Neurobytes 2016

23 July 2016 - It was the annual Neurobytes again!! Nah, this is my first time attending it~ =)

The reason I attended is because I wanted to learn more about the hi.... just joking, it was because my friend Sin Hui is participating. Our college has sent out 2 teams which consisted of 4 top students in my college and Sin Hui is one of them.

Neurobytes is actually an International Medical Quiz and we managed to get teams from Indonesia, Ireland, India, Sri Lanka and also various medical colleges from Malaysia to participate this year. There were a total of 23 teams and 4 teams were selected to enter the grand finale. Among the 4 teams, 2 teams were from MMMC. Some of the questions asked were easy but in some knockout rounds, it requires speed as those who can answer fast enough than the opponent teams were given points.

Although some questions were quite easy and within our syllabus, I realised that the knowledge that I have is so fragile and I could not recall some of the answers, this made me nervous although I was just a spectator there.

I am really proud of all the participants there, as I believe that the sweat, hardwork and sleepless nights throughout their medical student years were just the submerged portion of the iceberg, what we were seeing is just the tip of it. To be able to study, to recall and to perform is something which I should salute them of.

The champions were from Pondicheri Institute of Medical Sciences, Chennai and the speed and knowledge they have is stunning and impressive! Nevertheless, our MMMC teams too, managed to get 1st and 2nd runner ups for this competition, which is the reason why I am proud of them~ =)

1st Runner Up:

Ng Sin Hui (Batch 29)

Shailesh Anand (Batch 30)

2nd Runner Up:

Lee Jingyi (Batch 29)

Choo Hui Xin (Batch 33)

Life lesson learnt: Stop giving excuses, read more, and read more to be the best out of yourself!

The Salvation Army

It has been 3 years since my last post, and now the flame is reignited~

15 July 2016 - I'm currently in my 4th year in Paediatrics posting and today my groupmates and I were lucky to be posted to the Salvation Army of Melaka. I drove there myself, fetching along my groupmates (Wei Hoong, Candice, Sharmilla & Izzul) while 2 other friends of mine (Amylia, Azim) drove there themselves.

The moment we reached there, I could see parents sending their child to this home, one by one. Most of them are diagnosed with Down's syndrome. However, there are some children with autism and also ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder). My knowledge of Down's syndrome is only limited to their clinical features and also the complications that they may develop later in life (because this is what usually being asked in the exam). But after today, my perception towards Down's have changed.

While each and every person in this world is unique, so does those who are Down's. Their mental abilities differ from person to person. Some of them are able to communicate with us, plays the piano or even took part in leading the children for morning exercises. This surprised and shocked me, to be frank, because I thought all of them would be having mental retardation and low IQ.

Mrs Gobi, the caretaker who have been working there for 27 years, told us that some of the gifted children can be trained and taught to obey commands and perform certain fine motor tasks if they are brought to this center earlier, they called it the EIP (early intervention programme). True enough, they are able to use the sewing machines to make various materials such as handbags, floor mats, or even tissue paper holders. Some of them are helping out in stitching the laundry bags of Hotel Estadia & Equatorial Hotel.

I have always loved to interact with people in a community, because I believe I have the ability to help them in some ways. I enjoyed being in Hombelaku (psychiatric rehabilitation center, Manipal) and Asare (mentally challenged home, Manipal) during my 3rd year in Manipal, and today itself I got back the same feeling, the equal satisfaction of being around with these people. 

I always believe that the world is as how you see it, or how you think it is. The way you think will affect you and your surroundings. Choose to be well, choose to be happy, choose to believe in a better tomorrow~

Happening 21st

By writing this post, I am no longer a boy, I have turned 21 and I am officially a man!

However, I strongly believe that age does not define maturity of a person, it is our character that define us as who we are. So age is just a number to me (some said age is clearly a word).

My birthday this year falls on a Monday which is a day before my Biochemistry practical examination on Tuesday. To be frank I have never celebrated my birthday under exam stress, what more in a country other than Malaysia? O_o

On Sunday evening (7^th July 2013), I was alone in the library and I received a call from Lai Yeng asking me to meet her up in her hostel. Upon arriving, both Lai Yeng and Pei Shin came out and passed me a Tupperware with a muffin, an apple pie and an egg tart inside with the note:

Happy Birthday

in advance!

