Just some closure, after so long.

I quit. It wasn't an easy decision, but it had to be done.

What did I quit? Not just KKM, but medicine in its entirety.

I think it was a long time coming.

I pray for the welfare of our healthcare system in the future.

A system more compassionate towards its family. An affordable system that is also self-sustaining. 

Because no system is perfect, but there are many decent human beings in this one who are trying their best to help others with their blood, sweat and tears.

I pray for a system that does not make its biggest decisions based on politics.

There are many other things worth praying for as well in current times, but this is my specific prayer as I close this chapter in my life, and with it this blog.

God bless.

No Time to Die

It has been a long while.

Well, things are starting to look up. Many things happened between my last post and now, which is funny considering it's only been like 4 to 5 months, but it seems like a lifetime has passed.

I haven't posted here because even a reminder of work was bothering me. I decided to focus on myself, and it has not been an easy journey but overall it has made my life a whole lot easier - or so I'd like to think.

I considered quitting medicine, I really did. I was so close to doing it, too. But I surrounded myself with the right people and slowly pulled myself away from things that were perhaps a little too 'toxic' for me, and I managed to hold out on the actual action of quitting and settle for something that may perhaps be better for me in the long run.

I didn't see myself being here in particular when I started working. I did foresee it, apparently, as a medical student and I admit I am proud of how astute I can be sometimes. Then again, we are all egoistic and think we are above certain things in life until life slaps you in the arse and you fall into the muck and realize you are, after all, not below those things but rather under them, until you get back up and brush yourself, or rather hose yourself down, and are above it all again.

So that's what I'm doing. I am getting up, hosing the muck off of myself, and stepping away from the mucky area for a bit until I absolutely have to go through it again.

My parents are a bit hesitant, naturally, but my husband supports me wholeheartedly and so do my siblings. My in-laws may also be hesitant about it but they are polite enough to refrain from saying it outright to my face so far.

Anywho~

I guess I'll see you when I see you.
And all the best to your future endeavours too.

Always seek help when you need it. Nothing is too trivial. :)

Never Enough

It has been a long while.

It's funny, because I now have more time than I had the past 2 years as I have already finished my housemanship and am 'floating' in our ETD. In this department, floaters are not really accountable for much nor do they have the usual workload of a HO. Floaters work 8 to 5 with lunch breaks. And I have floated for over a month.

In other words, I have been very unimaginably lazy.

I also have gone for a rather lavish vacation overseas in some countries far colder than Malaysia, and I just have to say if it weren't for my parents I wouldn't have been able to afford even half the trip with what I earned the past two years unless I spent money the way I did as a student. Also, that half my heart is still where my vacation was. I am incomplete.

Speaking of incomplete.

I have received my new placement and I am glad to say, it is in Borneo.

GLAD?!

I am glad to say, I have not appealed to stay in Semenanjung.

But I did ask for a 2-week delay to report for duty, as I was informed quite late of my hospital (which will stay anonymous) and being quite the lone ranger, I need a lot of time to pack up my 2 years' worth of accumulated sentimental garbage.
And furniture.
Bet you ten sumpit-ed crocodiles they don't have IKEA where I'll be posted.

Which means I have to majorly save for my move back to Semenanjung if I were to move within 5 years, which is probably the case.

To those 2 of you who read my blog, thanks for following my rather truncated journey through HOship and here's an update:

I'm still alive.
HOship was the bomb.

New Year's Eve~

So much has happened this past year.

I got a job and subsequently felt the advantages of working life- buying myself shiny things, being able to give my parents money and treat my family to meals for a change, and learned how to sort myself out better.

I'm pretty sure I had something more insightful planned for this post, but my postcall state is preventing optimal recall. So, sleep it is.

Happy new year to all, and may 2017 be better than 2016 for all of us :)

The Almost End~

Handed in my logbook.

I'm free! I thought.

Last day pun kena oncall okay.

Also borang hijau mana, borang hijau?

Free lah sangat.

But whatevs.

I'M OFFICIALLY DONE WITH THIS POSTING! WOOHOO!

Next stop: Orthopaedics.

Where my old bestie from Paeds is yayy!

But for now, 15 more hours to last on-call with some difficult people...

Ahem. Not difficult. Just challenging.

First Day in General Medical Wards...

And I haven't cried yet!

I managed to drink!
And even eat! (A single cup Maggi for the entirety of the day, and even that after 6 pm, but still).

I ONLY CLERKED ONE CASE!
Surprisingly I still felt like I barely had time to relax.

I mean, it's hard to define the busy status of the ward and your efficiency from things like cases clerked- or any single parameter, really- because you always have to run around attending STAT calls, taking blood, reviewing dengue and investigation results and other patients that need reviewing, and you know... Take it all in. Basically your work is multifaceted.

But I was still pretty damn slow.

Most of my time was wasted on doing simple tasks for very long durations due to my ineptitude secondary to my newbness, also due to my repeated second-guessing secondary to lack of confidence secondary to lack of knowledge. Secondary to newbness.

Heheh.

I took almost 2 hours clerking a single patient from start to the moment I signed off my entry!! Three, if you count the moment when I finally had the guts to call my MO to review him (!!!). In my defense, the patient was very jovial and liked to talk, and I can't find it in me (yet) to cut him off.

It's great that God gave me a nice MO on-call, a kind MO post-call, and a gentle specialist on-call on my first day here. Also some seniors from my previous posting; ones I was actually rather close to. It's easier to transition in.

WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW WHEN THE FAMED STRICT SCOLD-EY SPECIALIST GOES FOR ROUNDS.

Please be strong, please be strong, please be strong and knowledgeable, self...

Selamat Hari Raya! Eid Mubarak!

Though I couldn't really celebrate it, I had some great (albeit brief) moments with most of my family.

I had to leave early this morning to ensure I'm fresh for my new beginning in a new (and rather ominous) department.

I am really anxious, but at the same time excited.
I'm hoping to pull through without any major issues. The first few weeks will be awful, as all first few weeks (or days) in new departments are.

Pray for my perseverance, dedication and passion!

And may God bless you all with His blessings :)

Final Day in Paediatrics

For a few weeks I had been craving a type of food.

There was delivery service for that food, but it was a little pricey, and I thought, maybe when I get my next month's salary (that was June 24th).

