A Little Bit of Me

Some of the funniest English blunders I came across:-

To me, they are hilarious. But to the person who wrote them out, it’s quite embarrassing. But never mind, there’s always room for improvement and as bad it may be, but being embarrassed about your English is a good push/motivation for you to improve yourself. That happened to me and my sister.

Sebelum kami berdua masuk Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (P) Sri Aman, we didn’t feel the need to master English. Sebab our previous school tak speaking macam budak-budak kaya and ‘classy’ in that school. So, because of that, we were teased and the ‘popular’ girls used to take the mickey out of our English. As for me, I was helping out with gotong royong and I asked the seniors if I could borrow their gloves. Back then, I pronounced ‘gloves’ with a very strong O. So their childish reply was “oh my God, budak kampong mana cakap macam ni?” Ouch!! That hurt like a b****.

As for my sister, it happened when she was 13. She was in English lesson and put on the spot for not knowing what was the word “kasihan” in English. The poor girl stood at the corner of her classroom being a laughing stock by the fricking class mates.

Surely, these are the memories that we wish we never had to go through. Or ones that we could forget. We probably cried and felt awful for the next couple of weeks and still haunt us few years after that. But they were really the push that was needed for us to learn and master English. So, if you have experienced such occasion, NEVER let that go and let that be your motivation.

Nonetheless, I have no respect for the people mentioned above and those who make fun of others inability and misery.

P/S : My Hakim is experiencing the same but on opposite circumstances – because he uses English more than BM and his BM sounds very formal. What the hell is wrong with these people?!

We all need work to earn for a decent living. But that's not it, I work so that I feel functional and I have great motivation to help people with my knowledge and skills. And to achieve that, it is very important that the workplace is productive and a healthy environment: basically a place where you're happy to work! As a matter of fact, all employers should try hard to create a working environment that is safe, bright, well-ventilated and equipped with necessities. And the people working in the same place should really work together and co-operate to achieve that. And the easiest way to do that is simply by smiling at one another.

See, there are so many benefits of smiling:-

- Smiling uses less muscle than frowning - so it's actually hardwork to frown that to smile

- Smiling to someone usually trigger a smile on another person's face and it is contagious - so it is the easiest place to spread the happiness

- Smiling is the easiest way to welcome someone new and it is quite an 'ice breaker'

- You never know what's on the other person's mind - and if she/he feels low, a simple smile would definitely cheer the other person up

- A positive act such as smiling, laughing trigger happy hormones such as serotonin - which is a natural stimulant in your body. So, the more you smile, the higher is your serotonin level and that's the easiest way to make you a happier person!

- Senyum itu sedekah... So, why be stingy?

Although I know none of you readers are from my workplace (which is in a great need of lotsa smiles by the way!), but where ever you work or are at - do smile to the people around you. It's okay if everyone around you seems miserable, but you should not be. So yes, let's start spreading the smile around!

Here are some of my personal favourites that I hope can make you smile ;-)

Apa lah agaknya Luqman gelakkan ni?

Just like every other Malaysian, I visit the private clinic more often than the government-provided Klinik Kesihatan for minor ailments. The service is faster (although not always) and the whole set-up of a private clinic is more welcoming. Of course, all these come with a price. A 5 minute consultation + take-home paracetamol, cough syrup, anti-congestion and antibiotic for minor fever usually cost around RM 40 in Shah Alam.

However, do private practices always provide the best treatment option or services for their customers? The aspect that I would like to comment on is the lacking of patient’s involvement in making treatment decisions in private clinics (despite the money I have paid for consultation fees). Have you had your say in choosing what treatment you want for your own illness?

Ok, so what is an informed shared decision?

Informed shared decision is the decision made by the patient with the doctor after the patient has considered all the treatment options available based on the information given by the doctor.

To make an informed decision, the doctor should guide the patient and discuss the options available. During the discussion, the patient should really be briefed on the options pros and cons (e.g. if it’s a medicine – the benefits and side effects), how long the treatment regime should last for, the cost of the treatment and finally, doctors should answer all the questions addressed by the patient. It is not easy to make such discussion without the doctor’s initiative. Although I am a pharmacist and I have some knowledge about diseases and treatments (of course, not as great as doctors), nonetheless I used to feel ‘overpowered’ by the doctor when I face them. So, here are some tips on how you can work out making an informed decision with your doctor:-

1. Be well-equipped with knowledge about your condition and the current treatment practices.
A website that uses terms that can be understood by most people is http://www.medicinenet.com/. You can also find out the established treatment options from the website.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
If you are worried that you might get disheartened by their negative attitude, take a family member or friend along because doctor will seem less intimidating with the support of family/friend.

3. Remember what you and doctor have discussed about.
You can do this by writing down the key points your doctor mentioned. And it is not wrong to say something like “Could you please run through what you said to me again so I can be sure I understand it?"

Now, you don't want this to happen to you right?

I see more and more antidepressants advertisements on websites nowadays; some of the common tagline used including “Not sure if it’s depression? Learn about the broad range of symptoms” or “Is it depression? Learn about the symptoms here”. By clicking on the link, you will usually be directed to the websites with a list of depression symptoms. The symptoms of depression are broad and can range from headaches, backache to the more serious ones like thoughts of death and suicide. Of course, this information is true and they are good to know, but they can also be misleading.