Enjoy & have fun

Cake by Laiyeng

Tarts by Lenglui PeiShin =)

I felt deeply touched by their very own hostel-made delicacies and for spending time in making those despite busy preparing for exam. ;’)

After a long day, I went back to my room and lie down on my bed at 1.00 am. Upon resting my head, I heard some plastic sound under my pillow and I thought it was due to some notes underneath. To my surprise, I found this under my pillow!!

5 ties of different colours and a handmade card depicting Cony and Brown from LINE apps! From my darling Hui Ling~ ^^ I have never thought of receiving anything from her since we are so far apart physically and wouldn’t thought of getting a surprise too. It is not the present that matters but the heart and effort she put in to make my day~ <3 <3

8^th July 2013 – Morning

Woke up, brushed teeth, bathe, opened my wardrobe to look for shirt and I found the second surprise, a handmade book with extraordinary words!

I must have guessed this is from Chee Sian. Felt so touched by the way he described me, although it’s a bit exaggerated haha. Just realised my presence actually made so much impact to him as a friend and I kept laughing by the humour within his neat handwriting. There are some photos and notes from Hui Ling too and some wishes from my batchmates inside the 12-page book. I don’t know how much time you spent to compile this book but I really appreciate you as one of my best friends, Chee Sian.

Yes, my facebook wall, twitter, whatsapp, wechat, instagram and LINE apps are bombarded by nearly 200 wishes. I appreciate those wishes very much and I took time to reply each and every wishes. Thanks for spending few seconds on my wall to wish me, LOL.

My whole day was spent on the library as everyone was busy preparing for exam the next day, and yeah, no celebration on that day.

9^th July 2013 – Evening

After exam ended, Siong Keat asked me to accompany him for ice cream as he had not done well in the exam (emo laaa him). Prior to that, Chin Leong (my roommate) said he is going out for a jog but he is actually coming back after I went out to arrange my presents on my bed~

Special thanks to my handsome n charming roommate who is that good in acting… I actually believed he went out to get some drinks… He’s that good u gotta believe it!

From: Chin Leong (he typed that himself on my laptop!)

I seriously believed him and while walking back to hostel after that, we passed by Interact building which my classroom is situated there. Surprisingly (and weirdly), Jonathan and Benjamin was there and both of them were looking at their laptop. I felt so weird and I was like ‘what are they doing here with a laptop? =_=’

When we approached them, they immediately stuck the earphone onto me and played the 18-min video (which includes my family members) that they have specially prepared for me.

I felt so shocked with all the individual birthday wishes from my friends in the video, including few of my friends from my hometown, Ipoh. It made me suddenly miss all of them so much.. T_T the feeling when I am watching the video is hard to describe, I felt happy and touched at the same time. Thanks for sacrificing your time to complete the video just for me – Siong Keat, Chee Sian, Jonathan, Chin Leong, Elyn and Wei Jie.

After I have finished watching the video, I got another surprise when I was surrounded by a bunch of friends behind me. They must have come when I was concentrating in watching the video. Birthday song was sung as formality and we went to KFC for our dinner!! =D

We had a wonderful time there~ =)

YEAH! This was the display on my bed when I reached my room. Specially done by Mr Lee Chin Leong~ The most creative and amazing present among my friends is the one from Benjamin. I was amazed by the artwork he did, see the video below...

Despite the celebration for my birthday is over by a day, I still received present on 10^th July from…

Candice Wong (Jane Russel) - Choc Cake~ =D

And….