A day or so before June 24th, as I was writing a review of one of my patients at the ward counter, one of the mothers rooming in with her baby came by, greeted me and dropped a packet almost on my note. "Nah Dr, ni boleh share 2 orang. Saya memang niat nak beri pada staf wad sini." And as I looked astounded and thanked her, she handed out several more- about enough to feed 15 people.

IT WAS THE FOOD I HAD BEEN CRAVING.

Needless to say I spent no money that day and got the chance to eat something I've wanted to eat for a long, long time- and it was awesome!

I remember having to ask the mother for permission to bring her baby over so I could insert an IV line for her for the umpteenth time (the baby was super active and likes to 'self-debranulate' almost every day). She looked so upset, telling me that we have poked her child so many times. And I don't know how much gentler I could be when I coaxed her and told her the line was needed for her child to be better. IV antibiotics have to be completed, yo. And I can tell you poking human beings isn't fun especially cute babies- but someone has to do it.

I told her, I didn't like repeatedly doing it to her child, but I will try my best to be innovative and make sure the line lasts. I told her I tried my best to really secure the last line, but maybe something innovative has to be done this time around. Together with my nurse, we tried several different line-protective methods- gauze-wrapping, socks-using, blanket-bundling, getting input from one another. I think the socks helped in the end, though the mother preferred the gauze wrapping. We had to persuade her to keep the socks on her precious child and notworry too much about it swelling as the nurses will always look after branulas.

My point is, patience does wonders.
And patients can do wonders, too.

Today, I went to the ICU and saw that the patient I bagged was in a much more improved condition. The parents smiled at me. I am unsure if they remember that I was the one who bagged their son; watched as they went to their son and said encouraging words, oblivious to the fact that he was heavily sedated as I helped to pump oxygen into his lungs, silently holding back my own tears. I  watched as they cried when my boss told them his heart stopped, and then performed CPR and gave him a dose of adrenaline until his heart beat returned. I watched then. I was too stunned after what I did earlier possibly being the major cause of his complication.

But the complication can be corrected and he is alive and improving.

I wanted to inquire about his further progress, but I was too busy having my logbook and leave forms signed, and then I felt too awkward to ask. It's kinda stupid.

But there it was.
The patient I helped resuscitate was alive despite our initial fears.

The feeling is beyond words.

So many things happened in the last few weeks/days of my posting in this amazing posting.

Today is the last day, and I know, I know very dearly, that I will miss it so much. Though I doubt I would want to be a paediatric MO or further- all those tiny veins and flat babies!- I miss being a house officer here. During the time that I was in this department, it was rather heavenly.

I am so very grateful for all the people I met- my senior HOs, lovely MOs and SNs, and of course the specialists who never got absolutely, insanely mad at us for no reason.

Which will not be the case in my next posting.
My most dreaded posting. The posting that got me into a depressive episode back in my final year of medical school.

MEDICAL.

Ramadan Kareem!

So here I am, celebrating my first Ramadan as a working person. Ramadan Kareem!

Inshaa Allah, this year will definitely be better than the last :)

First Gaji

Gaji dah masuk.

In a timely manner, my first salary has arrived in my bank account- with no proclamations or fanfare. I checked my account online and, lo and behold, my bank account was in its 4-digit state again.

(Yes, I was that broke prior).

Unless some very generous chap is donating money to me for no apparent reason, this is it, folks: My first ever salary is here~!


I'm telling you it feels like some of your blood, sweat, and tears, intermingled with the patients', is worth it.
Some la. 
The rest is left for your own personal job satisfaction.


Anyway, don't ask me how much I got for each tiny thing (the specific allowances, PTM allowance, etc). I'm not sure, and the first salary is usually larger than your subsequent salaries until your increment comes, because of PTM. Furthermore, it's not like I got the salary slip (slip gaji) yet- I'm not sure if that's something I get physically or online; something they send to me or I have to retrieve myself from the office.

Be that as it may, this will be a day to remember!

Alhamdulillah.




Although, owing to many loans and obligations... I won't stay this rich for long heheh.

"Doctor posting yang berapa ni?"

Sister: Doctor, posting yang keberapa ni?

Me: Posting first, Sister~

Sister: Ye ke? Laa, saya ingatkan dah berapa. Cara Doctor macam bukan first poster~

That simple remark just made my day.

And possibly my entire week.

Never underestimate kindness. Such an off-hand remark from a friendly ward sister and it was enough to make my heart bloom again; made me treat patients with a bigger smile on my face... 

The impact is astounding.

Also the 'Thank you, Dr!'s I got from patients and their parents. Today was filled with it- even though I only took care of the ward for two days. One even personally shook my hand and thanked me for the care I gave to her son.

Just... Amazing.

And to think just a few hours prior to that, I felt useless and felt I had no role in anything.

Today is one of those days that remind you of how rewarding this career is.

This kind of day is not guaranteed to happen every day.

I left my house crying today. For the first time since tagging, I really cried and wished I could quit. I considered taking emergency leave for my sanity. But someone saw me through it, and made me drag my butt to the hospital. For a while, the only thought in my head was "I should stop being selfish- there are people who need me."

And it was one of the greatest days I've had in a hospital.

There is no guarantee of what to expect.

Each brand new day is an opportunity for you to experience life's greatest pleasures, even in the most dire of times.

Believe in the silver lining. Believe that no good deed goes unrewarded, and that no bad deed goes unpunished. Just believe.

I don't intend to make this post braggy; I'm sorry if it sounds that way.

But it was an amazing day, and I know there will be more days like today- just like there will be more days like yesterday. But until and unless you wake up and bring yourself to greet the day, you'll never know what you'll miss!

And don't get me wrong, busy is busy. But there are types of busy that are more enjoyable, less hectic, mmkay. HOship is not a cakewalk!

Tagging

D2oL tagger here.

My feet are sore all the time.

But how can I complain when meals (breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner) are provided for us?
Hehe.

Now Then...

Now that tagging period is almost here, I feel rather overwhelmed.

It doesn't help that all the staff we've seen are so nice and helpful. From the Hospital Director to the matrons and sisters to the staff who work in the hospital's linen/laundry place, I have never failed to see them greet us with warmth. Mind you there are exceptions, but those are understandable (e.g. when they're super busy working in the ward- or one whom I know really has difficulty cracking a single smile).

It also does't help that people said my to-be posting is one of the postings in this hospital with the most helpful staff... Okay, it helps a tiny bit.

