Me, diarrhea and food poisoning

Diarrhea. Its happening again tonight. I have lost count on how many times I had this “frequent loose or liquid bowel movements”. I just had it last week, and today its repeating again. Its just so uncomfortable.

The doctor that I met previously told me its totally my fault. I was asking for treatment, instead, he gave me a lecture. Eheh! It was me who chose to have my meal at an unknown stall or restaurant. It is very clear that the owner is running the business for profit. So, they might or they might not give a damn on cleanliness, not to mention on healthy issue.

I don’t know since when my flabby tummy became so sensitive to this type of food. I mean food that we can get at the stall and restaurant. I am “warung” guy, and I used to hang out at any stall or restaurant for my lunch or dinner. I guess, since last 2 years I start to have this “sensitive” issue, but I never gave a bother on it. Until last August 2007, I had the worst food poisoning ever in my life.

It was on Malaysia’s 50^th Independence Day when that incident happened. It was Friday after the prayer, and I went to buy my lunch at this restaurant, which earlier at the morning I also bought my breakfast at this stall next to the restaurant. For no reason, I started feeling dizzy and sweating like I am having a heavy exercise. At the moment I’ve done my order, I couldn’t stand any longer. I grabbed a chair and had my head laid on the table. Seconds after that, I started to vomit out everything inside me. It was painful.

Thanks God, I am lucky enough it happened just few meters from my parents’ house.

My brother and his friend had to carry me from the restaurant to the car and to the clinic. I really cant feel my feet stands on the ground, like my bones have turned into jelly. And I couldn’t make major move, as I will start to vomit if I did. And every time I opened my eyes, I will see things in front of me, flying all over the place.

The doctor said I had food poisoning. Maybe because of the breakfast that I had earlier. With two injections on my butt, I was drugged and I slept like a baby the whole evening. It took 3 days for me to fully recover from the sickness.

I wish that incident not to happen again, on me or anybody in my family.

But, have I learnt anything?

Base on today’s incident, I guess I am not. :)

Parit Buntar in memory (2)

Sungai Kerian at morning. Lovely.

15 February 2008

It’s the first day of the event and we were kind of excited to be in the exhibition. As early at 8 am, three of us already gathered at the PBI’s café (cum lobby) for our breakfast and by 8.30 am, off we move to the exhibition field.

Sigh! It was empty and nobody was there, except for few local people having their morning exercise.

Nevertheless, Tini, Dayang and I brought all the materials to our appointed booth, and again we were in dilemma; should we start to unpack the materials and setup the booth, while our “neighbors” were still not around? We were also not sure where our booth was.

Until one representative from K-Perak confirmed our booth position, then we start to prepare all the materials. Accompanied by Amir UK’s songs, we were in our melancholic mood to get our booth ready. And then how we start to tease out Zaaim via SMS on Parit Buntar, his hometown. Sorry Zaaim, we got nothing to do.

Then, the rest of the day activities you can read from Dayang’s blog.

Post mortem

Dayang was so frustrated until she cried. Aahah!

If I might say, the exhibition was not a failure in total, as we already being informed that the visitors are the people of Kerian, which could vary from kids to old folks. And what has been discussed among us that day is our approach and strategy. I think we are lacking of strategy in making our exhibition to be more successful.

Tini, Dayang and me have come out with a “check list” to be done for any exhibition, and on top of that, we have to strategize with best approaches depends on the target people, location, etc. For example, approaches in Career Fair at UiTM should not be used in event like we had in Parit Buntar. In UiTM, we might be able to sit at our booth and we can expect people to drop by and looking for details from you. But in event like we had in Parit Buntar, that approach might not working.

I like the idea of what our neighbor did that day. There were ladies from Celcom’s booth, taking the initiative to move around the exhibition area and pass their brochures to the people, instead of just sitting at their booth and waiting for rakyat of Parit Buntar to come. I found that the approach is good to implement, and its actually works.

So, I tried to apply the same method. I went to this “makan” booth and have a chit chat with the owner. I showed her my interest on her product, “dodol cempedak”, which is actually nothing new. The different is only she used microwave to prepare that traditional “kueh”. I tried to be more modest, and make a friendly conversation. And few minutes after that, we start to be more comfortable and the talk led to why am I in Parit Buntar that day.

Nah! Then I started to explain her on SPIKE. She was like confuse, but immediately she pointed to her sisters at the back.

“Haaa.. dorang ni sesuai kot!”

Her sisters who were helping her that day are students from USM. They are graduating in April, so they are actively looking for jobs . I explained them about SPIKE and they showed some interest on the program. And at afternoon, another friend of the sisters came and request for more brochures and forms. Well, I cant assure that they will come and join us, but at least we can give a hope that the girls will separate to their friends about this program.

Above all, we really need to sit down and strategize our approach on these kind of activities. Or, if we already have it, we should share among SEV team members as every each of us should have the same understanding.

And, thanks to Tini and Dayang, as well as Rizal and 2 SPIKERS (Razlan and Farezal). Sorry for not being able to stay until end of the exhibition days. You guys did a good job. Well done.

