The Perhentian Pitstop

Salam.

I went to Pulau Perhentian for my end-of-housemanship holidays.

As an outdoor enthusiast, I sought basic services for the minimum price - to rekindle those mountain-climbing hardship days.. and because I'm a cheapskate too (saving money for a PS4). After searching on FB and jumping from one holiday blog to another, I decided on a fairly cheap snorkeling package to Pulau Perhentian for a group of three adults (me, wife and Bro #2) and one cherubic baby.

Why snorkeling? Because my wife has never snorkeled previously.

Why bring the baby? Because the breastfeeding lady has never snorkeled previously. 

Why bring Bro #2? Because he's the baby's caretaker while Daddy accompanies Mommy on her virgin snorkeling experience.

Why Pulau Perhentian? I've been to Pulau Redang; it's beautiful but very commercialized. Pulau Perhentian on the other hand is relatively untouched.

Why this package? I'd like to think it as giving the local entrepreneurs a fighting chance against those big resort companies. Sure, some things are substandard or relatively expensive but a little sacrifice is always needed to help the underdog. Think of it as sadaqah.

It was a 3-day, 2-night package (2 rooms, 1 snorkeling trip, 1 lunch) for RM800.

DAY ONE

We started our trip from Kuala Besut jetty. A pretty standard 30-minute boat trip for me; but it was a whole new experience for the little lady. Initially, she was uncomfortable by the wind blowing in her face and the occasional sprinkle of seawater, but later she acclimatized. She even dozed off during the last leg of the boat trip!

So many chalets to choose from.

White sandy beaches, cool sea breeze, de-stress.

Upon arrival at Coral Bay at Pulau Perhentian Kecil, we were greeted by clear azure waters, cool white sand and a gentle breeze.. in the middle of the afternoon heat! We quickly registered at Amyn's chalet and stayed indoors until the sun forgot about us and began its descent into the west.

Happy nucleus family :-)

The rooms were basic - they each had a queen-size bed, a bathroom, a flimsy desk, a chair, a ceiling fan and standing fan. Why two fans? Because it almost sweltered in the rooms during daylight. To make it worse, there were no windows. That translates into poor ventilation. A sweating baby is an uncomfortable baby; a crying baby means unhappy parents. Did I also mention that there were occasional power outages due to depleted diesel for the generators? No electricity means no fans.

Anyway, that evening, we crossed over to Long Beach, the west side of the island - a 10-minute walk along a trek across some shrubbery - to view the sunset and let Princess Balqis have her first experience swimming in the sea.

"Sea water tastes funny, Ayah!"

 There were many orang puteh sunbathing at Long Beach. With a windmill in the distance, the scene was like being in a foreign country. Too bad it was not a nudist beach.

DAY TWO

The main programme started on Day Two - a marathon snorkeling trip over five points, starting at 9am until 3pm.

I was eager to snap some underwater photography. In my unrestrained excitement, I foolishly dunked my Fujifilm X10 (wrapped in cheap sealer bag reinforced with cloth tape - don't laugh, it seemed plausible at that time) into the water to snap some pictures. I took two pictures before the screen fizzled out on me. %^&$!*

I was saddened by the loss but I didn't have time to wallow; I still wanted to snap some underwater pictures, so I rented an underwater camera for RM70 per day from an IT shop operated by some OA.

A waterproof camera in an waterproof casing.

The first snorkeling point was Turtle Point. When the boat came to a stop, the guide pointed to a flock of snorkelers following something underwater and said, "Turtles.". Honestly, that word was enough to get my attention. I immediately jumped into the sea and chased after the superstar. I unceremoniously left my wife on the boat with the baby - I was supposed to accompany her on her first snorkel!

I chased and chased after the turtle until I was able to stroke its shell. From a physiological POV, my fingers felt a mossy sensation from all the sea flora growing on the shell. From a psychological POV, I TOUCHED A TURTLE WOOHOO!!

Just like AC4: Black Flag.

The next point was Shark Point where we were supposed to see some sharks. We saw none. But at least, wifey gets to do some snorkeling.

After snorkeling for a few minutes, she forgot that I ditched her for a turtle.

The next point was Coral Point. There were some corals here; mostly dead ones. Some curious fishes. Standard snorkeling stuff.

Then, we took our lunch break at the fishermen village on Pulau Perhentian Besar. I saw a school, police station and a Klinik Desa on the island. Man, it must be cool to live and work on the island. Instead of rempit, you go island-hopping.

No, it's not a mamak stall.

We continued our adventure at the Diving Point. The guide stopped the boat at a mini lighthouse, stripped to his trunks and began climbing the lighthouse. Then, he jumped 15 metres into the sea. It looked fun! So, I thought, why not? 

Climbing up was uneventful but once at the top and looking down - and seeing how small the boat was - that was when I experienced a tinge of fear of heights. But before I had second thoughts, I jumped. 

The only thoughts going through my mind at that time was, "HOLY SHEEEEET IT'S A LONG TRIP DOWN! PLEASE LET ME HIT THE WATER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BEFORE I REACH TERMINAL VELOCITY!!"

I safely landed on my butt.

It was only when I was back on the boat that I realized that my knees were shaking with fear and adrenaline. Slightly tachycardic and nauseated, but otherwise conscious and enjoyed every moment of that leap of faith. Despite the excitement, I wasn't going to jump from anything for a long time.

The last point was Romantic Beach. A long strip of beach on Pulau Perhentian Kecil that has calm sea water, some corals and plenty of colourful fish. We snorkeled to our heart's content, knowing that this'll be the last snorkeling point for a long time.

The curious brown fish.

DAY THREE

We went back to Kuala Besut in the morning. It was a very enjoyable holiday and I'd recommend Pulau Perhentian to anyone considering a nice relatively isolated place to de-stress. I didn't buy souvenirs because I don't really believe in them. It's like saying, "I've been to this place; here's something to remind that you haven't been here."

