birthday reflection

Birthday. That was 28years ago. Spontaneous vaginal delivery with epidural anaesthesia.

Birthdays. Almost every year having it.
Somehow I got sick of this yearly celebration some few years back.

I know it isn't a norm for someone to hate his own birthday.
Well, I don't.
I just don't get too excited over it.

When I was small, my birthday was usually a big fanfare and all. My parents would organize birthday parties every year, which I had no memory of (possible sign of early brain atrophy). I am not excited so much being the star of the party but I hard know anyone back then, except somewhere at the back of my mind, they're all related to me. Somehow we all share the same blood lines, our antibodies doesn't vary much. Nonetheless, I am happy for those birthdays, it meant a lot to my parents. Those birthdays marked my process of growing up, and now I am all grown up.

Secondly, if you know me well enough, I am very bad with dates, especially birthdays. I mean remembering them. And when my friends remember my birthday, wishing me and celebrating with me, I sort of felt rather guilty that I can't remember theirs. In return, I don't feel quite right during my birthday. Yeah, I know. Things doesn't really work this way. For me, it does, sometimes.

Thirdly, I don't think I done too much on that day, 28 years back. Basically, my mom was the one risking her life, and used all her energy to bear down, and delivered me vaginally. Talking about the delivery, she made it sound effortless and painless as she was on epidural, but no matter what, she's the one who should be celebrated for today, not me. Nonetheless, my close friend back in Uni did pointed out to me that it is my presence that worth the celebration on that day. Maybe she's right.

Anyway, contrary to going out for recreational drug, booze, party and wild sex (which is prohibited given my current family and work condition), from this year onwards, perhaps, I will religiously reflect on this day, how had I lived my life in that 1year back.

A life not examined is not worth living.

Someone said that before. I sort of forgotten who said it. Maybe it is from the movie. Just, maybe. Or could it be from Socrates.

I guess with this reflection, I may just as well begin to love my birthday.
A day, I count my achievement, my joy and my blessings. Nothing beats blessings.

Personal

Last year, end of july, I was involved in a traffic accident. It was a car vs motorbike accident, with the post-call me behind the steering wheel. Luckily, the motorcyclist wasn't hurt badly, or else my guilt would have kill me. Sort of reminds me of my junior who passed away due to highway accident. Note to self - never ever drive post call without influence of caffeine.

During this year's Chinese New Year, I learnt how to play Cheh Ling and involved in the pork-poking session.

Around march, I moved to this domain for several reasons, mainly because this blogspot is simply great!!

There were sad moments, too.

Farewell to my Bro Paul, my beloved principal, retiring.

and also farewell to Michael Jackson, the pop king who is and always will be a major influence on my childhood entertainment.

And lastly, today, I got to see the 2nd partial eclipse of my life, and it is on my birthday. Now, who is going to top that. Hah. It was pretty hazy initially, but the haze sort of thinned out, and got to see the eclipse, together with my dearest.

I swear, in this lifetime, if I had enough bucks and enough annual leave, I am definitely going to the place with full eclipse. At least once in my lifetime.

Romance

As with my dearest, just early last month, this is the first time, I brought her along, to my conference trip. Not that I had a lot of those trips, anyway. But true enough, Sabah is a place worth visiting, re-visiting and re-visiting. White water rafting and SCUBA diving there was a truly worthwhile experience.

Besides that, we got over 2 major obstacles, and the details of those obstacles would be P&C. Private and confidential.

We also attended our first church wedding - Gil & Casey's, and I am really happy to see a lot my friends joining in holy matrimony soon, as of after this month, the wedding season is BACK!!

Not forgetting what my dearest wrote of me... for my birthday.

在我傷心的時候，給我愛的抱抱；
在我任性的時候，給我無比寬容；
在我迷糊的時候，給我指示明燈；
有你，真好！

Friends

Now that my department got back a bit of strength, I was able to get back Penang more often and joined more activities by Wei Pin and the gang - the getting fit part (hiking and all), and the getting fat part (eating and all).

It is just so nice to get back in touch with them.

As of my medical pals, kalyanamittas, old friends and new friends scattered all around our 1malaysia and beyond, I am glad we're able to keep in touch in cyberspace through blogs and mostly, Facebook.

not this Facebook

Family

Before the end of 2008, Aedan went all wild and flirty.



Around March, Aedan went water-borne. Not entirely.

Mid April this year, I organized first family trip to Taiping zoo, follows by the visit to local aquarium.

As for Aedan's birthday, it was a simple celebration and Aedan got his first Caricature potrait.

Month of May, everything was falling apart. My dearest's beloved gma had urinary tract infection with severe electrolyte imbalance and my dearest down with Chikungunya - at the same time. It was my first time sleeping on the hospital floor (with carpet), as I found the chair rather ergonomically-challenged. Luckily, everyone is well and all healthy now. For once, I'd really help if everyone put away the wrongful thoughts of 'people usually go into hospital because their severely sick and due to severity of the illness, they won't make it'. Get real, man.

Passion

With time, experience and knowledge grew. That is expected of myself (in that matter, anyone), and I swear my hospy is a bloody good learning ground full of excitement.

August 2008, I was there, my first case of cord prolapse, and she progressed to deliver vaginally without any maternal or neonatal morbidity.

And few months back, March 09, I C-sectioned a lady with foot prolapse. Scary experience.

My surgical skills, although still pretty lame (this is true, not a humble statement), progressed further under the tutelage of Dr. M and Dr. J. Got a touch of doing hysteroscopy, cerclage, hysterectomy and amateur laparoscopics. Beside that in the everything-gone-wrong month of May, I got myself into a surgical complication after ERPOC, which I believe I will remember for life. Of course not forgetting, my Anaest colleagues who supervised my spinals.

Dr H. provided guidance in completion of my first research study write up, which was published in MJOG, Malaysian Journal of O&G. Not something worth being so 'kembang' about as it was poster presentation in OGSM congress, therefore by default, it's in.

I was pretty thrill that I nailed the March paper.

And shortly after, I was blessed to have the approval from HOD to go for the timely long-awaited Paeds NICU 1-month attachment. And like I said, my hospy is a bloody good learning ground full of excitement, and I just couldn't thank Paed Specialists and colleague enough for their hospitality and teachings.

Along the year that was, my HOD got admitted into IJN, but now already recuperating well, and all ready to go and hunt a few tigers. And along with his absence in leading the team, 'falling apart' would probably best describe the departmental running during that season, from the bottom up. Frankly-speaking, I was emotionally pretty tired and fed up, probably silently holding up situational vulgarities.

Beginning of the year, I was put to take care of the kids in the house - the house officers. It was not an easy thing, not because the HOs were crappy, but simply because i create my own headache as I was aiming to be as fair as possible and there were too many intruding 'suggestions' to my management. But still, I survived and as for now, my kids were holding up the system pretty well.