Seh Ying (Sying) - Homemade Muffin~ ^^

From Siong Keat, Elyn and Wei Jie on 11^th July~ =)

A special Calvin Klein perfume neatly wrapped in a blue wrapper which warned me not to open as there is a bomb inside. The reason I got the present this late is because they are ordering online and have to wait for it to be delivered to their doorstep, according to my insider source~ =’)

Thanks everyone for making my birthday a special one, even a simple wish made my day and thank God I'm blessed by wonderful, happening and caring people around me~ =)

Understanding AIDS & Beyond

It was a sunny Sunday morning with a glaring bright sun shining towards Manipal despite the monsoon season where I joined a group of 60 other enthusiastic students from my campus, embarking on a journey to Snehasadan AIDS Rehabilitation Center in Mangalore.

This is the second time I have visited the same center where I came during Christmas period last year as it was organized by the same club - Reach Out. I am glad to be part of the organizing committee this time~

There are approximately 34 kids in the center who are infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) which results in them suffering from AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). I think one of the main reasons is due to inheritance from their parents. It is saddening, in fact, to know that such innocent kids are being victimized due to the negligence of their parents and they have to bear the painful consequences immediately once they open their eyes into this cruel world. How fragile life is...

It took us almost 2 hours to reach the center where some of our students puked due to the never ending S-shaped roads. We were greeted by the cheerful kids there once we reached and they are so hyper active, even before our scheduled games started, they dance and jumped non stop once we played the music! I can clearly see the happiness in their faces and they can't wait to show off their talents in all the games we played.

The best we can do is to bring joy to them, although only one morning of playing and interacting with them is not sufficient, but we portrayed that the community still cares for them. There are so many people suffering in every part of the world but the least we can do is to reach out for more of them, even only a small group. Don't talk about relieving pain from the suffered and helping those who are poor if we do not care for the surrounding as a doctor-to-be.

Among the games we played were pass-the-parcel, musical chair, ping-pong game and much more. Now only I realised that controlling a bunch of kids and ordering them to listen to our instructions is a challenge! They are so excited with our presence and got more excited when prizes such as colouring books are distributed to some of the winners. 

I am sure some of our students enjoyed the time with them too, reminiscing the moments when we were small, same like them, moments which we no longer get it back and defined as memories in us. So here we are, creating good memories for others too. Thankfully the kids are well behaved throughout and they can understand simple English which makes it easy for us to strengthen the bonds with them. 

I seriously had a great time with them although it is just for a few hours. Malaysians or Indians, we are all the same and the same blood runs in us. May these few hours bring some impact to their lives as it brought to mine. The feeling of going back to Manipal and leaving the kids is one which I find it hard to express, knowing the fact that I may not be able to see the same faces again the next time I come here...

Credits to Harry Ng for sponsoring his camera for this event~

Minus Blood, Adding Hope

I have always been the weak guy who is afraid of donating blood, refusing every opportunity given every now and then.

Few days back my class representative informed us about the World Blood Donor’s Day which falls on 14 June 2013. I was hesitating whether to go or not until the day comes, when Pei Shin asked me to go along with few other friends after class ended at 10 am. I am used to rejecting people’s offer all these while due to the fear within me but I tell myself on that particular moment, ‘Not this time’.

We reached the Voluntary Blood Bank section on Kasturba Hospital after our brunch and the crowd there was unexpectedly overwhelming. I can see my college students from all the batches gathering there. Despite the large crowd and long queue, we waited patiently for almost an hour before our turn.

When my name was called, I can feel the cold sweat on my palm and I can hear the increased beating of my heart. The feeling of witnessing my own blood being sucked out through a tube is unimaginable, I told myself. Upon lying down on the bed, I asked the doctor on duty, ‘Is it painful?’ ‘No’, he replied.

The syringe was inserted slowly into the median cubital vein on my arm. Blood immediately rushed out through the narrow tube which connects it to a sanitized plastic container with anti-coagulant. I was given a soft ball with a smiley on it which I have to compress it manually with my hand. The blood that was extracted is 450 ml for an average man who weighs more than 55 kg, approximately 10% of my total blood volume.

Surprisingly, I did not feel any unbearable pain, nor any numbness on my arm, something which contradicts with my fear all these while. I was instructed to stay on the bed for few minutes after the donation and was led to a resting room where I was given an energy drink to replenish my electrolyte and fluid balance, and a bar of kitkat.