Anyway.

I guess it's normal to feel overwhelmed and useless.

But what am I really doing about it?

Good bye, I should really start reading now!

LEAPING to Greatness on a Leap Year's Signature Date - 29 February, 2016

We have a very memorable date for lapor diri to our hospitals.
By that, you would be able to deduce where I am. But not that close.. Heh.

I have just finished the first day of hospital orientation and as you can see by this post, it wasn't so busy. Cause I had time to think of, and write, a blog post.

I WAS A NERVOUS WRECK and it was so unnecessary.


WHAT HAPPENED ON MY FIRST DAY OF ORIENTATION

1. I went 45 minutes early to the hospital grounds, sat in my car for 10 to 15 minutes and then went to the office at precisely 0730 when the early birds were starting to titter in the office. We waited outside until close to 0800 before we were told to go inside and wait for the staff who manages new housemen.

2. Waited another few moments for the staff to come by and give each of us a standard-issue folder with an orientation checklist listing all the needed document copies from us, as well as several forms for us to fill in.

3. Spent the next few hours organizing and filling these things out. There are MANY of them, have no doubt.

4. As for documents needed to copy, pretty much what I listed earlier. You do NOT need copies of your parents' ICs or their marriage certs, but you certainly do need to know their IC numbers, places of birth, date of marriage and (I'm sorry if this happened to you) date of death. Same goes if you have a spouse and child(ren). These details are for filling out a form called HRMIS which is very important.

Make sure you are clear on your permanent and mailing addresses.

Also if you own vehicles or real estate, under your name, do make sure you know the details of your assets. You have to declare them. I had problems figuring out my car's worth back then and now, among others. There were people unsure of their property details. KNOW THEM. And be knowledgeable regarding your means of paying for them.

They needed 4 passport photos (no more, no less for us) and the nice lady stuck them on the forms for us after checking out all details. There are also other loose documents given for us to bring to the events throughout the week, which will certify our attendance and participation in all the upcoming hospital orientation programmes. The HODs of each respective department' programmes are required to sign them.


WHAT WAS SURPRISING

1. They only wanted ONE copy of each thing on the list, except for the KKM letter for our placement (surat penempatan KKM)- because one of the copies were immediately given to the hospital director, I suppose, for introductory purposes. And no one mentioned the need for certified copies.

NO ONE.

2. Our orientation is to last a week, meaning 7 days- the Saturday and Saturday of which are off days.

I KID YOU NOT WTHISTHISAWESOMENESS.
Like a colleague said, it's almost like 'makan gaji buta' for almost the entirety of 2 weeks.

Except during orientation, our formal activities start at 8 am and cease at 5 pm on the dot, which means it's even MORE free than PTM.

This is the reason why I can't publicly name my place of work. I'm afraid some of this awesomeness can be illegal, which I'm pretty sure it isn't, but I'm all for protecting and cherishing my workplace guys.

3. We have a thumbprint scanner instead of the clocking machine (punch in/punch out system). This is admirable because it is rather hi-tech, and dramatically reduces headaches in the form of missing punch-y cards. I have no idea what those punch-y cards are called since I ONLY HAVE TO USE MY THUMB Y'ALL.


WHAT WAS NOT SO SURPRISING BUT STILL SLIGHTLY UNEXPECTED

1. The hospital staff are all- without exception- really nice. Yes, including super senior sisters and matrons and of course not to mention the administration. I know they have a reputation for being extremely nice but really... It's almost unbelievable.

2. The hospital still has a shortage of housemen.

3. I couldn't choose my posting- I was assigned to a posting I didn't even THINK of preparing for. But now I have some days to prepare for it.

***************************

I met a friend's soon-to-be-husband and had a nice chit-chat about the rising cost of living now. Aptly put by my friend who heard it from our PTM (during which time I must have nodded off), it is the price for development. Most people can only afford to rent these days; wedding loans have to be paid until our children are already in 3rd grade in school. That's 10 years of marriage spent paying for one or two days of the BEGINNING of your life. Many say it's worth it for the memories but more are doing it to keep the 'rental units happy.

Societal pressure is one of the biggest causes of living beyond means. I wish to dispel the negative views towards people trying to make their events memorable, but frugal. But it is easier said than done when luxury is considered a necessity. You can't just serve mee goreng and sirap at a wedding. You can't just serve tea at weddings. You can't have wang hantaran of less than 20k if you have a medical degree. Who came up with these 'legislations'? Punitive action is taken against offenders in the form of endless gossiping, causing more stress.

Mahal nak cakap, murah lagi nak cakap.
It's a highly stressful thing, but I guess that's the price of commitment now.

Anyway, I know my posting now and I should prepare, more or less.
Byeee!

Program Transformasi Minda (PTM) untuk Pegawai Perubatan Siswazah (PPS)

Here I want to share, as briefly (hah!) as possible, my knowledge and experiences in PTM.

Introduction

Previously known as the induction course, Program Transformasi Minda (PTM) compulsory for all new government servants and the contents and activities differ based on your positions. The aim is to introduce you to the technicalities of being a government servant- the rules, administration, and other formalities that you should be aware of regarding service in the government.

For new housemen, or Pegawai Perubatan UD41, the title above is what is is called, and it is held in specified places depending on your state health department (Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri).

For several states, their PTM is held in another state as they have less training hospitals and thus less PPSes, so it's not as cost-effective for the Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri (JKN) to hold their PTM on its own for such a small amount of PPS. For example, Pulau Pinang PPSes join either the JKN Perak or JKN Kedah PTMs depending on whichever state the hospital is closer to. And Melaka (for which the only training hospital is Hospital Melaka) PTMs are combined with Negeri Sembilan.

What it ISN'T

It has little content regarding your CLINICAL life as a houseman i.e. junior doctor; this is something you should have learned in medical school or during pre-HO courses. So be aware of what you should be expecting, and don't expect people to tell you what to do during tagging and the indications of different colours of test tubes for blood-taking. Not in the scope at all. But sometimes the medical doctors who give talks could possibly talk a little about your working life, except they're usually way more senior and the system during their time is different from ours. Take note, alright?


Before the Course

You should be well-aware that as an official government program, almost the entirety of the program is in Bahasa Kebangsaan. From the offer letter to the instructions and forms to the talks, you are expected to understand and be able to converse in our national language. Despite what you may think, I am very fluent in our national language but I am more confident in writing in English for my own reasons.

