Short Getaway to Singapore

This short trip was the badly needed break. Work had been stressful since February and I felt like I was about to break down. Note to self - need to take breaks once in a while.

When I told LC the good news that my leave was approved, the first thing that she asked was, what do I want to do in Singapore and my standard answer is anything also can. So, I left it in her good hands to plan the whole trip. Somehow it ended up as non-stop eating from the moment I touched down till the day I left. Hahaha.

Food picture overload. You've been warned.

I took Malindo airlines from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on Labour Day. There was bad weather in Singapore and my flight was delayed about 20 minutes as the plane circled around Singapore trying to land. With all the accidents happening to planes, I was just glad to reach my destination in one piece.

It was funny how LC couldn't really recognise me as I waved at her after passing customs. Has it been that long? We couldn't stay to catch up that long at the airport as we had to rush to the Japanese buffet booked for 6.30pm at Ikoi Japanese Restaurant.

Ikoi Japanese Restaurant, Hotel Miramar

The place was packed. Luckily LC made a booking earlier or else we wouldn't have the opportunity to dine here. I don't think the hotel guests even have the chance to have their dinner here. Off we go to order.

California and Salmon skin Temaki (handrolls) with a pot of complimentary fish soup. The ingredients were really fresh and tastes delicious.

Itadakimasu! Place was a bit cram but somehow the waiters and waitresses were experts in arranging and clearing out plates.

From ebi tempura, breadcrumb ebi, grilled salmon, chawan mushi, tomato bacon maki, tonkatsu, salmon and tuna sushi, to 2 big plates of sashimi. I really love the sashimi especially the salmon and octopus sashimi. Price for the buffet is just below SGD 50 after including taxes and charges. Highly recommended.

Day 2
I spend most of the morning hibernating as I didn't have the chance to hibernate properly previously. Poor LC had to go to work while I caught up with my beauty sleep. Hahaha. This is the life, starting my day waking up just in time for lunch.

This day was all about shopping and eating. We made our way to Jurong East Station where there are three malls for us to shop.

Dian Xiao Er, Jurong East

Anyone who walks into this restaurant much try their duck. It was well seasoned with herbs and the sauce was delicious. I could just eat the sauce with rice and be satisfied.

Stir fry mushrooms. Just realised that adding ginger to the mushrooms can make it taste much better. Part of dining out is to learn how to improve my own cooking.

Steamed fish - I really love this dish. The fish meat was not overcooked and there was a dash of Chinese wine with small pieces of pork and bamboo shoot. If only I can replicate this at home.

Guai Ling Gou - bitter herbal jelly eating with honey. Known to be good for the skin.

After refueling, it was time for intensive shopping. I won't disclose how much money was spent during this shopping therapy.

Sailormoon soft toy! I want!

Dinner at Miam Miam

Miam Miam has branches in Gurney Paragon, Penang and One Utama too. I just had to find LC all the way in Singapore to visit this restaurant. Sometimes it's the company.

Two shopaholics

Miam Miam's chef recommendation. Highly recommended.

Look at the size of the plate! Luckily we ordered to share. Highlight of the place is the desserts. Remember to save some space for that.

Can't wait to dig in

I have never expected french toast to be that good. Best french toast that I have ever tasted. Must order!

Pancake - again, managed to impress me.

Poured the syrup and divided to share.

JEM shopping mall, one of the malls we did our shopping at.

Day 3
I have a really funny story to tell. It is so funny that I will remember this for life.

Lunch at Peperoni

Queuing up

LC is in love the pizza here. She was telling me that the salmone flavour was the best and she couldn't eat enough of the pizza as it was that good. She confidently ordered the largest size which was 21" and even told me that she's ordered the same size the last time she was here. I actually suspected something was amiss when the waitress moved us to a larger table after we placed that order as she said the small table will not be enough to fit the pizza. Hmmmm

5 ways to eat pizza. I can tell you now that I actually had to use all 5 ways this time.

The culprit! I'll let her enjoy her drink first.

When the pizza arrived, you have no idea how big was the shock and how big my eyes were. It was as big as the small table. No wonder we had to change table. We ordered half Salmone and another half Prosciutto Crudo di Parma (Parma ham with rocket salad).

As you can see, the pizza was that delicious that we managed to finish the whole thing. I was glad that the crust was very crunchy and thin. Or else I would have raised my white flag a long time ago. This story will be passed from one generation to the next. Moral of the story, never let the pizza enthusiast order the largest pizza.

Time for some serious exercise as LC told me she booked a buffet for dinner. I know, we're crazy.


Alive Museum
Lots of photo shooting sessions and posing! The photos did come out nicely but you have no idea how physically challenging to get some of the effects. Very good arrangement for us to burn as much calories before dinner.

I totally feel like this after that pizza.

Save me Charlie Chaplin!

Trying Michael's anti-gravity lean but not very successful.

Off to save the world with the penguins

Attacked by zombies

Tadah! Ran away to join the circus

Luckily this boat didn't sink with the weight of two of us.

