Kerosene

As I come to work on a Monday's night shift. Two other hospital staff follow soon after, taking with them an unconscious man to be admitted to the ICU.

The drama of getting the patient settled in begins. He is barely responsive, thus making a number of tasks easier to carry out, whereas certain things, more inconvenient or challenging. The whole body reeks of kerosene, I cut up the T-shirt while another nurse removes the trousers as we clean the man up. We quickly hook him up on the machines that will be monitoring his vital signs and start collecting blood and urine specimens to be sent off for various tests.

The routines are done and the man remains unconscious, I go back to attend to my assigned patients for the night and start to read through the new guy's case notes as soon as my to-do list for the hour is cleared. Lo, this is another case of drug overdose; his colleagues had found him lying unconscious with an empty bottle of kerosene in the same office.

An hour later, the wife and daughter arrive, stunned and in tears as they look at the state in which their man of the house is. A few nurses speak to the ladies as I watch from a distance.

I never went near the patient again for the rest of the shift.

Has business been bad? Is there something wrong at home? Was he experiencing financial difficulties or health problems? Or was he thirsty for kerosene?

What an irresponsible man.

I find joy and purpose in life by helping the helpless on their hospital(sometimes death) beds, however my patience is limited for people who overdose themselves with stupid things for stupid reasons. May God pardon me for the reluctance in doing more good for such creatures, may my kindness grow.
 

The Star: Unlicensed hawkers banned from schools to curb obesity

I DON'T ALWAYS read the mainstream newspapers, but I did so this morning. As I usually find, the first few pages were quite full of shit somehow dedicated to praising the Government for its good work apart from other important news.

After reading for some good fifteen minutes, I couldn't help but to reread this particular news report on a directive made in one of our states, banning unlicensed hawkers from doing business within a 40-metre radius from each school compound. And this is the fun part- to curb obesity among students! Hello, near or away from schools aside, why were illegal hawkers allowed to set up stalls in the first place?

Okay, let us thank the local authorities for being such merciful and easygoing law enforcers. How understanding of them! So, that grace is about to come to an end. From now on only licensed stall owners would be allowed to carry on with their businesses near schools. Illegal hawkers, do not cry yet. Since the authorities are known to be such nice people, I do not think it would be difficult to apply for a licence to sell snacks near schools. Anyway, just my humble opinion.

However, those who wish to sell food or continuing selling food near schools must "adopt strict hygiene practices and not sell junk food," as reported in The Star.

Among the items that cannot be sold by licensed hawkers are all types of sweets, chocolate, pickled tidbits, foodstuffs with artificial colouring, preservatives and alcohol, those resembling lipstick and rings, and products that come with free gifts like balloons and picture cards.
Also discouraged are burgers, sausages, nuggets, ice-cream and carbonated drinks.

Wah! They banned sweets, chocolates, foods with artificial colouring, etc. Oh, even any product that comes with free gifts like balloons and picture cards. What if a particular product happens to come with a free gift but is not junk food? Also, ice-cream and carbonated drinks are discouraged. I may not hold a bachelor's degree in Chemistry or Food Science, but I believe most ice-creams and carbonated drinks contain artificial colouring, must I look it up on Wikipedia to be sure of this? "Foodstuffs with artificial colouring" cannot be sold, but ice-cream and carbonated drinks are discouraged. That made sense, if I were really stupid. Next, If hawkers outside the school compound are not allowed to sell snacks that fall into the category of banned items as listed, I assume that the school canteen owners ought to adhere to similar if not stricter regulations; I might be curious enough to make a trip to one of the affected schools to see how this directive is implemented. Haha! No sweets ah? Maybe no more sausages and nuggets along with your nasi lemak? Maybe no more carbonated drinks?? Oh, I would most certainly like to see how all these can be done.

To be frank, if I were an illegal hawker operating near a school, upon reading the news today I would simply carry on with my business, just outside the prohibited 40-metre radius. At least that could keep the students happy and give them a little exercise of walking an extra few steps. By the way, I might even achieve more than their Physical Education(Pendidikan Jasmani) teachers.

Banning unlicensed hawkers from schools to manage obesity? That's cute; Why not stick to the less-creative but more effective methods like providing education and raising awareness among students on the importance of staying fit?