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, the PTM offer letter arrives after choosing your hospital through e-Houseman and nowadays they do not send the personalized PTM offer letter until you go to the course. So after receiving the PTM letter, in preparation of the PTM please take note the following in your letter:

1) Date, time, and place of registration

2) Documents and other necessities (as listed in the PTM letter)

3) Attire to have for registration.
Don't forget your baju batik! It has to be the real, hand-drawn (expensive) batik and not printed batik (i.e the one that looks like the batik you use to bathe or run around the house in). Depending on your urusetia of the program, your failure to conform to the attire might get you kicked out of the program. Nicer ones would just let you off with a stern warning. Once you start service with the government, just buy a pair of formal batik clothing (baju kurung for ladies and long-sleeved batik shirt for the gentlemen). One is enough for now; you can always add to your collection every few months or years. For PPSes, after PTM you rarely will need to wear this due to your clinical work. Admin/office staff have to wear them every Thursday.

Make sure you have those needed things packed and ready to go when the day comes.
Additional things you may want to take care of:

1) Route to PTM venue using Google Maps

2) Toll/fuel costs

3) Snacks to bring (some PTMs do not allow you to exit the premises once you join so late-night hunger pangs have to be considered!)

4) Stationeries and a small notebook for note-taking
Colour pencils, oil pastels and colored markers/pens may be useful for group activities later.

5) Iron
My accommodation didn't have this in our rooms, so we had to borrow each other's. Or have your clothes all ironed out already


On PTM Registration Day 

The registration usually starts in the afternoon, although most people would already be there by noon. The registration counters for my place opened about 50 minutes prior to the official opening time. To register, we had to hand in the following:

1. 2 filled Appendix A forms (Borang Maklumat Diri) with passport photos 
2. 1 copy of IC
3. 1 copy of medical report
4. 1 copy of MMC registration certificate
5. 1 copy of SPA offer letter

The registration counter has several lines and you are required to line up according to the hospitals you will be serving. I had to be alert and ask the urusetia or the people in the lines as to the order, because they didn't have signages indicating this.

Once at the counter, I gave the required documents and signed my name on a list. They will confirm that they have all the necessary documents and hand my official (personalized) PTM offer letter, as well as the program booklet which includes the schedule for the entire program, among other things. Then I had to queue in another line to get my room keys and meal card and officially check-in to the accommodations. My room mate was already chosen; I got a room mate from another hospital.

I happen to love that roommate in the short time that we were together, and I wish we went to the same hospital :'(

Anyway. Once registration and room has been taken care of, I was free to unpack and settle into my given room. Apparently for our grade, we got 4-star accommodations (I thought it was more to 3) so I can't really complain as the rooms were very comfortable and spacious. I was one of the earliest people to register, so I entered the room before my room mate but she joined me shortly afterwards because she arrived rather early too. Since we arrived super early, we had about 2 hours to kill before the first briefing was scheduled.

We both did not notice that lunch was already being served for us on registration day. It was actually marked on the meal card but, alas, we were too full of excited energy to notice and only noticed when it was so close to the briefing that the lunch buffet was already closed. Boo :'(

Remember to check your meal card upon receiving it and to always bring it around with you as you need it to join the buffet queue! This usually applies for the main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner); tea-time and supper are usually prepared outside of the main lecture hall and do not require meal cards.

Briefing was done later and we had our first few talks on the first night. Tea and dinner were served and were good, as expected. We slept rather early the first night, compared to the rest of the nights!


PTM in Brief

So what to expect in PTM?

• Morning singing - please try to memorize the KKM song called 'Kami Sedia Membantu' a.k.a. Budaya Korporat. You might even be required to memorize other 'motivational' songs or traditional dances, etc, depending on where your program is.
• Morning exercises - guys have to wear collared shirts. Girls wearing hijab can have normal shirts. Girls without hijab also have to wear collared shirts. Rule of thumb: If your neck is visible, prepare collared shirts. 2 will do (the exercises are not that heavy but they do make you sweat).
• Talks - of many varieties. A lot of the speakers gave very meaningful talks.
• Group activities - can test your mettle. Be proactive and considerate; be vocal.
• More talks -  some may make you nod off, but do remember that you are already considered a government servant by the time you register and you are PAID to attend the talks physically and mentally. That may restrain you from full-on sleeping (nodding off sometimes can't be helped) and help you pay attention. It is your responsibility.
• Creative, artsy and drama activities - Let your inner artists shine!
• Dressing formally until 8.30 p.m. daily - Please prepare at least 5 pairs of formal clothing including batik.
• Leadership - ALL OF YOU.
• Emceeing - In Bahasa, so keep note.
• LOTS OF FOOD - Mm mmm. 5 to 6 times per day of meals. Do indulge before you are expected to skip meals later. Don't worry about the calories gained, you'll lose them within the next few weeks... Hehehe.
• Assessment - at the end of PTM you are required to take a (rather simple) assessment based on the topics covered during the 5 days of talks. Therefore, make sure you pay attention and take notes! The questions for my session were MCQs and there were 20 of them. I heard tell that they may be subjective.

I will not say more for fear of spoiling the experience for anyone else.

Participation in PTM apparently carries marks. They emphasized several times that we are required to partake and be proactive, and follow the rules and regulations because it IS possible to fail PTM, in which case you have to rejoin the next PTM (and thus have your service delayed by at least 2 months). So yes, although this is a no-brainer, participate in PTM with your body and soul. 

Because the moment you join, you are an official penjawat awam, with the title: 

Pegawai Perubatan Siswazah Gred UD41.

All the best!

P.S.: I am having palpitations for tomorrow as I will finally be going to the hospital for the REAL thing. All those talks... Ugh. Now to prepare and re-check all documents!

Orientation Starts TOMORROW!

Oh God. Oh God Oh God Oh God.

I'm panicking.
But I haven't told you about my PTM session!

I'll tell you about my PTM session in the next post... When I'm done hyperventilating.

WHAT DO I WEAAARRRR?!?!

Of Moving

I have relocated myself a few hundred kilometres from where I was.
I am now in a different state, with different types of people and attitudes and generally an overwhelmingly different atmosphere altogether. It's like an entire world of difference in the beginning.

Good thing it's not at all as busy as the last place I was in!