2 pieces of me

Naughty jumbo

Up!

Stencil elephant

Many many more fun photos

Dedicated to my dentist friends. The traditional way of teeth pulling.

Enjoying the view of the fountain of wealth for almost 2 hours after our workout at Alive Museum. Hopefully I've absorbed enough essence from this fountain to be wealthy.

International Buffet at Amara International Hotel

It was my first time trying so many different types of shell fish. There were spider crab, Atlantic crab, oysters, prawns, lobsters. Ended my meal with macaroon and cheese cake.

That's the end of my trip to Singapore. Thanks LC for entertaining me and leaving unforgettable memories. Now to start my exercise and diet. Note to self - not to check cholesterol levels for at least 6 months.

Weekend food outing

It's been ages since I last went for intensive shopping and food hunting. PL invited me to go on a special mission last weekend and the food was an added bonus. Can't mention what was the special mission. Hahaha.

Imperial Chinese Cuisin, Prangin Mall
Who would have known that there was such a nice Chinese restaurant hidden in the lower ground floor of Prangin Mall. The last time I went there, the whole place looked run down. This little gem is a very nice surprise thanks to my new friend D. The prices were affordable too. We ordered 4 dishes and a soup and it came up to only RM30+ per person. By the way, there wasn't any service tax. So, it was only the 6% GST.

Soup of the day - Boiled groundnuts with pork rib soup

Very flavorful. Have you had the sensation that you've forgotten that you've missed something until you've had it. That feeling just hit me when I had my first mouthful of the soup. Delicious! 

Two types of Kai Lan

Still trying to figure out how green leafy vegetables be that crunchy.

Butter Prawns

Worth all the hype about it. It's my first time trying the moist type of butter prawns and it is recommended. I would love to try the other types of prawn dishes the next time. 

 Three type of steamed egg

I was wondering how many types of eggs are there. Got my answer after digging in. It's a combination of salted egg, century egg and fresh egg. Very unique. Would order again.

Claypot pork with salted fish sauce

The sauce is just addictive especially when mixed with rice. Not bad.

After refueling our stomachs and chatting for almost 2 hours.....finally, we started out special mission. Hahahaha. Won't give away what we had to do.

Almost at the top flood of Prangin Mall, we were attracted to the lovely aroma of Thai food. 

Papaya salad in the making 

 Papaya Salad

This reminds me so much of my trip to Thailand. This version is much spicier than the ones that I've had in the past. My friends preferred the mango kerabu though.

Back to special mission.......then pit stop at Gloria Jeans Coffee.

Hot chocolate and chocolate cake

Somehow I felt that the hot chocolate tasted a bit weird. Can be improved. 

 Rainbow cake

If only the taste was as nice as the colours. A reminder that looks can be deceiving.

Fast forward to dinner at Sri Pinang Foodcourt

 Hokkien Mee aka Penang Prawn Mee

Missed this a lot! If only I can get nice Hokkien mee near my place.

Char Kuey Teow

Missed this dish too! I'm already satisfied after having this. 

Grilled French Beans

How can beans taste that nice. Must be the seasoning. 

 Fried Lala

The sauce was very unique. There's curry powder, curry leave, sweet and spicy all mixed into it. Makes one wanting to go back for more.

 Grilled Fish

One of the nicest grilled fish that I've had in my life. The spices really brings out the flavour.

Visiting PL's two new baby guinea pigs

Awwwww.....so cute! 

Coconut Palm Wine

Didn't know that Malaysia produces wine. I'm not a good wine critique but I can finish one bottle myself.

Thanks PL, D and RY for such a wonderful outing! Too bad I had to leave the group earlier as I was working the next day. Luckily could wake up when my alarm went off.

Looking forward to the next adventure.

Essential from one's prespective

Many hoped that it was going to be an April fools joke including myself but it's here finally - Goods and Service Tax.

There were many reassurances given by ministers that essential items will not be taxed. However, I wondered if there were any ladies in that committee deciding the list.

The thing that really irritates me is that sanitary pads are subjected to the 6% GST! What nonsense is this? It's like we're punished for this normal menstrual cycle that allowed mankind to repopulate. If we can't afford to keep ourselves hygienic during our monthly cycle with sanitary pads, what are we suppose to use?

Those who are savvy and rich enough would have stocked up on their supply. But sooner or later we'll run out and can't escape from this GST. Those of you who have light and short duration of period can start counting how much money you would have saved. Times have just gotten tougher to be a girl.

I propose that there should be a regular review of the items included in the taxation. I hope that Malaysian women will get their voices heard and not be bullied with this new taxation system.

Conscientious

Too little conscientiousness. That's what happening at our workplaces nowadays. Add in the assumptions. Now that's the best recipe to kill off any respect.

When I received the invitation letter as a speaker today, not only was my marital status changed but a new surname (which also implied that my religion was changed too) was given to me. I really salute the effort put into creating a whole new identity. Maybe I should just let this imaginary speaker do all the hard work.

