MSH 2017

I only managed to stay a single night of the MSH Meeting this time as I wanted to have some downtime after the trip. For the first time, the meeting was held in JB and it was a resounding success. Most of the participant stayed at the same venue making logistics straightforward.

The venue presented itself with some unique issues. Trying to fit into a medical conference configuration and demand was not straight forward and we ended up having the poster in the main hall while the Pharmaceutical booths hidden away in small little rooms, away from the normal flow of traffic. I ended up only visiting half of them since it was rather difficult to navigate around to visit them all.

There was also a nice auditorium where some of the satellite talks were held. Again, it was not design for free flow of participant, with the delegates ending up entering through next to the main stage - the only entrance - while the speakers were at the rostrum. Not exactly ideal. Then came the temperature control of the venue. It was freezing in there ....

After the meeting, I was told that I would be the organiser for next year's chapter. I planned to hold it somewhere near work and the hotel next door to SJMC looked like an enticing prospect.

Timing would be tight thought with Ramadhan starting mid May. Some of the speakers were reluctant to attend during Easter and the local speakers has local University exams to supervise during the period. I have decided to cut it fine and hold it on the second weekend of May next year, just before Ramadhan.

Best to sort out the venue soon ...

It's a JB Weekend

I was finally there. Arrived early evening on the Friday and I went straight to the shower and had some food since I have yet to finalise my slides. Had to do some tweaking before bed.

Rather than joining a dinner symposium, I decided to have my meal in the room and just had a quiet night.

The room was comfortable and I must say I overslept this morning, waking up later than I planned. I spent the morning sorting out my slide decks and enjoying the sun and the free wifi. I joined the faculty for lunch before doing my session, and planned to venture out to have a look outside before leaving early tomorrow morning.

That was my Boss Dr Ng Soo Chin giving his talk. The podium sign has yet to be changed.There were dinner planned out but I decided against joining, preferring to stay in instead. It was not common for me to have a quiet night, and as such I decided to enjoy it.

I also got to meet a few of my ex-nurses at the meeting and it was great to catch up with them.

Preparing a Lecture

Back when I was with the University, there was rarely a week which I wasn't preparing for talks. Almost every other weekend would be spent attending conferences.

Those were the days when there were plenty of talks and conferences organises by the Pharmaceuticals. They were cutting down on the numbers now and conferences were few and far between.

I was invited to attend and participate in one in Johor Bharu this coming weekend. Unfortunately I could only come late and return early Sunday since I would be on call on Monday. So, back to preparing for the lecture. But luckily it was on a subject I was familiar with.

Taman Merdeka

On the way to Legoland from Thistle, we passed by a public park right next to the Royal Palace. It was called Taman Merdeka. And with the ample green, we explored it after lunch earlier. It was actually quite nice but could do with better maintenance since the location was superb, and I was sure with a bit of effort, the place could go far.

The lake was filled up with red sands which I was sure was from the surrounding development. There was also an amphitheatre which appeared underutilised. Some of the route had fallen into disrepair, which was a great shame.

At least the children's pool - which appeared recently opened - looked to be frequented and was in good shape. There was quite a crowd there when we arrived, and the families there seemed to be enjoying themselves.

There was also a nice restaurant by the main carpark to the park. We thought about going in, but the boys were already excited about going to Puteri Harbour. There was no stalls by the pool though. The park also seemed like a popular place for the newlyweds having their wedding photos taken. We saw at least three couples there during our stop.

The theme for the park was obviously the Independence but mostly from the Japanese Occupation during the Second World War. There were murals around there, but not much information apart from the token billboard. I wished that the place was given some monetary input to be reinvigorated. A 1% slice from Iskandar's advertising budget would do wonders to the place ....... and possibly would go a long way for the common Rakyat.

Down in JB

I was asked to participate in a patient support group event down in JB, a course I have always gladly support. I did a few sessions in the past, although they were mainly in KL. Puan Anita initially wanted to join me but his brother is due to return from Turkmenistan. We decided to ditch that plan. We were gearing up for the trip to Kuala Kangsar next weekend, but that will depend on whether my in-laws were coming or not. Rather difficult if they can’t make it with us.

Since I was traveling alone, I decided to drive down after lunch. I made a stop at Ayer Keroh for some ‘Root Beer floats’ at A&W, before kicking on. The weather was nice initially, but by the time I reached Simpang Renggam, it turned. It poured down and I had to take my time. I made it in the end and checked into the hotel just after 5.30. It looked like I have a session to attend after dinner. My colleague, Dr Bee, is from Muar. I gather that he was spending the day at his parents and will be driving down - will only take him less than a couple of hours mind you - after dinner.

Initially I was thinking of having a look at what the town have to offer, but don’t really fancy doing it alone. A quick check, and they might be showing the football in my room later. Something to look forward to …. Will blog later about the hotel.