Selamat Hari Raya

Midnight stroll at the hospital main lobbyNot much of a celebration for our household this time around. I didn’t even have the time to join my Mum for Qurban at her local surau like I did last year. Spend the morning at the hospital with my Dad-in-law, taking my Mum-in-law there, picking up Anita who spend the night there. I got there after things were sorting out at home, Dad had been reviewed by the on call Medical Officer and his blood taken for the day. Anita had just had her breakfast when I turned up with the boys. They were clearly missing her. She did as well.  We also brought with us some home-cooked meal for Dad. He clearly appreciated that, and finish the whole dish in double quick time.

Lunchtime!After Dad finished his meal, Anita took the boys down for lunch while I waited around. Dad was pretty happy with how things went on. He was clearly apprehensive with the proposed angiogram.  He was clearly expecting the worst, based on what he went through in IJN a few years back. He said the worst pain he had was when the catheter was in. He felt the sensation of somebody putting their hands in his belly and  swirling things around. It was not pain, but the sensation was hard to describe and was very unpleasant. Then came the time when they had to remove the line from his right groin, that was really painful as well. This time around the procedure was very bearable. There were none of the uncomfortable pain in his tummy. Yesterday afternoon when my colleague Dr Zul Helmi removed the line from his groin,  there was hardly any pain. He was gritting his teeth for it.  After the line was removed, he had to lie flat for about six hours. This was to prevent any sudden change in pressure causing bleeding at the side of the procedure.  He finally get to move around in his room at 10 pm last night after the whole day lying on his back. He was damn bored then.

Another problem he had was, due to the fact that he needed plenty of fluids to protect his kidney from the effect of the contrast used for the angiogram, he was put on IV drip. Therefore, he spend most of the evening passing urine. The room was really cold as well from the air-conditioning, which did not help. The important thing was, he had plenty of sleep last evening, clearly a sign that he was settled. I bet, he did not have much sleep in the last week, worrying about what might happen. We left for home, minus my Mum-in-law soon after lunch, stopping at Jaya Jusco on the way home. We had a nap in the afternoon before joining my Mum in Bukit Antarabangsa for an early dinner. While we were away, a few of our cousins came over to visit my Dad-in-law at the hospital. At least they weren’t that lonely on this Hari Raya. As for me, I gave the Qorban and the food a miss for this year. What’s important was my Dad has been sorted. No more chest pain and breathlessness I hope.

Angiogram Day

Today was the day. My Dad-in-law was admitted yesterday as planned for his angiogram today. He was first on the list, and Anita came UMMC with me to be with her Dad.

Alhamdulillah, everything went according to plan. He had his bypass surgery back in 2004 - the reason why I came back to Malaysia. A couple of weekend back, he felt a slight discomfort in his chest and I got him checked out at my Casualty. It turned out that it was an attack of angina.

During angiogram, we found out that one of his grafted blood vessel for his calf was blocked. Since the vessel was a graft, opening it with a balloon may be risky - it may rupture the vessel all together. Prof Wan, the Cardiologist decided to go for a stent instead. It was successfully deployed and my Dad is currently in the ward recuperating. It will likely be another couple of days before he would be discharged. There will be modification to his medications and his lifestyle needed. Well, he is 75 after all.

After the procedure, he needed to lie flat for the rest of the day. He seemed to be coping at the moment - he had his lunch. Anita was in the room as well keeping him company. I was at work, but I think the afternoon will be quiet, so I can hang around as well. For the record, me and the family would like to extend our gratitude not just to Prof Wan, but to my colleague, Dr Zul Hilmi and Houseman Dr Nadia, as well as the staffs of the Cardiology Ward 4U.

Sheraton Langkawi

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of evenings at Westin Langkawi, at the edge of Kuah town. The weekend just passed, I got to spend another weekend in Langkawi again, but this time it was on its sister hotel - since Westin was owned by Sheraton - Sheraton Langkawi.

It was very clear that the concept was very different. This was more for a couple looking for a get away, enjoying the beach and what it has to offer. Westin was more for those on a business, or couldn’t decide if they want a conventional or a secluded stay. Sheraton was only 10 minutes drive from the airport, so getting to Pekan Kuah - like we did for dinner on the evening I arrived, took a 30 minutes bus ride.