Certificate of appreciation was given too and an extra 3 hours of attendance will be added. Some came for donation because of the extra 3 hours of attendance but I don’t think I need an attendance of 103%    =P

It was an amazing and painless experience to me and I regretted for not doing this good deed in the past few years. I do not know exactly to whom my blood will be given or how it will be used, maybe they used it to water the plants? (just joking xD) But at least I have done my part and gave hope to those who need it. Most importantly, I overcame my own fear and accomplished yet another challenge in my life~ =)

Medical Magic #2

The blood vessel frequently used for intravenous injection or in this case, for blood donation is located on our arm and the preferred blood vessel is called Median Cubital Vein. A vein is a blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart while artery is responsible to transport blood away from the heart. 

Median cubital vein is the vein which connects the 2 main veins on our upper limb, that is the Cephalic vein and Basilic vein. This vein is preferred because the blood pressure inside is low and it lies very superficial (directly below the skin) on the surface. Some of you might be able to see the vein on your own arm whereas some will not be able to see it, how is it possible for venipuncture (taking blood) if the vein is not seen?

The Magic: A cuff from sphygmomanometer (instrument used to measure blood pressure) is usually used and tied around the forearm. This is to decrease the velocity of the venous blood from flowing back into the heart and thus causing increased pressure on the vein, exposing it on the skin surface for easier marking. Once the vein is exposed, a syringe is inserted obliquely and blood will flow out naturally. 

Journey to End Point

This can be considered the first time I am going to End Point since I came back for my second semester. End Point is a place where fresh air is available, along with the greens (trees) and the blues (river). The whole group of us went on a Sunday morning because one of my friend, Pei Shin has not been here yet and this is the first time she actually came here. Its just a 20 minutes journey from my hostel.

There is a river which we have to climb down across the woods in order to reach there. The pitiful river has lost a significant amount of water since the last time I saw her. I think this is mostly due to the summer season in Manipal. As usual, Benjamin is the one who was leading us all the way down to the river by removing slippery stones and hazardous branches along the way.

The 9-second video above can clearly show you the beautiful environment there. No pollution, no noise, just mother nature. End Point is always a nice place to go especially when I am stress and down. Its like escaping from a busy life to a wonderful place where you can look back and solve your problems one by one.

Today itself I saw a group of Indian women going from shop to shop in the town area, begging for few rupees in order to feed their child. This is not an unusual sight as beggars are seen everywhere around the international student town everyday. However, it suddenly came to my mind that I am so lucky as I am not one of them, mainly because I was born in different region of the earth. 

Sometimes there are just too many things that we are unable to control even with our presence. There are things that we wished to changed but we just could not satisfy each and everyone in the end. So there are times where we should just observed the things that are going on, and be grateful that you are in control of your own lives. I am not a Malay, I am not an Indian. I am not a Chinese, I am a Malaysian.

Tadaaa, today I am going to start off a Medical Magic info session for my loyal readers, inspired by Siong Keat's ambitious dream (www.siongkeat93.blogspot.com) of educating people with health science information. This session will be in each and every blog post of mine from now onwards, cheers~ =)

Medical Magic #1

Kidney is mainly responsible for filtration of metabolic waste products in our body. Have you ever heard about kidney transplant? Basically from what we know, it is the transfer of a healthy kidney to a patient whose kidney is defective or need replacement. Now here is the surprise! Usually when a healthy kidney is transplanted, the defective kidney will not be removed, which means that the patient will have actually 3 kidneys in his/her body. Tadaaa, surprise~ =D

Layman's explanation: The kidney can be fixed to a position lower than the original position of a normal kidney.The removal of the defective kidney is not required due to the complicated procedure in ensuring the blood vessels and nerves surrounding the kidney are not affected. 

Medical Explanation: The transplanted kidney, which is connected to abdominal aorta by renal arteries in the donor, is connected to external iliac artery in the patient. Similarly, the renal veins which is connected to inferior vena cava in the donor, is connected to external iliac vein in the patient. This decreases the rate of morbidities as the renal vessels of the patient are not disturbed. 

