with you i'm born again

Last week was the end of my attachment in the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology..

..and yesterday was the start of my 10 week attachment in Peadiatrics (Child Health) which I'm definitely excited about because I love children! Just look at this video on Moro Reflex which was shown during one of the lectures yesterday. I can't wait to do one:

How I wish I'd known about it when Irfan Wafi was small ^_^

Well, that's Peadiatrics for you but for now, I want to talk about my previous attachment..

It was a very long duration, 10 weeks filled with tears, pain and blood (from the patients' side that is). Through my perspective, it is a very delicate and sensitive area of specialty that is not designed for certain individuals..surely, these individuals include me.

You see, I'm not really into handling ladies who suffer from severe pain, cry a lot and I'm certainly not fond of examining you-know-what on a daily basis. I have to say that this specialty requires a great deal of empathy and sensitivity from the doctor to deliver care to these patients. It's not that I'm not empathetic or sensitive enough, all doctors are required to have these traits; it's just that the topics revolving around this area are simply not my cup of tea.

What I got from my 10 week attachment was that, I've gained a better appreciation of my mum who had underwent the process of labour to deliver me and my siblings. When I was in the Labour Suite (a ward filled with women in labour) for 1 week, it was quite difficult for me to look at the distress portrayed through the women's faces. When they screamed, or when they cried, I felt really sorry for them. It made me wanna call my mum promptly and talked to her. But when the baby popped out, it's like one of the best feelings you ever experienced. I just can't help smiling so brightly.

Well that's for Obstetrics (relating to pregnancy and birth); as for Gynaecology (relating to female reproductive system in general), these patients cry a lot too. When I was at the hospital last week, a high proportion of the patients that I saw on that day cried when I met them. And I'm not good at handling ladies who are in distress. It's a skill that takes time for me to develop. The best I can do was to give my please-be-strong look and I'm-just-trying-to-make-you-feel-better smile which I don't think it did. 

You see, I have a great deal of empathy towards my patients but I'm trying my best not to get too attached to them (not that I've attached myself to a patient previously). Yeah, I'm this kind of doctor. Obs and Gynae is a specialty that taught me life is filled with events which are not in our control. Like when my first patient in Labour Suite had a baby with meconium aspiration (baby poo inside his lung), I felt so bad for the parents, they were really nice; some things are just out of our hands. The father went to pray for his newborn's health. And I thought, "Yeah, I can do that too". 

Obs and Gynae also made me think of my mum even more. I kept having flashbacks of her every now and then during my attachment. I'm simply grateful to have a great mum. This is one of the wonderful experiences in the world of medicine. It made you appreciate life even more...

this little light of mine

Since I am no longer a student blogger for my university, I shall now talk a lot more on my life as a Medic on being me.

Last Monday, I attended a Learning to Teach Clinical Skills (LTCS) workshop which is entirely optional and I decided to become a teacher to junior students just because I like teaching others. One of the tasks that we're supposed to do is to teach a non-clinical skill to our colleagues which can be origami, tying shoelaces, dancing, plaiting hair and many others.

Being me, I told myself that I want to do something simple. That Monday morning, I thought about origami but that is too mainstream in the workshop. So, I stared at my red Jimmy Bo Crumpler bag encasing my 550D and began to think..

..like I'm a photographer. I should be able to think of something interesting and easy to do with my DSLR. Then, the image of Zuhri doing multiple light painting shots whilst in Sabah popped into my mind.

My light painting during the LTCS Workshop with my name

And I was like, "Thank you Allah, I'll do that."

All I remembered was it needs to be on the "BULB" setting. So, I googled to find out how to do the rest. It was fairly simple to teach to others and I thought that I stand a chance of winning the prize for the most interesting skill on that day. Hehehe.

I went last in my group and alhamdulillah, my colleagues loved it. And so did the facilitators and yeap, I won. Yeay! I chose a packet of Eclairs as my prize from the bag of goodies.

You know, ideas come and go. If you're not aware of the idea when it comes to you and gets preoccupied with something else, the idea might just go away and you may never be able to retrieve it back.

So does hidayah, Allah gives hidayah to those who seek it. But if you let it go or decided to ignore it for something else, then you may be lost..forever.

Hence, when you get the chance to be given hidayah from The Almighty, grab it. Cause you never know when your next chance is going to arrive...

good time

The driving lessons

On Wednesday, I began learning back how to drive. After so many years of not driving a manual car, getting back behind the wheels of a manual vehicle can be quite awkward. Surprisingly, my first stall occurred closer towards the end of my first lesson. I expected it to occur sooner. My instructor is really nice, he doesn't make me nervous and was very patient to have a reckless driver like me as a student. It's just so funny to drive a manual car again. I always laughed on my own in the hallway when I got back home thinking of the silly things that I did while driving and how my instructor managed to maintain his sanity despite my incompetence. 

I could actually feel the adrenaline rush of driving again. It felt so good and I need to get my license pronto so I can get back on the road.

When I was driving, I kept telling myself "Don't kill anyone, don't kill anyone". Lol. And my instructor said that he likes my confidence and the driver nature in me. He's funny, I know. And when he asked me how to spell Wafi, I said "W..A..F..I" and he replied, "I like it" (this is like his favourite sentence).

