My Hospital is Famous

I was sure most KL folks had learned about the shroud on one of the windows of the North Tower o my hospital by now. It was in the news, and this being a Sunday, the place was packed.

I came a bit late for my morning rounds today but the crowd had already started coming in by 9 am. By the afternoon, it was fever pitch. I didn't have any patients in the afternoon and was only called in at about 6. I couldn't get to the car park.

I ended up having to walk about half a mile, parking my car at the roadside in SS 12. It was gridlocked. And the crowd wasn't exactly the forgoing type. I couldn't get through and decided just to walk.

It was still full at the moment even though it was already dark outside. I was just waiting for another scan to be reported, but otherwise I was just chilling in. I just managed to retrieve my car. No dents.

I would be on call again on Tuesday, another public holiday being Deepavali. It is going to be another nightmare day, unless somebody do something about it, or the Police would come over to watch over traffic.

Al Fatihah

Learned this morning that a dear friend and a former colleague passed away after some period of illness. He had a big scare a month ago, but recovered and we were optimistic than he would get better. Unfortunately that was not to be.

He was among the first few people who welcomed me when I first joined Universiti Malaya. An imposing fella, but a gentle giant deep down, he soon left for Germany to complete his PhD and further studies. He came back a few years back, and since then, I learned that he had been fighting diabetes.

He bounced back somewhat, but since the beginning of the year, he had not been well. Enough about that.

Prof Salem. Alfatihah. I would miss his quip about computers and gadgets. Even after I left UM, I still get the occasional emails or Facebook messages about tech. He had been updating his social media outlets until recently, but I only learned about the sad news this morning. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to attend his solat this morning as I learned about the news an hour too late.

It had certainly been a sad year for the Medical Department at UM. We had lost a couple of very capable Faculty Members. Alfatihah to both of you, and condolences to the family.

Capturing the Kolam

On Facebook, one of my friend had a whale of a time capturing Kolam around Bukit Bintang. These are etchings, or patterns created on the floor using chalk or more intricately coloured rice. They range from small ones at home to extravagant ones at shopping malls. The Hindus celebrating Deepavali next week, and around the malls in town, plenty were on display.

As I was with my boys and Anita, I did not have much time to explore. But the pattern at the Bukit Bintang entrance of Pavilion was spectacular. I heard that the one on the main lobby of Berjaya Times Square was also worth a visit.

A smaller one at Suria KLCCColourful and very elaborate, I wonder how long it take to get one done. Like dominoes, messing them up surely would not take much effort …..

Another Comeback

I was too tired to wait for the game last night. Kick off at 1.30 am, with on call tomorrow, I decided to go to bed early. I was asleep in front of the TV by 11, until my boys woke me up to get to bed just after midnight. I set the alarm to catch the second half. By the time I switched the TV back on, the score was already two nil. For Aston Villa. Oh dear!

Fixed myself a drink, just about the time Chicarito halved Villa lead. His first of three. Soon after came the equaliser, a deflection off Ron Vlaar off Chicaritos shot from the back post.

United then held the giant white of possession with van Persie hitting the crossbar twice in quick succession. Both could have gone in, but it was his night I supposed. But van Persie contributed an assist shortly after. His shipped free kick headed in expertly by Chicharito, out muscling his bigger marker to get at the end of the ball. Another comeback.

It looked like we had use up out comeback chip this early in the season. And this was without playing well. We didn't dominate games like we used to, and the midfield had yet to click properly. We were also meaning at the back at a staggering rate, with de Gea still struggling with crosses.

Looking forward to tomorrow night's game as well. It would be Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. It would be a sizzler. Hopefully I would be able to catch the game. I would be on call tomorrow.

Crocs for Idlan

We were about to leave Pavilion for the park when the heaven opened again. And it opened big time. Big enough that later that afternoon, SMART tunnel was closed. Luckily we passed through the tunnel half an hour before it was closed. Traffic was still smooth then, and there were no sign of flooding. Yet.

Anyhow, the change of plan as far as the park was concerned cost me money. Idlan had outgrown his last Croc, and wanted a new one. But we had a bit of an issue. The biggest children size was too small, and the smallest Junior size was too big.

We went for the bigger one and it looked like he would have to wear socks to fit in for the next few months. In terms of choice, the Croc shop at Pavilion proved disappointing. There was not much choice in terms of models, and they ran out on some of the sizes. For such a busy outlet, they should make provisions, or at least move to a bigger store. But well, who am I to tell them how to do their business. At least, they had enough staff to cope with the number of customers.