I think that this is a very negative way to tell normal people who are well that they may be having depression. Some of the websites ‘diagnose’ internet users by using a checklist of symptoms and can make them worry that they are having depression. Most of us experience some form of discomforts that are part of the symptoms of depression, but having some of the symptoms do not make you depressed. Some of the physical symptoms of depression are:-
Aches and pains – which is also caused by daily physical activities like carrying weights, long-hour standing and even typing continuously at work (Repetitive Stress Injury, RSI)
Change in appetite or weight –this is very common in females, especially before menstruation (weight gain due to water retention), or sometimes when it’s the festive season, we eat more so we gain weight
Fatigue or lack of energy – some of us work long hours and the nature of the work is physical activities like walking, driving or reading countless documents. It is completely normal to be exhausted by the end of the day

You see what I mean? The way these advertisements are made can be easily misinterpreted. As a matter of fact, I believe that they are made to make people believe that they are having depression to boost the antidepressants sales. We should bear in mind that these advertisements are from pharmaceutical companies, kaaching!!! (Money, money and more money!)

Have you ever told anyone you were OK when you really weren't?
Yes, I'm sure most people at some point have done that.

What are you listening to right now?
When She Says She Loves Me by Tonic

Last person who told you things were going to be okay?
My sweet Hakim

Be honest, do you like people in general?
Why shouldn't I?

Its 4 in the morning, your phone rings who do you expect it to be?
My lovely Hakim

How old do you think you will be when you finally have kids?
Ooooohh... Sensitive issue.

Does your boyfriend/girlfriend know how you feel?
Yeah, I always tell him how I feel.

What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?
Yes,it's Saturday!

Have you ever been awake for 48 hours?
Thank God, no. The longest I stayed up for was probably 18 hours.

What is one thing you miss about your past?
My freedom

Are you jealous of anyone right now?
Yeah... She's wayyyy more 'advanced' than me

Would you ever forgive someone if they cheated on you?
Forgive yes, forget no.

Is there anyone you hate? Who?
Israelis

What are you looking forward to in the next month?
My wages?Hihihi... And it also means that Hakim's getting closer to coming back home. :-)

What color is your hair?
My natural hair colour

Most embarrassing memory?
Just happened today : The first time I drove with my friends as passengers and my driving was terrible.

When you think of the rainbow, what pops in your head?
The beautiful colours

Do you think you're old?
Not old, but getting older

Are you anything like you were at this point last year?
Nope, absolutely not. Then, I was a student, preparing for my final year project. Right now, I am already working and not doing so much.

Do you talk a lot?
Surprisingly, I don't

Can you play pool?
Nope

When was the last time you cried really hard?
About 2 months ago, while I was on a coach

Are you self conscious?
Kind of - it's quite good to be a little bit so I don't make a fool of myself

Ever danced in front of the mirror?
Yeah, it's fun

How many hours sleep did you get last night?
6 hours 15 minutes

Is there a member of the opposite gender on your mind?
Yes, my boyfriend, Hakim

Have you told anybody you loved them today?
2 people, my mum and Hakim

Can a girl and a boy be besfriends with out having feelings for each other at one point in the friendship?
Best friends? Nope... Feeling for the other person or each other will develop, eventually.

No supplement tablet can replicate the natural goodness of whole, fresh foods. The best way to achieve vitamins and minerals RDA is by ensuring that we eat variety types of food. Furthermore, most foods are now fortified with micronutrients, e.g. cereals. If you practice a well-balanced diet, there is no need for supplements. Mind you, they are not cheap!

However, if you do need supplements, once-daily multivitamins is the best choice. Formulas with only a single vitamin predispose one to overdose. You must also adhere to the dosage because they can be toxic (although unlikely) –overdose of vitamin E increases risk of stroke, excess beta-carotene may increase cancer risk, particularly in smokers (and give your skin a tinge of orange/yellow, like carrot!). Furthermore, taking too much water-soluble vitamins is a waste as they are excreted in your urine.

As a guideline, here is a table brief enough to take when you’re buying supplements: (http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/labellingnutrition/supplements/documents/denmark_annex2.pdf)

Micronutrient Upper Limit (maximum/day)

Folic acid 1000 microg
Vitamin B1 100 mg
Vitamin B2 40 mg
Vitamin B6 100 mg
Vitamin B12 2000 microg
Vitamin A 3000 microg
Vitamin C 2000 mg
Vitamin D 50 microg
Vitamin E 1000 mg
Calcium 2500 mg
Magnesium 350 mg
Iron 45 mg
Zinc 40 mg
Manganese 11 mg

Today was my first day at work in NPCB (www.npcb.gov.my). Truthfully, it isn’t my dream workplace; nevertheless I am thankful that I have been given the rezeki. I arrived very early (7.10 am, for goodness sake!) and the day went pretty slowly from there on. After the long wait, I met all 8 PRPs (Provisionally Registered Pharmacists) and we were briefed on the organisation, our duties etc. Then we were introduced to some of the staffs. After lunch, the day was still slow.

Hope it won’t remain that way for long. Oh well… Staying positive is all I can do.

100 number of words