). Basically LDL cholestrol is also known as the bad cholestrol. My LDL result is 3.2, against the optimal range of less then 2.6. I kinda expect this, since I happen to eat lots of fast foods..Haiyooo, have to cut some maaa
8) And lastly blood glucose; 5.6. Normal. Yeayy!

Well, I may have to refer to my brother on this. I'm not a doctor, so I don't exactly know what these numbers mean (especially the hemoglobin, MCV thingy).

Owhh before I forgot, my BP was OK, but my left eyesight is not performing very well. I got 6/6 for my right eye, but I only got 6/8 for my left eye...

Let's just hope that I will not start wearing contacts or glasses anytime soon...I don't want to look like a nerd!

The Wildfire That Is H1N1

I mean seriously, H1N1 after its declaration as a pandemic by the WHO, has spread through the whole world like an uncontrollable wildfire. Many cases have been recorded in Malaysia, and you see everyday now in the news that colleges and schools were closed due to the increasing cases of swine flu infection among the students. The symptoms which are somewhat similar to the typical flu and fever makes people even more paranoid. Even I am! I am now feeling slightly unwell, with feverish feeling and I can't help but thinking 'Gosh could it be that I caught a H1Ni virus?' Seriously I hoped that I'm not. I'm too freaked out to go and see a doctor, but so far after a few doses of Paracetamol and a good night sleep (I slept for 12 hours last night! wowww), I think everything is under control (fingers crossed).

Anyway, here is some Q&A about H1N1, courtesy of article by BBC News:

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1.

H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.

But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.

Although the strain may have originated in pigs, it is now a wholly human disease.

It can be spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing.

Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.

A fever - which is a temperature of 38ºC (100.4ºF) - is the key symptom, combined with other complaints which may include a cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and aching limbs. Some people with the virus have also reported nausea and diarrhoea.

As with normal flu, the severity of symptoms will depend on treatment and the individual. Many people have only suffered mildly and have begun to recover within a week.

People are most infectious soon after they develop symptoms, but they cease to be a risk once those symptoms have disappeared. The incubation period may be as little as two days.

We haven't seen a pandemic of this magnitude since 1968 (according to the records, how should I know, I wasn't even born yet). Apparently the the most devastating outbreaks in human history was the Spanish Flu in 1918. 40% of the world were infected and more than 50million died! That is just some scary shit. But then, according to a statement by WHO, the H1N1; now affecting over 160 countries is still in it s early stage and could continue to spread now, perhaps could infect up to 2 billion people in the next two years! I suggest all of us to limit our outdoor activities, because reading all this is just frightening to the core.

Here's a website which I think is very useful to instill awareness and knowledge about the swine flu. Take good care of yourself...

An Orgasm A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

Yeah,the title seems very controversial (especially for Malaysians),but I'm sharing what I've read in Telegraph UK. NHS is campaigning towards having a healthy sex life,and mind you,the campaign is targeted at students.

NHS tells school children of their 'right' to 'an orgasm a day'

NHS guidance is advising school pupils that they have a "right" to an enjoyable sex life and that regular sex can be good for their cardiovascular health.

The advice appears in leaflets circulated to parents, teachers and youth workers and is meant to update sex education by telling students about the benefits of enjoyable sex.

The authors of the guidance say that for too long, experts have concentrated on the need for "safe sex" and committed relationships while ignoring the principle reason that many people have sex.

Entitled Pleasure, the leaflet has been drawn up by NHS Sheffield, but it also being circulated outside the city.

The leaflet carries the slogan "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?"

Steve Slack, the director of the Centre for HIV and Sexual Health at NHS Sheffield, who is one of the leaflet's authors, says that instead of promoting teenage sex, it could encourage young people to delay losing their virginity until they are certain they will enjoy the experience.

Mr Slack believes that if teenagers are fully informed about sex and are making their decisions of their own will in a loving relationship, they have an equal right as an adult to an enjoyable sex life.

Anthony Seldon, the headmaster of Wellington College, which recently introduced classes in emotional wellbeing, said the leaflets were "deplorable".

Signing off from my HTC TD2

Calorie Math For Dummies

I've just encountered an interesting site, to those of you who are curious off how much you have put in when you eat everyday. It's called Cekodok, and it's a website developed by Kevin Zahari (he is this fitness and health expert dude you regularly see in Malaysia media streams). This website is somewhat tailored to Malaysian needs (you know how Malaysians love their food) because it addresses mostly food related to Malaysians! We're talking nasi lemak, rendang ayam, teh tarik and many more.

I have not explored much of this site (I think this site is very useful!) Anyway, I came across some introduction on calories, what is it about, how much do you need per day, etc2. So this is what i gathered so far. Of course, various factors play a role in determining the exact number such as gender, age, and your level of activity (are you a top of the game athlete or just a lousy couch potato). Let me introduce you guys to Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is basically the amount of energy required for you to stay alive (Don't be surprised, i copy and paste the site's exact statement, haha). Some math is involved:

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x wt in kg) + (5 x ht in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x wt in kg) + (1.8 x ht in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)

Then you have the multiplier, depending on how active you are:

• Sedentary = BMR x 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
• Lightly active = BMR x 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
• Moderately active = BMR x 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
• Very active = BMR x 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
• Extra active = BMR x 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2xday training)

I'll try to put my numbers to check it out. So I'm about 55kg in weight (yes! I need to gain more weight! that is what I'm trying to do!), about 168cm tall an I just turned 26. Put in the numbers and I get 1482.7. I consider myself as lightly active (huhu), so I'll have to multiply my number with 1.375 and i got 2038.71. So everyday I need to consume roughly about 2000 calories.

Now, let's take a typical meal plan for an average Malaysian and you get this:

So now you have it! You can actually get a more accurate calorie reading by entering your meal plan yourself. So, give it a try and see where are you at.