Unproductive

Joel Yap... What are you doing??

The first paper of my finals starts tomorrow, and I have been procrastinating my revision until even now. And I feel like waiting till tomorrow morning to start hitting the books. Forget about burning any midnight oil. I'll set the alarm clock to ring at 7AM and then begin reading.

Can ah?

Good night!

Group work?

What can make you want to contribute when your efforts are not acknowledged? Never mind unappreciated, but rejected? Why do the work at all when the results will come back the same as if you did not do anything?

Rally vs Blood donation

Blood donation.

• It's too painful
• I'm scared of needles
• I will donate next time
• Maybe I'm underweight
• Got a lot of work to do, cannot afford to faint

Rallying.

• The government might take away my scholarship/placement in university
• Cannot risk getting arrested
• My family would be worried(not sure how true though)
•  I'll join the next time

Et cetra,  et cetra, et cetra.

The excuses reasons always seem quite valid for one who has not set his/her mind on going to participate in either of the above. I would not search the hearts of those who claim to be unable to go, because I may not like what I find. Maybe they give excuses out of fear of disappointing others? Maybe some are just too cowardly or apathetic to go, but too timid to admit it.
Of course, I am talking about rallying for a worthy cause. Not something that you disagree with.

If today you say you will go tomorrow, will you say the same thing you said today, when tomorrow comes?

PTPTN?

You borrow money, you pay back lah.

Somebody comes around and says, "Abolish PTPTN!" Of course you happy lah, loans cancelled, no need to pay money.

Don't be so selfish.

You borrow money, you pay back. Period.
 

Customer

It is a Sunday, but a working night for me. Felt a bit bad for not working in the past two weeks, so I stood in for another staff who apparently could not turn up this evening.

Phew! Where did all the customers today come from?? Where do all the people come from in Singapore, by the way? If I were to ever venture into a business, food will definitely come on top of my list! Sure can make money in this city state because people are everywhere and they need to eat!

Anyway I was just trying to tell you that it was a busy night at the cafe. That, I can live with. However there was this couple who walked in just a minute before our last order, who really got my attention. The man ordered soft-boiled eggs which were what the pantry prepared for him. When I served it to him, he looked at me with an attitude and demanded for a replacement because one of the egg yolks were broken. I was like.... "What??! You're gonna eventually break both of the yolks, aren't ya? Why change?!" and "Hello, the staff who prepared these eggs was kind enough to break open the shells for you, take for granted ah?" but I relented anyhow. The customer had a right, my colleagues agreed. For those who are interested to know, he and the lady with him behaved like a king and a queen throughout their dinner and they were the last to leave the cafe. I was almost done mopping the floors by the time their royal buttocks got out.

Sigh, you have your rights as a consumer lah! But do you mind having some manners as a human ah?

Lesson

The skills are fairly easy to perform lah! Comparatively lower failure rates. Not as tough as compared to the other semesters.

And I was the most relaxed student for assessment today.

And there, lo and behold, I failed a simple procedure just because I forgot one simple step.

Joel Yap, you got the results that you deserved today!

 

All the best

"All the best!"
"Hey, so-and-so, all the best!"
"Take care, all the best!"

Blah, blah, blah... Aku tak faham. I don't understand why some people use the phrase "all the best" without stating for what or in what. Worse still, they do so so often.

Bodoh, rite? I do not mean any offense though. But we better understand what we are speaking.

To help?

What makes us human? What is so special about mankind when compared to the animal kingdom? Even the beasts and birds seem to help each other and somehow have some form of system to which they live by. They depend on instinct, to kill and to protect. However humans are far more complex than that. We have a gift called discernment, which I believe is what differentiates us from the animals.

We choose, to be good to another or the opposite.

And I think helping people is what makes us human. We help our own; we help those dependant on us; we help those who need help. A pro-social behaviour.
When not to help? When we lose interest; when in a bad mood; when our attitudes change; when we realise we've been taken advantage of? What keeps/stops us from helping others?

I just realised I might have been doing too much to help certain persons. So much so that they may develop dependance. When you want me to do something, you ask. Nothing wrong. However if you just lay back and wait for the results, why should I fulfill your responsibilities for you just because I can do a better job? It's different. Say a boy goes fishing for the first time with his dad. He doesn't know how to use a bait so the father does everything for him. But if he just waits and reap the rewards without laying a finger on the bait, he isn't going to know how to bait his rod in future. What good is it to go fishing with dad without learning anything about the activity? If the boy were to participate in setting up his fishing rod, with the help of the father, that's a different story. This boy learns.