Parit Buntar in memory (1)

On Tuesday, 12 Feb 2008, Dayang told me that Susan from K-Perak request SEV to join an exhibition somewhere in Parit Buntar, starting from Friday until Sunday. It was a very short notice to us, but looking at this event could be a good opportunity for our program’s recruitment, I said to Susan it should be okay. The program is actually an awareness program about ICT conducted by K-Perak and has been executed for number of time, and this round the target is to the citizen of Parit Buntar.

I asked Susan about the tentative of the program.

“Susan, can you brief me on the program tentative?”

“Hmm.. I have not received the updated tentative, but basically there will have this, that, this, that, Karaoke, dancing performance…”

“Ok”

What? Karaoke? Dancing performance? In an ICT awareness program?

Then, I start to be skeptical on bringing SEV to this event. I am looking that this could be a waste of time. The activities listed seem not in synch with the event objective. I just want to say NO, but it would be inappropriate to tell that to Susan, especially when Susan told that the request is actually came from Dato’ Yaacob.

So, Dayang and I have to work out on the event.

On the 14th, Dayang, Tini and me drove up to Parit Buntar, but drop by at PTTC for some activities with the new SPIKERS. For record, I drove the company’s car, Nissan Sentra. Ahahah! That’s my first long distance driving with other than Proton or Perodua products.

We reached Parit Buntar at almost 8 pm, and we checked in at Parit Buntar Inn (PBI). The hotel’s amenities are acceptable, except for the water pressure in the bathroom. You really have to be like a lizard, sticking to the wall to get the water drops on you from the shower. Sigh!

Then, before we went out for dinner, we passed by the event’s location which is just 200 meters form PBI. There’s actually nothing been prepared, except few tents have been setup earlier.

To be continued….

Tuah

Tuah.
I don’t know his full name, until today. The only things that I know about him are;

• he is my “dua pupu”. I don’t know what the word in English is. Is it “second cousin”? Basically, his mother and my mother are cousins, as my grandfather and his grandfather are brothers.
• He is the second from 5 of his siblings
• He is one year older than me
• He is married but I don’t know when was it
• He stays somewhere in Cheras

That’s all. That’s all about Tuah that I know. I used to have a chat with him, maybe it was 7-10 years ago. I rarely met him compared to his younger brother, Johan, which both of us went to UUM for our degree back in late 90s. I will definitely meet Johan or his younger sisters, Nino and Mek, usually during Aidilfitri. But not Tuah, neither the eldest among them, abang Mus.

So, I cant write much about him.

But today (in fact, since yesterday) he already left his siblings. He left his parents, Acik Ju and Acik Bahrin. Sadly, he also left his wife which he married since 6 years ago, which now is carrying their first child in her womb.

Sigh.

Tuah now is in another “world”. He passed away yesterday’s evening. He had an accident while riding his bike for work. He died immediately at the incident scene. Not much details that I know, but it is believed that he had a hard damaged internally.

To Tuah’s family, please accept our condolence.

Al-Fatihah.

English and me (2)

So, I am still talking about English. :)

One of methods that I use to improve my vocabulary is by our daily communication. While communicates, we might heard people use words that you rarely hear and you might or you might not understand the meaning. If you could, pause the conversation and ask the person the meaning of the word. Then you will get an instance answer.

But, if you feel not comfortable in that way, as you might found its impolite or, in my case, its like "dropping my water face" to ask meaning of words in the middle of conversations (eheheh.. perasan bagus), I will memorize the words. Then back at home/office, I'll find my dictionary or most of the time I'll check in Microsoft Words on the meanings.

Hmmm.. I am promoting Ms Words here!

And it shouldnt end there. Try to use that words again in your writings or conversations. Gradually, you will use that word automatically without noticing it.

Sometimes, its not necessary you learn the new words in your own conversation. You might found situations where you were alone, and there are people around you talking in English. I always did this while waiting for my turns at counters (banks, post office., etc). You might call it busy body, but it just I have nothing to do. Eheh!

And it could be very funny too when you hear people for being overexcited talking in English. This is base on my experience sometime ago, when I was in wet market (Pasar Sentul) for my shopping.

There was a couple, I believe a husband and wife, besides me at this one stall. The wife was selecting and picking the fishes, while the husband just stand at her side. Then, the wife asked the stall owner;

"Ehh.. this fish new one ah?"

"Ya laa.. all new what.. no ice one"

"Sure ah? How much?"

"3.50 dollar per kilo"

"Aiyyaaa.. so expensive ahh? 3 dollar enough laaaa.."

And at this point of time, the husband interrupted the bargaining session. Looking at her wife, he said,

"Ehhh.. 3 dollar still expensive la.. you know, 1 dollar today equals to 3.80 ringgit malaysia. 3 dollar means more than 10 ringgit. Mahal wooo..."

Warghahahahah! I cant stop myself of laughing at the couple, especially to the husband of making joke on his wife. Indeed, the husband was talking on fact, that a dollar is no equivalent to one ringgit. Its a two different amount (at that time).

Lesson learned, not all words can be translated to English! :)