So this was the first time I moved on my lonesome. I tried asking family and friends for reliable movers but got no satisfactory answer, i.e. most people forgot who they employed and some merely hired lorries and did their own packing. I was willing to pack most things on my own but I needed some other people who actually knew what they were doing. Hence the decision to hire movers.

Generally, people do not 'move' at this stage, preferring to stay with family or leaving most things at their own home with their family. However, this does not apply to me- so yes. Hiring movers was something I decided to do long before I even graduated, for various reasons. But let me say that generally, housemen do not 'move' on a large scale because it is very likely that they will move somewhere else for MOship.

That said, let's get on to the moving process.

On Finding a Moving Company and the Entire Ordeal (Almost)

1. Finding

It is better to find movers that the people you know have employed before and found reliable enough to recommend. This may not be the case most of the time, so you have to search on your own. Unlike retail stores, moving companies do not generally set up shop with the rest of your usual retail outlets, so it wasn't as easy as going to a street or into a mall to survey them. Hence I took to- what else?- The Interwebz.

That's the internet btw.

Googling 'movers Malaysia' already comes up with many hits, most of which international relocating companies which I know are very efficient and trustworthy but also very costly. Thus I decided to look for more obscure names. I found one that I thought looked promising, but after filling their query form  for a quotation I got no response even after a week. So I started looking elsewhere.

Most companies available online ask you to drop your moving details and number so they can call you up and arrange a survey session to give you a quotation, before you agree on any company's services. I just wanted to fill online forms and not have to talk to anyone to avoid showing how noob I was. In the end though, being noob is part of a growing process- so don't be afraid to feel noob. More importantly, it is important that you meet the people from the companies face-to-face. More on that below.

I looked at several blogs to get recommendations of movers, and one blog recommended going to movers-malaysia.com for an almost hassle-free comparison of several moving services at once. That's what I did. I filled out the form with as much details as I knew, prayed a little and pressed 'Send' for all the companies that they recommended based on my current area. That evening, I received two calls and one email, all from different companies.

The people who called set a date and time to visit my house and survey the things needed to be done before giving me a quotation, which is an estimated price for all the needed services. As for the punctuality of the survey, one was late by a few hours; the other was late for a day. They both gave me almost the same quotation.

The one who contacted me by e-mail gave me a very thorough response with elucidation on their total services and total costs. It was very cheap compared to the rest and I was impressed.


2. Deciding

So now I have three possibilities, only from filling a single form online! That's kinda amazing.

But- and that's a huge but- it's not enough. Take it from me. Unless you're comparing between different multinational moving services with a proven track record of excellence, three of obscure moving companies is on the low side for comparison. I only learned this now, in retrospect, so try to at least get quotes from 5 different companies. No strings are attached when getting quotes; don't feel guilty about doing a little surveying of your own, as it is entirely expected.

What you need in movers is reliability; efficiency; trustworthiness. These, I can now say, are rather hard to come by with most companies. Appointments set for a certain date get postponed to another date; appointments set for another time will always be delayed for another hour or two (sometimes 4 or 5) with many different excuses. I guess you can say they are rather busy bees, these movers.

The lowest quotation I got was from the e-mail. He answered all my queries politely and thoroughly, and the rate was surprisingly low- I got an average of 1.3 to 1.5k with the phone calls and physical surveys, but this particular guy was willing to offer the same and more for only 850.

I found this dubious, and it doesn't help that he did not want to do a physical survey, his reason being my online descriptions were enough.

When in doubt, do the following:

1) Google the moving company name and look for their sites/reviews. In this country there aren't many people reviewing companies and leaving them online, especially the obscure ones. Furthermore, most movers do not have a working site. This is troublesome.

2) Ask the movers to e-mail you their exact quotation with the company letterhead and pictures of their previous work/lorries/etc.

3) Ask for their company address. Perhaps you can use Google Street View to look for it, or even drive there yourself and at least see if the company exists.

The one with low quotation had very nice manners on mail, but had a very generic name that happened to be a famous moving company in another country, gave me a non-working site (saying it's under maintenance because they are opening branches in other states), and despite all the thorough explanation before, when I asked them for their full address, gave me only a vague street name and vague area- no postcodes, lot numbers, or anything that allows me to pinpoint an exact place. In fact the street name and area name are both so common that they usually come with numbers at the end, which he conveniently did not include. Not to mention he refused to do a physical survey. He also did not ask me to further reconfirm my decision after answering my query for his address; I figured he figured that the jig was up.

When the quotation is too low, be careful- it may be that your things will be moved with other people's things in the same lorry, which is not the biggest issue, or a total scam, whereby after making an initial deposit they disappear off the face of the Earth (read: internet). I did not want to risk it. I stopped contacting them.


3. Process

I asked both of the remaining companies to give me a black & white quotation via e-mail. The slightly more expensive one did it by that night, as promised. The other one which was late didn't send me anything, and called me the day after (it was missed as I was doing other stuff) but did nothing to follow up any further.

The choice was obvious by then.

Given the quotation, I asked the chosen company- the one that was more punctual and reliable- to send me the appropriate packing materials for my things as I would prefer to pack my books on my own. This process was delayed several times. As for payment, they said I could pay when everything has been settled, which is more fair to me as that ensures they won't run off with my stuff once payment has been made. I'll make sure this is the case from now on, too.

Note to self: Find another way of obtaining packing material e.g. bubble wrap and boxes because the material they provide may not be the same as what they said they would provide, and not meet my expectations.

I packed like mad the week before the move, until revision  for my actual work was almost entirely eliminated from my thoughts. On the day itself, they came over and closed the boxes (I didn't close the boxes yet as I anticipated revisions to my packing but they didn't seem to care) and packed the rest of the miscellaneous stuff that were bundled together but still not put into boxes.

I asked if there were documents to be signed- that was a no. From what I read online, you're supposed to sign several forms with some insurance documents too, but that may only apply in the states (or with more reputed movers).

Then we left. I didn't go with the lorry but alone.


4. Outcome

They arrived shortly after I did despite using the non-highway roads- probably because I can be slow.
Moved the stuff to the house.

Then when I told them to assemble my furniture, I was met with confusion and slight resistance. The guy who said it was okay reluctantly started on my desk. Over two hours later they still weren't done.