If I helped people, their gratitude isn't important. It's more about the experience, learning and growth.
My help is wrong if it becomes unhelpful.

Doing something tough with the help of one; is different from asking him/her to do it on my behalf. I had lived a rather "easy" life before, as there were almost always people around me ready to help should I meet any difficult circumstances. People with experience, and a kind soul. It was(is) tempting to have them do my stuff for me. The easy road is always more pleasant to take. I must confess my reliance and sloth, which led to consequences.

Therefore I must be careful in helping. As much as I would love to help. Show me your intentions and I'll give you my help.

不爽?

原是因慢而不爽， 因为自己心急却被逼等待。 自己的脚步快却要嫌别人慢。
但想想之后， 发现自己并没被逼等待。 自愿慢下来就没资格生气。
 因几个不是理由的理由生气， 太小器了。
我便开始看见自己的幼稚。 生气自己 为什么发小孩子脾气。

没资格不爽。

How thoughtful

I saw a woman today, whose husband is in an end stage of cancer, bedridden and suffering from multiple sores. The woman too, has health problems of her own due to old age. She has to take care of her grandson- a toddler from her daughter. Her other daughter is giving birth to a baby girl soon and she intends to place the newborn under the woman's care too. Those daughters do not stay with the parents, probably working.

Let the mother take care of their children all alone, not forgetting the helpless old man.

=(

Just read this on Yahoo! News five minutes ago- Philippine dad convicted of rape gets 14400 years.

Amused by the headlines, at first I laughed at the 14400-year jail sentence. Then I began to read on and I stopped laughing. Who would rape his own flesh and blood, daily?! My heart goes out to the girl and my fist would like to meet the man whose conscience must have been on holiday.

Why do such a wicked thing to his own daughter when she was only 13?

Why do such a wicked thing to his own daughter?

Why do such a wicked thing?

Why?

I remember reading about child abuse two months back. Also responded by sharing it here on this blog.
Wish I could and can do more than just lamenting, I would do more.

Children deserve to be loved, not abused.
Abuse can be in different forms: Verbal, sexual, physical, emotional, etc.

If you aren't ready to be a parent, think twice about having children.

I don't know

Do you understand?

No...

Do you wish to understand?

Yes...

So you want to understand, but do you?

Still no.

What do you want to do about it then?

I don't know, but I want to learn.

How will you learn?

I don't know..

So are you doing anything about getting nearer to understanding?

No?

Will you understand???

oh this world!

Am feeling rather sad upon reading some Yahoo! News. A Japanese divorcee strangled her five-year-old daughter to death! Worse still, she told police that she used to put the helpless girl into a running washing machine. Here's the link: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100714/tap-japan-crime-child-d1078a1.html


What is happening to this world? To mankind? Why is man ever deteriorating morally?
Sometimes I wonder why and how could people live in such darkness; thus next begin to wonder if I am any better.

I pity the child who had to endure all the abuse by her mother.

Actually, was it better for the five-year-old to live on or die?

There are, actually no correct answers.

Anyhow, this world needs a Saviour.

Current Activity:

Wasting so much time!

I finished watching the first seasons of Fringe and The Mentalist in 12 days.

That's a lot a lot of time, wasted.


Sigh, it is scary to be aware of the helplessness of not knowing what to do with life.

Ridiculous: I Win

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Ridiculous: I Win | The Pen Is Stronger


Check it out!

Ridiculous (part 3)

After much reflecting, I just want to say that I am susceptible to mistakes.
So if there's anything not right with whatever I have written, feel free to say it out.

This teacher's blogging issue is somewhat similar to the controversy of teachers teaching differently in school and at tuition centres.

Anyway, I think Cikgu Razali is just being childish through the ways he increases his blog traffic.
My stand is clear, against the methods of attracting visitors which I personally believe to be a bit unethical.


He said that his blog is an example for other schools to follow.
That is ridiculous.


Again, if you think there is any misunderstandings on my side, do comment and I promise to receive it with an open mind.