* BTW the camera repairs costed RM385.

The Smartphone Lenses

Salam.

I recently dabbled in the arts of online purchases and a whole new world of wallet-burning opened up in front of me! Usually, I'm a bit suspicious when it comes to online transactions but seeing that I'm not getting any younger, I threw caution to the wind this one time.

I bought a set of smartphone lenses from Photojojo for USD49 (that's about RM150).

It was a fun purchase. Experiencing the whole process from payment to delivery was an eye opener. After online payment via debit card, the items are packed and then delivered from the US to Malaysia. The package tracker was an anxiolytic - I got to know where my package was at the moment; no need to wonder whether it was still in the US, or got lost over the Atlantic ocean. And in fifteen days (faster delivery means more expensive fee), I got my lenses.

The way they work is by sticking a metal ring over the camera lens. The lenses have magnetic rims, so they automatically attach to the metal ring - on any phone! The magnetic power of the lens is adequate to support the lens despite significant movement, and it's easily detached. I dunno about the effects on the smartphone innards but so far so good.. haha.

I've been using the lenses for a week (mainly the fisheye lens) and here's some of the pictures.

So I guess it's goodbye to the Lomo Fisheye camera?

The First Mobile Post

Salam.

I'm familiarizing myself with the Blogger android app. For those who expected an awesome post or something new to learn, know this:

The difference between ikan patin liar and ikan patin sangkar is the muddy smell when the latter is cooked.

New knowledge. Boom.

The Games of Life

Salam.

I'm already 3 months into the medical posting; only 1 more month to go. A lot has happened in that time; so, here's a long post to summarize what I've gone through.

I've covered periphery (which can be translated as long walks along the hospital corridors all day long while getting irritating calls from O&G for medical review before discharge); the CCU/ICU/HDW (where the lucky critically ill patients end up; the unlucky ones get the acute beds in the general ward); the MOPD (sitting down while seeing stable patients is fun!) and more interhospital transfers.

BFMP course - what fun!

TAGGERS

As I enter the second half of the posting, and as the seniors advance to other postings, and as first posters join the Medical Department, I get entrusted into the role of senior medical houseman.

Honestly, I still have a lot to learn - I have yet to master the basics of Internal Medicine and definitely am not qualified to guide - but seeing the way new housemen come into the ward: awkward, disoriented, stressed out, slow - it reminded me of how much I deperately needed guidance when I first arrived. And my seniors helped me. And so, like it or not, I had to teach the freshies. Nasib la kalau dapat silap ilmu - muahaha.

Foggy morning run is a blast in Temerloh.. at least, that's what I've heard.

My seniors said that I picked up fast for a first poster. But that's because I get scolded a lot, by various people. Sure, it's depressing to be called 'mangkuk ayun' in the middle of the night, but it's a blessing in disguise because I learned a lot from such incidents. Also, while it's good to learn from your own mistakes, it's better to learn from other people's mistakes.

MIDPOSTING ASSESSMENT

It's viva assessment by two specialists. They toss you two/three scenarios (emergency or clinic setting) and you answer. Simple.

Anyway I failed the first but passed the second one.

Shocked? I was, when my HOD summoned me to his room to deliver the bad news and ask whether I had personal problems that I would like to share.

I said no.

WORK

I'm getting more adjusted to this lifestyle. Getting scolded has become less frequent as new targets start to appear *insert cheeky smile here*. Work has become relatively less. Reviews has become faster (not as fast as some of my seniors). ABGs much simpler to take nowadays. I've set up femoral lines but have yet to muster the confidence to offer myself for femoral or IJC insertion.

Juniors commented that I was unapproacheable in the first two months. I've got to admit that's true - the stress of working made me focused and less attentive to my surroundings. Also, grumpy-looking. But now I'm able to approach the juniors and chat with them (whenever I get the free time lah).

So, to those who commented that I look happy, yes, I am happy :)

Oh, did I mention that gossiping with the nurses is done on a regular basis? It's fun to hear the antics of the previous HOs, MOs and even the HOD. The one thing I've learned throughout my working experience is: never, never ever mess with the nurses.

MARRIAGE

I'm just 3 months away from getting hitched.

Transferring patients does have its benefits.

I've settled the necessary papers, now it's just to get the clothes done and work to earn a decent, halal salary to fund the whole affair. I'm saving hard, skipping lunch or dinner at times (sometimes it's because I overslept, sometimes it's because I wanted to save money, sometimes it's because I got bored from Temerloh's lack of variety). I've yet to even buy my own home theatre system plus the PS3. Heck, I've yet to repair my RROD-ed Xbox 360.

And oh, since I started working, I haven't played a single game despite having Crysis installed on my gaming laptop. I don't know whether it's because 1) I'm subconsciously trying to fit into my adult shoes, or 2) playing instead of studying makes me feel guilty, or 3) Internal Medicine is so damn tiring.

No gaming craving for now.. until Gears of War 3 and Assassin's Creed 2 Revelations come out for the PC, that is.

MVA

I had a near-death experience a few days ago when I lost control of my vehicle (the family's 17-year-old  blue Proton Wira), hit the right divider, turned and crashed into the left divider and subsequently plowed the hilly roadside.

I suffered a cerebral concussion (LOC for a few seconds, I think), minor cuts here and there.. and that was about it.
 
I was lucky (Mom said that God still has purposes for me) but the Wira wasn't. It suffered severe damage to the engine, frame, and boot. The cost of repairing it was beyond its present value, so we decided to let it go.

It was like losing a friend - a friend of 17 years.



 

Taken with Yunus' Galaxy S2's native camera.

So long, my friend..