More than Sand & Water

It was just a normal Saturday but this week we had 2 extra holidays, that is the Holi Festival and Good Friday, so we. around 20 of us, decided to head to the other beach which we have not explore yet - Kaup Beach! This beach is the second I have visited after the first one in Malpe Beach.

The tide of waves are moving fast here, unlike the calming sea in Malpe Beach. Most of my friends still insisted to dive in despite the strong current there. For me, I chose not to swim mainly due to the hydrophobic nature of mine~ =P

The only reason I came is to enjoy the stress-free beach and to feel the strong wind punching my face reminded me that life is not about struggling to do what you are doing, but appreciate the moment of struggling with people whom I called friends. Time management is crucial here especially when we have class tests & presentations every week. So to say that I will neglect my studies when I actually spent just merely 6 hours in this beach is bullshit~ =)

As you can see here, there is a lighthouse in this beach. This lighthouse is believed to be historical as it was built during the British ruling time. This is actually the first time I was standing in front of a real, REAL lighthouse! The sight where the big torch situated high up the lighthouse being thrown out towards the sea is incredibly amazing, shooting each and every particles hibernating in the sea~

We decided to climb up the lighthouse, to the very top. However, the process is not as easy as expected. We need to climb the never-ending spiral staircase within the lighthouse itself. Some of my friends (Siong Keat) even have vertigo - the fear of heights. The feeling of looking down while climbing up is quite scary too~

The bird-eye view on top of the lighthouse is superb. I realised I can actually see things from different perspective when I am high above everyone, the angle of vision is totally different. 'Think out of the box', this is what I have been hearing all this while from other people. One of the problem I have is the lack of creativity, that's what I am looking for all this while. Nevertheless, all of us are still learning day by day. As time passes, we are becoming better everyday~ =)

Starry starry night, strongy strongy wind~

Where Seniors meet Juniors

Time flies, people don't. I have been in Manipal for a semester. It is like a blink of eye but the blink requires much effort and sacrifice since studying here is never easy. Yet, another batch has enrolled in March - Batch 32, which comprised of 180 fresh medical students. Looking back at their innocent faces reminded me of the moment when I first came here, with nobody to depend on, except for the few of my friends who are always there with me. 

Preparations for the orientation programme is inevitable and my role is simple, to be the person incharge for the computer system in the orientation hall and one utmost holy task - the slideshow planner to add colours to the singing of Onion N Garlic (OnG), a team which consists of my 5 friends in the photo above. 

The video attached above is the 7 hours of hardwork by 2Not3 team (Chee Sian, Siong Keat, Chin Leong and I xD). We had days of sleepless nights because of this~ 

Besides the singing session by OnG, there are also sketch, solo singing, indian dance and much more programmes during the orientation. I am sure the juniors are well entertained that time. Above all I personally enjoyed watching the hilarious and creative sketch which depicts the life of medical student in Manipal itself. There are not a single moment that couldn't make me laugh. Thumbs up to the team of dedicated sketch members (Siong Keat, Chee Sian, Chin Leong, Jonathan, Samuel, etc) whose names are just too many to be mentioned. 

To be frank, the reactions by both the lecturers and students present in the hall are the most satisfying moment for me. After putting in countless efforts, the feeling of being able to make other people to laugh is golden. The video is attached above, credits to Wai Khang~ =)

Did I mention the indian dance too? Yea, the indian dance is the final programme for the day, which ended with a cool and amazing flash mobs who filled the entire hall. I am glad and proud to say that most of my close friends here, including me of course, were actively involved in making this orientation a success~ =D

Message to Benjamin: Thanks for being the 3-hour videographer, although something unfortunate happened to the video, but I still salute you for your effort and dedication which is something that not many people can demonstrate. Thanks for being there for everyone~ =)

Siong Keat's Bird Day

Question of the Day: Who is this smart guy?

Hint: This is not Siong Keat

On this auspicious day, my group of friends and I planned 2 surprises for Siong Keat (www.siongkeat93.blogspot.com). One of it was during the last class of the day, we were having biochemistry class with Miss Nagamma. We have informed her a few days prior to Siong Keat's birthday in order for her to play the video that we have specially prepared for him. This 2 minutes+ video took me approximately 7 hours to complete because I am an amateur in making video and this can be considered the first time I am making one.