I noticed that despite my insistence that they read the given instructions (which were really clear, as it is IKEA after all) and showing them Youtube videos of people fixing the things, they refuse to do either and preferred to half-heartedly flip through the manual whenever they think is necessary, skipping steps along the way. I offered to help but was refused. Anyhow, after 2++ hours the guy told me they couldn't do it and packed his stuff up, along with his friend. He made to leave but had to wait for my payment.

I flipped, of course. I yelled at him and demanded to know why he said it wasn't possible. It was made to be possible, I could do it myself given more time. He said they aren't used to assembling new things and could only assemble furniture that they themselves disassembled, which- to be honest- was a load of &#@$. Then I asked why he said it was possible when I first showed them the flat-packed furniture and asked if his team could assemble them for me upon arrival. He initially weakly made the excuse that he thought I was going to assemble them first, and then ask them to disassemble them again. This was a pathetic claim. This was also around the time I started yelling really loudly to his face.

There were other things exchanged and he apologized several times, saying it's not my fault. Duh it's not. It was agreed upon ad it's not like he didn't contact me 4 or 5 times at least after the agreement, during which time I reconfirmed again and again that the assembly of my furniture is possible.

I was so upset that I told him he should just leave. He gave me a small discount which he claimed was his and his friend's (there were 2 people trying to fix that small table) payment for that day. I gave him the money and told him again, angrily, to leave me. I guess they were quite eager to do that by then.

He said something about asking some IKEA person to come over and help me assemble it the day after. Obviously nothing of the sort happened. I didn't wait either.

Conclusion: What do you think?

Assembling IKEA Furniture

It ain't that hard with the right mindset and attitude!

I started assembling the remaining things that night, finishing the table within the next 20 minutes and the wardrobe within 2 hours. Then I waited until the next day to start on my bookcases as they require hammering and by then it was really late and I didn't want to wake anyone (i.e. the neighbours) up. All things considered, I think I did quite well on my own.  

 
It's highly recommended to have the basic IKEA toolbox called FIXA with you- it costs (if I'm not mistaken) less than RM 30. Would be even better if you had those automatic screwdrivers because that speeds things up (I don't know what they're called- power screwdrivers?).

Basic FIXA tool set- all you need to assemble any IKEA furniture! The FIXA line actually is not just limited to this.

FIXA power drill/screwdriver. Would have bought it if I had more money; not necessary but perhaps more speedy.

But most importantly, you need the ability to be patient and read the manual thoroughly. It's hard not to do it correctly if you read the manuals thoroughly, because they even illustrated the major but common assembly mistakes, and put large crosses on those incorrect methods. As for the claims that there are very frequently missing screws and other bits in the flat-packs, I can safely say that in my brief experience nothing of the sort happened. In fact the wardrobe I was assembling had extra parts. I know because I count out all the parts and sort them into tiny piles before I even start assembling. Oh, on that note, also ensure you have ample space.

Basic instructions from IKEA, available on the first page of most furniture assembly manuals.

Basically, any able-bodied person who is sane and has the strength of a normal adult could do it- so long as you don't buy the especially large and especially well-made (heavy) furniture, and so longa s you can drag your furniture around on the floor. 8Case in point, I am the least fit person I know and I still could assemble and then drag around the tall, large furniture. Lots of grunting and sweating were involved, not to mention bruises from bumping into the parts or having them fall on me. I just read the last sentence over and realized it could sound very, very wrong and it doesn't indicate an extreme level of perverseness, but is actually normal.

Anyway.

I assembled large IKEA furniture and smaller, simpler things too and succeeded in all of them. The table is being used right this moment, after I fixed what the movers gave up on; the wardrobe is filled with clothes, the bookcases are holding books and the other stuff are functioning well. So even with almost zero knowledge of furniture assembly, I feel rather accomplished.

Now to rearrange more stuff, after I get some zzzs.


P.S.: I'm loving this house so far!

E-housemen done. Now What?

Post e-housemen, you might be wondering what to do.

You have read the offer letter and they involve some very foreign things. Fret not! It's actually rather simple. Unless you have to find accommodation and move, then it's not so simple, but it's part of growing up so yay!

Anyway.

Remember those forms from before? Copy them, at least twice, so you have 3 copies. Keep them in a special file. We'll call it 'Special File'.

What forms?! You ask.

Okay, let me explain lah...
And for the stuff below that you can keep in a file, keep them in that Special File for ease.

1) By now you would already have received your SPA offer letter. You can't fill out e-housemen without it after all. With that offer letter, they would have given you 3 copies of Surat Terima Pelantikan, and would have asked you to download the other two items from their site online (portal SPA): the Surat Akuan Sumpah (SPA.6C) and Borang Pemeriksaan Doktor untuk pelantikan ke Perkhidmatan Kerajaan.

This requires seeing a medical officer and above, and also a commisioner of oaths, or pesuruhjaya sumpah.
And make sure someone witnessed your medical check-up forms prior to doing the medical check-up!

THESE things, complete them before your PTM date and make at least 2 copies. Then make 3 more copies just to be sure so you have 6 copies. If you have the money and printer, make as many copies as you can afford to without being (too) ridiculous.

Then keep them safe.

2) Do you have a KWSP account? No? Then, please go to the nearest KWSP branch and sign up. All you need is your IC with a working chip. They have super useful kiosks with very helpful and friendly staff to help you (especially the one in Kajang, don't ask me why I went to several KWSP branches lol). Not a single cent to spend, too! Keep the slip of registration, then activate your iAkaun online. You can do that in the office itself or at the comfort of your home.

If you've just made your KWSP account, you will have no account statement available to print. For now I merely made several copies of my registration confirmation slip and had a couple verified, just to be safe. I am sure the hospital admin will brief you on this later (along with the account verification, see number 5).

3) Take/print out passport pictures. Lots of them. I believe there will always be a need for more passport pictures in your entire working life. Print out 12, why not.

I suggest 20 at least, to be scattered to the winds so that you can find smaller stacks of them if you happen to forget where you put the initial stack. Dead serious yo.

4) Make your official stamp and name tag. Many people say the hospital can do this for you, but it's always better to be prepared (and have extras). Therefore, make them yourself. A portable type of stamp with 5 lines cost me RM 33 per stamp. I made 2. The normal non-shiny name tags, in large, cost me RM 5.50 each.

For my stamp, the details I included were:

DR. FULL NAME

MBBS (UNI NAME)

PEGAWAI PERUBATAN UD41

MMC NO. 12345

HOSPITAL NAME

Centered and CAPSed, the lot of it.