Rather than one big complex that we did in Westin, the hotel was mainly a central lobby building with the conference centre and main restaurants and swimming pool next to it, and patrons stayed in smaller buildings by the see. The hotel provided us with electric buggy rides to hop between the lobby and the rooms as it involved negotiating steep inclines. The rooms were in group of about 10 - very comfortable. Mine was overlooking the main swimming pool, where the party took place and bars were situated. So, I left the the balcony door open for the sea breeze to come in when I slept at night, and I was still hearing the singing at 1 am in the morning. I didn’t mind that though and there were no mosquitoes as well, which was useful.

The rooms were nice and cosy, with a small balcony. The bathroom was spacious but there did not have proper pipe for cleaning oneself - not very Moslem-friendly I mean. Shower was OK but nowhere as nice as the one at Westin. The bed were comfortable but the TV only had limited channels. I had to go to the bar to watch the ManYoo game on the Saturday. The food was OK, but again Westin was better. We had an outdoor grill on the Saturday evening by the pool, but the only grill on offer was lamb and the rest of the dish were covered with an inch thick oil. One really could do with a sprinkling of statins.

Walking around, the view was not as great as the Westin, even though the sunset and sunrise was spectacular. I learned that the facilities for kids in terms of nursery and activities was pretty good. However since the whole place was hilly, getting from the room to the lobby can be a challenge with kids running around. The beach was definitely better than Westin with a nice decking if you enjoy walking with the breeze. There was no wifi in the rooms, and even if there was, it will cost me RM50 per day. The rooms were equipped with Ethernet access for the Web, but since my Air does not have a port, I used my iPhone instead. I just wished that all internet in hotels were free. They even charged for access at the lobby and the conference floor.

All in all, it was a mixed bag. I can’t help but compare the two sister hotels. I must confess that given the choice, I would have picked Westin. I do not know about the pricing however, but I can’t imagine there to be that much difference. If one can afford one, they should be able to afford the other. With a family, I would have chosen Westin as well. The location being near Kuah will also sway shoppers such as my wife should she tagged along. The link for the hotel formal website can be found here.

Sunset Dinner

Oh! No! I think United for beaten. Certainly Villa was playing much better. Can't really complete if we got beat. They were just better in every department. Unfortunately, we did not have ESPN in our rooms. I warned the match at the bar with a colleague from Penang. He was an Arsenal supporters and did not stay for the second half.

We had a nice sunset dinner earlier. By nice, I meant the setting was nice, outdoors by the pool. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the food. The salad was lame, and the rice dishes were basically fish, vegetables and chicken in layer of oil an inch thick. It was supposed to an outdoor barbecue dinner, and the only barbecue on offer was roast lamb. More cholesterol. I gave that a miss.

The company was good though. Spent the time chatting to guests from Australia and a colleague from private practice. I also spent time talking to a Pharmacist from Kelang, Ian. He also have an iPhone, a jailbroken unit. He put me through the paces of the alternative app store, where he could get most of the apps I owned for free. In return, I should him how I utilised my phone. Certainly I was more of an outlier from the way I use it.

U left the bar after Villa scored their second as the in house bags started playing their set. I can't really concentrate on the game by then, being tired did not help. I have another session tomorrow and have to pack early so as not to rush when we check out. The transport will be after lunch, catching a 4 pm. Flight. InsyaAllah, I should reach home by 6. I really need to rest after that as my Dad-in-law will be admitted on Monday for angiogram the next morning. Rays will be Wednesday and I may have to drive to Penang to visit my grandmother. She had been unwell lately and the whole family were concerned. I will be on leave on Thursday and Friday, and then will travel for an overnight stay in PD for another meeting.

Update on Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 8:35PM by Haris Abdul Rahman

Stop press! ManYoo drew with Villa with a couple of goals in the last 10 minutes! They still got it!

Return to Langkawi

I was writing this again upon landing in Langkawi. Will be here to give a couple of talks tomorrow before flying back Sunday. This time, we were put up at Sheraton, only 10 minutes from the airport. After settling in, we were taken for a nice dinner in Kuah town.

Dinner was Thai, and the dessert - pulut, sweet mango and coconut milk will definitely increase my cholesterol level! On the bus ride back to the hotel, I gave the boys and Anita at home a ring. I asked Irfan what he wanted from Langkawi when I get back? He said, he wanted an iPhone. Gulp! Boys these days.