Yeah, I like having you as an instructor as well and hopefully, everything will be fine.

Taking bloods

The butterfly

As a medical student, you are expected to be able to take bloods from patients competently. Ever since I became a 4th Year medical student in July 2012, I haven't had the opportunity to take bloods. The last time I took some bloods was in CP1 (Clinical Phase 1, 3rd Year Medic). So on Thursday, I was on Gynae on-call when the F2 (Formula 2 doctor) asked me to take bloods from a patient that I just took a history from.

My reaction towards the request by the F2:

Source: link

Cause it has been a while. So I was pretty excited to take bloods using the butterfly. I was pretty nervous at first and yeah, adrenaline was kicking in. For me, it's still a big deal to take bloods as a student. After getting the equipment ready, I was ready to stab the patient. I said "sharp scratch" and inserted the needle. I saw the flashback (flashback means I'm successful and is shown by the return of blood into the plastic tubing when the needle accesses the vein) and got excited cause the needle's in the vein. I took a tube and attached it to the butterfly to retrieve the blood..but none came out and I was like "Nooooo.." (monologue). I really want to begin my 4th Year with perfect beginnings. I twitched the needle slightly and out came the blood ever so quickly. The patient exclaimed, "Ooooh, it came out so fast" and I replied, "Yeah *eyes gleaming* ". Success!

I went back to the F2, showed her a tube of  bloods and hoped for some positive reinforcements. 

Her response, "Please write her details down". 

Yeah, it's not a big deal to these doctors. They take bloods like everyday. But I still enjoy taking bloods. It's just so much fun. And if I decided to go into Psychiatry, I don't think they take bloods that much so I might as well enjoy doing it now before I'm no longer able to do it.

* * *

Some things are enjoyed by some people while at the same time, they may be considered dull by others. So Abdul Haq Mohaidin, kau bosan! 

There are so many things in life that are perceived by others differently. The way to embrace these differences is to respect others' opinions. But if you're studying Economics, it's going to be hard for you to have a sense of empathy as demonstrated by my housemate.

As for me, I love driving and taking bloods. I do love a lot of other things but that's a different story...

it's not right but it's okay

Selamat Hari Raya and Eid Mubarak to all!

Anyway, here's my pantun raya for this year. 

Seram sejuk menusuk kalbu,

Gigil menggeletar duduk tersipu;

Ku inginkan lemang di kampung nenekku,

Apakan daya, cuti hanya 2 minggu

Bersalam tangan bulu meremang,

Tika tibanya waktu akad penentu;

Kerana ku memang gilakan lemang,

Inilah lemang perantau overachiever ku.

I know, it's been 2 weeks already but who cares. It's my blog ;P

You see, being a Medic is hard enough. We don't really get a day off for Raya unless you ask for permission early or just skip a day. (I was lucky because I didn't have much on that day and the Medical Course Office granted me a day off a few days before 1st of Syawal unlike my 'beloved' Teaching Fellow who can't be bothered). Our typical schedule runs from 9-5 on weekdays and sometimes, it happens during weekends. And you always feel tired, poor or sleepy most of the time. In addition to that, we still had to face the mockeries of an Economics student named Abdul Haq Mohaidin. Well, since I'm sleepy and need to go to a male GUM (Genitourinary Medicine) clinic tomorrow, I shall keep this simple as I can (yeah, right).

Btw, this is my 2nd time raya overseas. The first one was in 2009 and I just realized I didn't write a pantun in that post, lol.

Source: FB

Exactly a week ago, me and my friends held an Open House event. We brought our A game and showed the Malaysians and some of our local friends who we are. The delicacies include: Ayam Kuzi, Roti Jala, Nasi Impit, Kuah Lodeh, Kuah Kacang, Rendang Ayam, Soto, Cheesecake and I prepared Lemang. I called it Lemang Perantau Overachiever because:

Lemang - Duhh, dah benda tu lemang

Perantau - To describe that the Malaysian delicacy is made overseas

Overachiever - Because I'm Adlan Wafi

And here are the sources for the inspiration of my recipe:

Link 1 - to use a combination of the steamer and oven

Link 2 - to ensure that the lemang is thoroughly packed

Link 3 - to be patient and ensure the coconut milk is mixed well with the glutinous rice

Link 4 - to be meticulous in the preparation

Link 5 - a traditional recipe; to remind me of kampung

Source: FB

Yeah, nama pon Lemang Perantau Overachiever. Haruslah resipi sampai 5 baru puas hati. So technically, I mixed up all 5 recipes to prepare the lemang that I made during the open house.

The result?

Well, it's not exactly like the ones you'd find in kampung. But okay la..

Oh right, I put the name "Overachiever" because I've seen too many Lemang Perantau. It's time to be specific. 

And of course, it's the effort that counts. Not the result really. But surely, mestila nak buat lemang yang sedap kan? Betul, maka usaha haruslah ke arah itu. Dan keputusannya? Biarlah Dia yang menentukannya.

That's what it means to be an overachiever. 

You strive hard like you're an A+++ student eventhough you're mediocre.

You try to shine like a superstar eventhough you couldn't light up a spark.

You aim for Jannatul Firdaus eventhough it is doubtful that you can enter the lowest level of heaven.

And from hereon, I change my blog name to Overachiever...