Many chose to omit the name of uni, but I've been posted to that hospital before and all the HOs I saw had their uni name in their stamp, so I figured better safe than sorry. Also I am rather proud of my alma mater, no matter what people say. 'Tis the time to be proud of your alma mater, and make them proud!

But to be safe, the format most used is without uni name, and with the words 'Pegawai Perubatan Siswazah' (not Pegawai Perubatan UD41) to emphasize your provisionally-registered status. Haha.

Each hospital has their own way of making your official chop. In most hospitals, they do not actually mind how your chop is organized as long as the details are true and you don't misuse it.

Also, if you lose your official chop, you have to make a police report. No kidding. So keep it safe!

5) Go to your current bank account- the checking account, that is- and ask for an account verification to be printed out. I believe if you have one of those tiny books (buku simpanan) you just need to copy that, but most of us these days do not.

In any case, just go to the information counter and say you are to start working and your employer requires your account details. They know what you need, and will ask for your bank card/IC (can't remember which or if it's both, but it's something you should have with you at all times anyway). Then they will immediately print out a single sheet with your name, IC number and account number, among other things. The bank staff will stamp it with that particular branch's special chop, and sign it- these are required. It takes almost no time at all and doesn't cost a single cent.

I did this in CIMB, and on top of the document are the words 'CASA Account Relationship Inquiry'. If you have several accounts in the same card, make sure you remember the account number that you want your checking account to be- as the document will only state one account number.

Make copies and have them verified.

6) Photocopy (at least 3 but I recommend ~10) and place in Special File:

• SPM results
• Medical degree
• MMC temporary practicing certificate
• SPA offer letter
• Own IC
• Birth certificate
• Parents' IC (Unsure if needed now; will update later) - You actually do not need this, but you will need to know your parents' full names, IC numbers, addresses, phone numbers and marriage date (?) to fill out your HRMIS form later when you report to your respective hospitals (after PTM).

Currently, other than the account statement I am not 100% sure if you need to verify any of the above copies. You may do so to several copies, to be safe.  My hospital administration did not require verified copies and only asked for ONE copy of each thing- maximum 2, one of which they returned to me anyway (the Surat Penempatan from KKM, the one you print after filling out e-Housemen). I think it's because they cared enough to photocopy the documents on their own, because I've heard friends from other hospitals required more than 3 copies of each thing!

7) The rest of the items on your KKM letter of placement will be done during hospital orientation/after PTM, so don't worry. This includes surat akujanji, laporan perubahan, and tapisan keselamatan kasar- the latter of which is fully online. Source of information: Call to KKM.

The tapisan keselamatan can be done after your PTM, but if you are unsure just wait until your hospital orientation. They will guide you on how to properly fill out your details.

8) For those posted far away from home, this is the time to start looking for rentals, movers and transportation methods. I will probably update my personal thoughts on moving in coming posts, to make it easier for first-time movers- at least based on my very green experience. Many do not bring enough things to hire movers and can ask their parents or other family members to help. That is even better :)

May Allah ease everything!



P/S.: This info will hopefully be updated periodically as I discover more of the proper methods, after having done them and confirmed them with suitable individuals/authorities.

E-Housemen: The Force Awakens

I have gone through the much-anticipated, arrhythmia-inducing process of applying through e-Housemen and would like to share it here... To the best of my abilities.

Sorry for the lack of screenies because as you may know, it is a very rushed process and you cannot backtrack to the actual forms once you are done.

In preparation, 

I read the e-housemen guidebook which can be found online or after the KKM e-mail reaches you. I read it again and again to familiarize myself with the steps listed.

I sought to be in a place where the internet is strongest. This means NO MOBILE INTERNET and possibly leaving the comfort of your own home to be in the cyber cafe... Or to a friend's house. I noticed a lot of people living in more remote areas had the problem of their process 'hanging' due to unfavourable internet connection or device capability.

Prepare your best device. Try to avoid cellphones, and use a PC that is not ancient or overencumbered. Most laptops work fine. Make sure you are able to type accurately and comfortably on that device.

I prepared my own information: SPA reference number (the one you need to fill in the acceptance letter, as written on your offer letter from SPA), full name, phone number, current correspondence address; most of these were already filled in but I double checked anyway. These I sequestered on a word document for easy copypasta.

I prepared the information for all my family members i.e. parents and siblings. This may include your spouse and children if you are married. Information needed: IC no., full name, local residential address (no option for other countries which I think is a major drawback), age, cellphone number, job. All in CAPS. There will be several rather redundant dropdown options for each family member, which are: Ethnicity, occupation field, occupation sector... They can slow you down more than you think. But my advice is not to leave any family member behind, or omit their details, to the best of your ability. There have been several people advising us to just skip all but one family member's details to get to the placement window quicker. Being the person that I am, I am not capable of doing such a thing, as they have warned you to fill in everything. I think knowingly omitting to key in your family members is kind of like falsifying your information.

I also opted for the Chrome autofill and autocomplete functions to be turned on so that the info is easily filled in. For autocomplete, I included my name, cellphone number, correspondence address in CAPS. I tried finding ways to input other necessary information into autocomplete; I think in the end, you may put anything in the name/address/phone number blanks which may be used in autofill once you start typing out in forms on your browser. You can try it.

You should also prepare mentally and spiritually. This is to ensure you have the smoothest process and choose what is best for you. This includes prayers, family and friend support, and basically gearing yourself up to not get your first choice (or even your second or third). Be prepared to lose and hope for the best!

You should have registered earlier according to your date of offer letter. It only requires your IC number, and the registration usually opens a couple of days before the application date. Be alert as it may open before the KKM email reaches you. On the registration date, your IC number is taken as your login name, and you will have to create your password for your login process. Retrospective advice? Make your password as easy and short as possible. It would help in the frenzy of application day.

On the day of applications

Ensure you wake up bright and early on the day the system opens and have had your breakfast.

Park your laptop somewhere close to the wifi router, or plug in the internet cable one hour prior (okay, 30 to 15 minutes before is actually very acceptable too).

Make sure you have all other unnecessary applications on your computer turned off- especially those that drain data.

Open website at http://ehousemen.moh.gov.my and find the Login page.

Log. In.