Ridiculous (part 2)

Today at tuition I understand that Cikgu Razali actually ordered every student in his class to become followers of his blog!
Can you believe that??

And what is more shocking is this, to those who do not have internet access or a computer at home, he told them they could go to cyber cafes! Yes, even girls.
This is more ridiculous than it already seems to me, this is absurd!

Should anything happen to his students who go to a cyber cafe in obedience to his ridiculous orders and instructions, to whom should the responsibility fall on?


Hey, I am by no means trying to attack Cikgu Razali or anybody else. It is just that his actions are questionable and nobody seems to be concerned about their rights. So I decide to speak up instead of watching everybody being indifferent and thereby giving in to such demands like visitting and following the blog.

Taking students' works as his own to be put up on the blog is simply too much.
Threatening, to some extent, not to teach unless his students follow his blog, is the limit of disrespecting the rights students ought to have.

Ridiculous

Are teachers encouraged to have blogs? I believe so, as it sometimes can make themselves more relevant to the students of this era.

There are teachers whom I know of who write blogs to connect with their students, I really respect them and am impressed by their effort. However I am also disgusted by certain teachers who write blogs for the wrong reasons.
Good or bad? It really depends on their purposes for blogging.

A Pengajian Am teacher, Cikgu Razali Samad from Sekolah Tinggi Kluang is a blogger and he goes round advertising his blog to students indirectly. Ok, logically thinking, why have a blog that benefits students when the students are not aware of the blog, rite? But my question is this, is the blog more beneficial to students or the teacher?
IF the blog is meant for the good of students, the problem is this, not every student has internet access.
And hey, IF the blog is really good then students will naturally go to it, even those without internet access at home.

Something I cannot stand is this, Cikgu Razali posted exam tips on his blog during our first test. From what I have heard, he actually announced what topics were to be asked in the Pengajian Am test paper. Everyone knew the questions long before sitting for the test, even those who did not want to cheat by visitting the blog. Why do I use the word "cheat"? You see, when you answer a test paper knowing what questions are already in it, and you prepare for the questions, what is the point then, of the taking the test?
Malaysian students. Only know how to pass examinations, many behave like robots as in study study study and learn to pass exams. What happens to the knowledge they received from studying? Gone, gone because the knowledge was intended to stay in their heads only until after the exam ends. How sad.
Before I get out of point, how can a teacher reveal what is going to be asked in a test?

Let bygones be bygones? I cannot do that, if something is not right then someone has to speak up. If something is questionable then it has to be judged, either right or wrong.

Even if I wanted to forget about what happened in the test. I understand that this Cikgu Razali has given his students homework on his blog. This is the link which he gave the work.
Announcing homework on a blog, I do not know about you but to me it sounds like he is trying to force students into visitting his blog. He is like making it compulsory though he has never said so directly, for his students to go to his blogs, this is such a despicable act. Want to have blogs? By all means. But why force people to visit? Giving homework through his blog leaves students no choice but to visit the blog. Come on, this is a secondary school no matter how much people want to think of Sixth Form as Pre-university, we should be given homework to do from the classroom. We can get information online to aid us in certain assignments, but we do not need to find out what are our assignments from the internet.

Furthermore, Cikgu Razali collects assignments done by students to be put on his blog. He takes slides on Power Point and essays on Word from students after they have done their presentations each time.
How can a teacher, a human, how can he do such a thing?

How can a teacher have such low morality?

Want to have blogs, it is his freedom. Whether or not students want to visit his blogs is however their freedom.
Want to build blogs that students can benefit from, good effort. Students will naturally visit if the blogs are really good. However it is still their freedom whether or not to visit.

Indirectly forcing students to go to his blogs, I totally disrespect and disagree with such an act.
One word- RIDICULOUS!

Why is he doing so much to increase the frequency of people visiting his blog? Trying to attract students by putting up "information" and whatever "good stuff"? Even stooping down to publishing exam tips as in what exactly will be asked in the paper? Why does he want so much readership? Who does he want to impress? Why so hard up? Why so desperate for readership?

Something is not right, someone has to speak up. I am doing it now. If I am wrong, please say something, I am open to correction.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good man do nothing.
Edmund Burke.

Today I decide to voice out!

What is his purpose of blogging?