People's reaction? Some started laughing, some got angry. I can understand that because such an absurd thing can happen. Maybe if there wasn't that much fear or religious polarisation going on, I would have been amused. Yet I felt insulted and feared that rumours will start.

It isn't hard to be conscientious. My full name isn't a secret. All it takes is a little extra effort.

Missing Fish and Chips

My cravings for fish and chips didn't just come out of the blue. It was triggered by seeing a photo of fish and chips while surfing Facebook.

I was in luck that I'd arranged to meet Pei Lian for lunch today. There's no fish and chip in Kulim but luckily there's Manhattan Fish Market at Sunway Carnival Mall. So, I get to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

 Fish and Chips at Manhattan Fish Market, Sunway Carnival Mall

So satisfied! It's been too long since I'd ordered fish and chips. Somehow didn't get any cravings previously. Plus it's so difficult to get good fish and chips. Nothing beats the original fish and chips from the UK.

Scanning through my memories, there are a few places where I really remembered eating my fish and chips.

Llandudno

Having my dose of fish and chips at Conwy Castle. Best peas that I've tasted.

It was that good that I even brought my parents there for round 2

 One of the best moments in Llandudno - having fish and chips by the promenade

 Isle of Sky:

 Fish and chips during one of the road trips north

Black Country Living Museum

Fish and Chips at Hobbs and Sons Fish & Chips shop within the museum. Look at the size of that fish!

Apologies if anyone feels hungry after reading this post. Malaysian fish and chips can never beat UK. Anyone up for trip to the UK just to have fish and chips?

Blog revived after so long

Procrastination somehow led to the urge to start blogging again, like how I used to procrastinate from revision and ended up composing blog posts. I wonder if anyone even read blogs nowadays. Hahaha. Working life is so much different as compared to student days. Free time is a luxury no longer a right.

Work has been getting busier and busier. Gone were the days where I had time to give teaching to my staff and spend more time talking to patients. The number of patients has doubled if not tripled as compared to last year. Maybe this can serve as a very sensitive indicator to the economic situation - the more the number of patients, the worse the country's economy is performing. 

Points to support this include:
1. Lower spending power leads to switching from private GPs and hospitals to government as nothing beats RM1 per visit to the doctor plus supply of medication. This is true as so many patients bring medications that they've been getting from private and asking if they can get them from my clinic. Sadly, most of them are listed under specialist prescription only or not even available.
2. Economy slowing down means more jobs will be cut leading to higher stress levels and less care for health and subsequently falling ill to acute or chronic illnesses in the long run. More requests for medical certificates, application for welfare, SOCSO, insurance claims, younger patients with non-communicable diseases, etc. I'm not sure how the productivity of existing employees will be affected if suddenly there is a need to work harder to cover the jobs of employees who has been fired. One can argue that factories can increase automation but can they afford to upgrade that quickly?

Speaking about medical certificates, I feel that reward should be given for employees who has been able to take good care of their health and well being with less than 5 days of sick leave taken in a year. This will encourage more awareness of one's health and discourage people from seeking MC from the poor doctor. Why do I say poor doctor? No one empathises with the doctor if any patient hurls threats, verbal abuse and sometimes physical abuse when being denied of an MC. Sometimes I hoped that there will be a clear guideline issued by any authority be it the Malaysian Medical Council or the Ministry of Health on the issuance of MC so that we can protect ourselves. I've seen so many actors and actresses even as young as teenagers who deserves the Oscars for amount of effort put into getting and MC. Other who are not as talented revert to threats. Sometimes as the only female doctor in the consultation room, I fear for my own safety. I try to overcome this problem by requesting for an assistant but due to shortage of staff, it is a luxury to have an assistant/chaperone/safety measure at all times. Maybe it is my fault for not being more firm on this decision. Nowadays, due to the pressure of seeing so many patients in such little time, minimising the risk to oneself, giving up, whatever you call it, I've decided to just close one eye or even both eyes and just issue that MC. It doesn't help when patients' complaints are being held in so high regard nowadays and opinion of the attending doctor over-ridden easily.

Does anyone feel irritated by frequent news on excessive doctors? It is so different on the ground level. Patients visiting government health care are increasing rapidly and yet the number of posts for doctors remain the same and revision of these posts do not occur frequent enough. The visitors to my clinic a year back never had to worry about finding a seat to wait. Nowadays, the number of standing patients are quickly outnumbering the number of seats available. Short term measure - increase the number of seats. Mid term measure, increase floor area to fit more chairs. Long term measure - increase the number of doctors and health care support staff. Sorry for being so sarcastic.

I always tried my best to provide sufficient counselling so that my patient understand their disease and take appropriate measures to manage it properly. In the long term, this will reduce their number of visit and of course complications. However, I am reaching the point of giving up as patients come barging into the consultation room too frequent to complain that they've waited too long. I don't want to adopt the 'Touch n Go' approach but seems like there's not much of a choice. I look forward to the day when primary care can adopt the appointment based system.