I started furiously logging in close to 15 minutes prior to my PC clock turning 12:00; I actually started trying 45 minutes prior and kept trying in shorter and shorter intervals, up until it turned 11:55, at which point my friend and I were inputting our login details continuously until we got accepted into the system at about 12:04. I lost count of the number of times I was denied access. I thought the people manning the servers might be having a chuckle about how kiasu people can be. In my defense, THIS CONCERNS A COUPLE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL YEARS OF MY LIFE OMG. Being cool just doesn't cut it!

Once I entered the systems, I noticed that most of my info was already keyed in in the first part of the form. I double-checked (rushingly) and filled out/chose the rest that is necessary: the No. Rujukan SPA, place of birth, number of siblings, religion, marital status, citizenship, number of children and sponsorship. From the e-housemen guide, these options can be seen. Then I clicked Seterusnya.

We come to the Family tab, which is probably the most time-consuming of all tabs. You may choose to ignore this tab in favour of moving forward more quickly in accordance to some people's advice. My advice is DON'T DO THAT as you should have read earlier. Here the info I have mentioned in preparation is needed. Sometimes it's quicker to type 'em in. It depends on how proficient you are at copying and pasting, or typing out information- which says a lot about your undergraduate days (hint hint)! Persevere in putting in your family credentials! I was being verbally obnoxious about it but my friend kept reminding me that your family is a blessing. You know it's true, but in the moment do you really? *laughs* When the youngest sibling has been completed, I gave my entire family a once-over, making sure the names and IC numbers and family relations are correct (rushingly), then clicked Seterusnya.

Then we come to the most confusing (but briefest) tab which is the Education tab. According to the manual this is for other qualifications than SPM and your medical degree; with the drop-down you can see it actually involves your pre-university courses or other degrees you may have taken. Foundation is notably not included. Some people who did the university foundation course just chose 'TIADA'; others put 'LAIN-LAIN', and chose the year they finished said pre-university programme regardless. Then click Seterusnya.

FINALLY the most important tab. Shriek!
This goes without saying, as you have probably visualised doing this a thousand times by the time you get to this spot. I know I did.

It's simple enough- you can choose to place yourself in a hospital or delay.

Choose your chosen hospital's state from the drop-down menu, then choose the hospital with available vacancies in that state in the drop-down menu below it. Make sure you choose the correct hospital as some states have several similar-sounding hospitals (notably, JB) and in the process you might not have noticed. Check as many times as you can afford, choose the hospital and send.

If your chosen hospital is not there, choose your next best hospital. If you refuse, and this has already been discussed with those who matter to you, you may delay instead by going to the Penangguhan tab. No one I know did this but the instructions are in the official guide.

They will confirm your chosen hospital with the next window. Read the name of the hospital and the state. Commit yourself as you cannot change this! Click on the 'PENGAKUAN' checkbox. Confirm your choice and hit send again.

A pop-up will appear! You have succeeded! Hooray! Praise be to God!

Print out your offer letter (saved in the computer as PDF form).
Screenie.
Post it on social media.
Go wild.

And pray to God you're prepared enough for a life as an HO in less than two months!


As for me, alhamdulillah. I got my first choice.
As soon as this was done with, my friend and I went to eat and settle some stuff, and we made our hospital stamps/chop and name tags.

Now I'm in the process of finding appropriate accommodation choices and thinking up ways to transport a gazillion books to said place before my PTM starts. OTL.

Hello, 2016!

Some days, I feel like I thrive solely upon the smell and taste of heavily-sweetened coffee.

I think this is something most students can relate to- the absolute power of coffee. In fact, I do recall most of my blog posts during undergraduate days being absolutely littered with caffeine-related words and descriptions.

Some of my best works were caffeine-fueled.

What progress have I made so far since the last post?

I have entered a new year. Hello, 2016!

Prior to that, I learned a new skill- I learned to knit, with the help of one of my dearest friends. I quickly learned that such a skill requires physical teaching for anything further than the start. When I made mistakes, any attempt to correct them (with the help of video tutorials) ends up with me unraveling my entire work, sometimes worth days. That is NOT cool. So I did what any sane person would do when faced with this situation- I leave the mistakes be, and hope that they are not disastrous enough to be corrected when I see my teacher again.

Prior to that, I went to IKEA and with the help of my faraway sponsor (i.e. father) bought so much home stuff, I was surprised. Like, 4 full IKEA bags' worth of assorted knickknacks for the home, and an entire furniture trolley filled with furniture- so much that the bulk of it had to be delivered to my current home, as I do not have enough space in my car for all of them. Granted this was split two way (the other way went to my brother and sister's shared uni accommodation) but the main bulk of the stuff belonged to me.

You see, I rarely shop for anything other than books and essentials, but when I do, I tend to go really big. And then I will cease almost all shopping activity for years.

Did you know that there are now 2 IKEAs in Malaysia? Rumour has it that there will be a new IKEA somewhere in Penang as well. It would probably be profitable, as all IKEAs tend to be. It's not all about the furniture, either. IKEAs are famed for their food, and both for their very affordable snacks and also the more costly but still rather affordable proper Swedish-based dishes.

Although, I do not understand the hype around the meatballs. I had some, and though it wasn't bad, it was personally not worth the hype. I did, however, enjoy their baked chicken leg with some sort of minty, clear gravy, which was surprisingly as refreshing as it was savoury.

The novel thing about IKEA, I believe, compared to other furniture outlets is the accessibility to the living spaces in the showrooms. You can sit on the chairs and beds, and feel the furniture; walk around the multitude of living, storage, and dining spaces almost as if they were your own (ignoring the masses of people around you). No one would tell you off for these actions. The sheer amount of different places to chill is almost enough to psyche anyone. My brother and I sat down on almost all of the chairs and beds, and approved several ranges for their comfort and design. We even spent some long minutes just sitting in several of the cozier, quieter living areas, pondering life, and no one shooed us away. This experience must be one of the reasons that makes IKEA so popular.

And yes, as you may be able to tell, I rarely go to IKEA.


The prospect of being able to choose my workplace for the next two years is becoming more and more imminent. I am scared and excited. I am anxious.

I hope I will be strong enough to face what is to come.

For now, I have registered for a preparatory course for my HO stint soon.
I dearly hope that it helps, at least in kick-starting some serious revision, and at most in preparing me for the worst of what's to come.


As for now, I shall continue doing some minute revisions here and there an trying to finish off several more books in my TBR list before my book-reading days are over!