'Before we end the class, I have one video for you guys to see, please concentrate', said Miss Nagamma. The video is shown above. It took the whole class by surprise and I am sure everyone was amazed since this is also the first time that a teacher and students cooperate to make the birthday boy special. For me, I felt that it is totally an unbelievably cool experience! My utmost appreciation and credits to one of my best buddies, 

Mr QUAH CHEE SIAN 

for sponsoring his creative ideas in making this video a success~ =D

We did not have any formal dinner that night. It was just a normal meal in the food court with the reason I gave to him was everyone was busy preparing for class tests. Right after that, I managed to lure him into KMC Greens which is just situated behind the food court. Each and everyone were already there to give him the 2nd surprise of the day. We have prepared a total of 5 sky lanterns and a cake~ 

Lastly, thank you, Siong Keat for giving me this opportunity to be one of the many tangent lines in your life. I appreciate each and every time spent here in Manipal with you~ =)

Credits to the 2 Ng's - Harry Ng & Ng Leong Jin for the photos above~

Kochi & Munnar

My friends and I went to Kochi and Munnar for a 4 days 3 nights trip after our short semester break in February. We arrived India late at night and stayed at Castle Rock Hotel on the same day. 

Day 1 of our trip started with the excitement of staying in a boat known as House Boat. YES! It is indeed a large boat being modified to be home-like with 3 rooms inside, totally corresponded to our group of 7 persons. 

It was a never-before experience as we spent the whole day on the boat, listening to the call of nature, the melody of waves and the soft wind which kisses our face. Such an enjoyable moment after our long struggle with the tight syllabus for the previous semester.

The next day we traveled by van to a place known as Munnar. It is situated uphill with a cold climate and resembles Cameron Highlands in Pahang, Malaysia. Tea plantations could be seen along the slopes and varieties of plants are beautifully displayed, welcoming us as we drove uphill. 

Before we reach the peak, our driver stopped halfway at an elephant park. It is managed by the locals and instead of riding the elephants for a round, the elephant bought us across the jungle, only for a short distance, but still the experience is vastly difference compared to what we have in Malaysia. 

The fun and relaxing time I had in Munnar is the one I appreciated the most. People said you only realised and enjoy the free time you have once you have experienced the busy schedule which could make you go mad anytime. This is incredibly true as I have been striving very hard for the past 6 months in order to achieve a good result for my studies. 

I have a few other friends who did not join us for the trip due to the reason that study is more important and this is not the time to play. However, I strongly believes that study is a never ending process and the few days of relaxing is actually crucial for our cramped brain as our studies will definitely not be affected by these few days of vacation that we spent.

Late at night around 6pm, we went for Kathakali cultural show for an hour. The show depicts a few god and goddess of the Hindus imitating actions as Kathakali means the God of Art. I am not a fan of all these show and I felt quite bored for this traditional cultural show.

After the show, we went to see Martial Arts just beside the podium for Kathakali. This time it is a completely different show from the one we watched just now. It involved true fighting scenes as all the skills demonstrated are real and one of the fighters actually got injured and there was bleeding on his shoulder. 

The next day we travelled along River Road and the beach of Kochi. One of the shop that gave me a deep impression was Saga Departmental Store. It is actually a mansion selling antiques, furnitures,  carpets and jewellery. Knowing that young students like us could not afford any of the above mentioned stuff which can cost up to 1,000,000 rupees, the promoter which is Mr Wani Mir still consistently explained each and every details of the goods there. 

He is from Kashmir and the shop is owned by his family. He explained to us that carpets actually have investment value and the longer you keep a good quality carpet, the higher will the price be. I salute his professionalism which I think is something I could not even encounter in Kuala Lumpur. 

Thank you friends who made my trip a memorable and wonderful one. It is definitely an eye-opening experience for a city boy like me~ =)

Phuah Sheng

Benjamin Gan

Jonathan Ngo

Jing Yang

Samuel Tiong

Siong Keat